Looking for recommendations of cities. (Cheyenne, Casper: sales, house, best schools)

[happyappy]

I’m a tree hugger; a granola eater; a latte drinker; a Thomas Jefferson admirer; a former farmer; and politically purple. I’ve raised horses, raised heifers, raised a daughter, raised a son. I’m a hiker, a biker, and a horseback-rider. I’m anti-immigration, anti-neocon, anti-big government, anti-nuke, and anti-war. I’m pro-business, pro-education, pro-environment, and pro-choice. I’m a vet, straight, white, and when it’s right I’ll fight. I’m self-employed, self-reliant, self-motivated, but not self-righteous. I like most people, but can’t say all. I don’t ride a high-horse because it hurts when I fall.

The cold I don’t mind, in the wind I can play, high heat I don’t like, and snow is okay.

So, in Wyoming: What city might be . . . one that might like . . . the likes of me?

[Kele]

Originally Posted by happyappy

I’m a tree hugger; a granola eater; a latte drinker; a Thomas Jefferson admirer; a former farmer; and politically purple. I’ve raised horses, raised heifers, raised a daughter, raised a son. I’m a hiker, a biker, and a horseback-rider. I’m anti-immigration, anti-neocon, anti-big government, anti-nuke, and anti-war. I’m pro-business, pro-education, pro-environment, and pro-choice. I’m a vet, straight, white, and when it’s right I’ll fight. I’m self-employed, self-reliant, self-motivated, but not self-righteous. I like most people, but can’t say all. I don’t ride a high-horse because it hurts when I fall.

The cold I don’t mind, in the wind I can play, high heat I don’t like, and snow is okay.

So, in Wyoming: What city might be . . . one that might like . . . the likes of me?

Personally, I'm on my way to Laramie in two weeks....

[happyappy]

Originally Posted by Kele

Personally, I'm on my way to Laramie in two weeks....

I know. You're going to attend the University of Wyoming, correct?

I lived in Cheyenne for a couple of years of high school when my dad was stationed at Warren AFB. That was waaaaaaaay before you were born, I'm sure.

I've enjoyed your discussions over in that "other" forum.

[Kele]

Originally Posted by happyappy

I know. You're going to attend the University of Wyoming, correct?

I lived in Cheyenne for a couple of years of high school when my dad was stationed at Warren AFB. That was waaaaaaaay before you were born, I'm sure.

I've enjoyed your discussions over in that "other" forum.

The "other" forum....tee hee hee..

You're correct, I am going to the U of W. I'm a "return to learner" so I wouldn't be too sure about the age thing.

[Earniefan]

The only place that comes to my mind for you is Laramie.

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by happyappy

I’m a tree hugger; a granola eater; a latte drinker; a Thomas Jefferson admirer; a former farmer; and politically purple. I’ve raised horses, raised heifers, raised a daughter, raised a son. I’m a hiker, a biker, and a horseback-rider. I’m anti-immigration, anti-neocon, anti-big government, anti-nuke, and anti-war. I’m pro-business, pro-education, pro-environment, and pro-choice. I’m a vet, straight, white, and when it’s right I’ll fight. I’m self-employed, self-reliant, self-motivated, but not self-righteous. I like most people, but can’t say all. I don’t ride a high-horse because it hurts when I fall.

The cold I don’t mind, in the wind I can play, high heat I don’t like, and snow is okay.

So, in Wyoming: What city might be . . . one that might like . . . the likes of me?

Well, you narrowed it down to about 90% of the state would still suit you. haha Do you like mountains, rolling plains, prairie, red desert. Are you retired or going to work and if so, what kind of work do you want?

[happyappy]

Originally Posted by jgussler

Well, you narrowed it down to about 90% of the state would still suit you. haha Do you like mountains, rolling plains, prairie, red desert. Are you retired or going to work and if so, what kind of work do you want?

I’m self-employed in manufacturing and so is my wife. We don’t mind working and won’t be retiring for quite awhile. As long as there are some fairly good-sized cities within a day’s drive, I can usually find all the subcontractors I need for what I do and the proximity cuts down on lead times and freight costs. I suppose I could do my business from anywhere UPS or such similar service can reach. I rarely need the services of commercial trucks. All of my wife’s products also ship by parcel service and quite a bit of it by USPS.

I lived in Cheyenne for a couple of years as a wild kid in high school. We used to get into trouble in Laramie and Casper fairly often. The terrain was not unpleasant in those areas—although some of those times are a mite fuzzy as we were heavy into alcohol in those days. In one of my previous marriages I owned a farm in Keenesburg, CO, a hop, skip, and a couple of jumps from Cheyenne. Although I did love that farm as I do all farm country, that flat grass prairie does not aesthetically gratify my environmental desire.

We moved to Tennessee from Western Washington where I spent most of my adulthood, so I’ve been enamored of mountains and trees and will always prefer forested areas if possible. However, if I’m not mistaken, the only mountainous, forested areas of Wyoming are in the northwest corner, am I right? I’ve been through Sheridan and Buffalo several times. Those are beautiful areas, but probably everyone who goes through them has that opinion; that might make them places in which growth would exceed that with which I would be comfortable. I’m sort of anti-growth. Maybe better: anti-the-wrong-kind-of-growth, definitely a subjective thing.

I guess I could have saved you the chore of wading through my verbiage by saying, “No prairie and no red desert.”

[happyappy]

Originally Posted by Earniefan

The only place that comes to my mind for you is Laramie.

Does any particular reason stand out from others?

[Earniefan]

Well it's the only area I know of any real treehuggers in Wyoming, and it's probably the most liberal part of the state. Pretty much just everything you said made me think of Laramie because there are a lot of open minded, free thinking, hippie, granola, type people there. It's a cool place, and to me it sounds like you'd be happy there. Plus, the good old boys definately hold down the growth, so there's another plus for you. It's not too far from Boulder, which is full of treehugging, granola eaters ) so you'd be able to go and enjoy all that is there.

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by happyappy

Does any particular reason stand out from others?

I'd say Laramie is fairly good, but when I lived in that area I didn't like the wind. But that was me.

I live in Sheridan. 10 years ago, it was 15500 people. Now it's 15850 people. The growth has all been in the county, outside the city. Pretty much the same as Buffalo. The town itself is not growing much. There are a lot of subdivisions built 4 or 5 miles out of town.

Wind? It's been 10 days since the wind got above 7 mph. And then it was just one night we had a front roll through. Was calm til about 6:30, windy 70+ for about 30 minutes, and then calm again.

Last winter I run in 2 wheel drive all winter. Never locked in my hubs. We had one bad storm all winter and it was on the 30th of March. 37 inches of snow. Melted in 3 days. Lots of moisture this past spring, everything was very green. Course, now we're getting the heat so the grass in the pastures is curing on the stem, as they say.

We have UPS, FEDEX and such here. UPS is actually located in two places. Which make sense. One building in the industrial park handles ground only. The other one is at the airport and you guessed it, they only handle air. haha Course, yes they do pick up at you home if you call them.

Only one post office in town, and they're downtown just one block off Mainstreet. Easy access though.

Taxes are really decent. The city is excellent for plowing and removing snow. My street is usually bladed by 6:30 or 7. Even in the big one in March. My street was bladed by 10. And they blade it to the center and remove it. They don't blade your driveway full. I have a scanner and listened that night. They had 5 plows patrolling the city and keeping the major roads open. So you come from the South end of town and go out the North. Go from the East to the West. They kept the high school, the hospital, the junior high roads all clear during the night. Then as the storm started letting up, they started on the rest of the streets.

We have some of the best schools in the country here. Good choirs, good football and socker teams. You know the choir is good when there's only 20 people in the choir and 1100 people show up for the concert.

We have rodeo's, stock shows, street dances, 4H, FFA, Kids groups. There's always something going on around here.

Good police force and Sheriff's department. Fire department and ambulance service that is very dedicated.

We have a hospital, several private clinics, a cancer center, just about everything you need. However, for Major things like a bypass, they'll take you to Billings that has a major medical metroplex facility and some of the finest doctors in the country. It's about 140 miles north of here and there are lots of facilities for families to stay while you're there.

People around here tend to head for Billings to do major shopping. Maybe a trip every other month or so. Montana has no sales tax. So people head up there to Costco and such and stock up as much as they can.

We have a K-Mart, a Super Wal-Mart, a Home Depot. Casper is about 125 miles South on I-25. Gillette is about 120 East on I-90. And of course, Billings is 140 North on I-90.

Sheridan is about 3900 feet in elevation. Drive an hour West of here and you'll be in the best camping, fishing, and hunting areas and you'll also be up to around 12,000 feet. Lot's of lodges up on top. Lots of camping opportunities. Several lakes. 10,000 miles of groomed snow mobile trails. Matter of fact the trails will take you from one lodge to the next. they have lots of poker runs up there with snow mobiles from lodge to lodge. Ski slopes are about 1 hour and 15 minutes out of Sheridan.

We have bear, moose, elk, deer, antelop, pheasants, prairie chickens, turkeys, etc to hunt in this county. I've never spent much time hunting and let me explain. The last time I went, I had 1 general, 6 additional deer licenses. So I could take 7 deer. I left my house at 9am and was back at 3 with all 7 deer on the back.