Interested in Rawlins (Cheyenne, Casper, Laramie: low income, apartment complexes, rent)

[Benton]

Hello! I have a possible job offer in the Rawlins area and I was just wondering if anyone could tell me about the town. Is the Rawlins area a nice place to live? My wife works as a secretary/ receptionist, are there jobs in the area that she could find? How is the housing market? What are the nice areas in Rawlins? Are there areas of the town to avoid? How high is the crime rate? How much snow does Rawlins receive on average? How is the fishing? I guess what I am asking is how is life in the Rawlins area in general? Thanks in advance for any info you can give me. - Benton

[MHT]

I don't know too much about Rawlins except that I know some really nice people that live there. You might check out Rawlins Chamber of Commerce site, etc.

[Benton]

Thanks for the reply MHT. I have checked out a few web sites pertaining to Rawlins but the Chamber of Commerce site seems to down. I am interested in hearing from people who live there or have lived there to try to get some inside information on what the town is like. Thanks again, Benton.

[kirial]

Hi Benton,

Just wanted to give you a little info about rawlins. I have been here my whole life. There is alot of good people here, but the wind is insane. Most days are very windy. As far as snow, it usually starts late september and we get snow through May. The wind never lets the snow fall straight down, so its very drifted. Lots of work available here now, as Rawlins is in the middle of a energy boom. However, the housing has gotten outta control. Rent is 700+ for a 2 bedroom place, (most apartments have waiting lists now) and houses are going for quite a bit of money (but i say that because it didnt used to be this way even a few years ago, so for Rawlins thats expensive) As far as jobs for your wife, yes there is secretarial work im sure she wouldnt have too hard a time finding a job. Keep in mind Rawlins is a small town, so everybody knows everyone elses business, and the rumors fly like crazy!!

As far as fishing, there is great fishing to be had. We are about 30 miles (roughly) from Seminoe Lake, which has walleye and trout.....the North platt river also is very near and if you like river fishing there is always that option. (I recommend floating the river so your not always snagged, haha!) There is also several man-made lakes to the south, about 8 and 16 miles from Rawlins, but those fish are mostly smaller trouts and browns. If you are a hunter/fisherman, this is a good place to be, but not a whole lot entertainment wise to do around here unless you are an outdoorsman. The Wyoming State Penn is located just south of town, some people have moved here without realizing that, so i figured I would through that in. The crime is mostly small town crime, but getting a little busier because of the increase in population. Drugs are increasingly getting worse, but I think that goes for just about anywhere now-adays. Anyway...I hope this helps a little, and if I can answer any more questions let me know.

[Benton]

Hey, thanks for all of the information. I do have a few more questions. I found a list of about 8 apartment complexes in Rawlins, which are the nicer ones and which are not so nice. Also, 700 dollars a month sounds high to me as well. What are homes renting for?
I like to fish and hunt but I also like to catch a movie from time to time. Is there a movie theater in town? Also, how are the restaurants? Is High speed internet available in Rawlins? I read somewhere that Rawlins may get a Wal Mart in the near future. If this Wal Mart does not come to town how far is it to the nearest discount store like Wal Mart or Cosco? One last question, I read somewhere that groceries are on the high side in Rawlins. Is this true? Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions. - Benton

[kirial]

Hi again =)

As far as apartment complexes, Forest Ridge are good, Highland Hills apartments are good, the low income type apartments are Sage hills, Stagecoach. Cathy Gardens is for Seniors. I am not sure what the rent is on houses, the rumor is that you can get anywhere from 700-950 but I dont know if thats really the case. The apartments from what ive been told are going from 500-700. There is a movie theater in town, it shows 3 different movies. Kinda small, but you can definately catch a movie. High speed internet is available. I use Bresnan Communications for mine and I love it. You can get the whole tv/phone/internet thing and save some money using Bresnan. All their services are great. As far as restaurants, there is Sanfords (which is a chain, not sure if you have heard of it) Cappy's is a popular family restaurant here, you have the fast food places such as Mcdonalds, Taco Johns, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell/KFC (but its not a good one! haha) Dominos, and in my own opinion, we have some GREAT mexican restaurants here. Rose's Lariat, and in the next town, Sinclair, which is 6 miles away.....Su Casa. That place is very small, but they make really good mexican food! Also another small Restaurant is Cloverleaf Cafe, again, mostly mexican food there. There is also a really good Thai restaurant, and several chinese ones as well. You wont find any olive garden or anything like that though. Walmart is coming here within the next year, they are in the planning stages of it now. We really need it, as in Rawlins there is ONE grocery store, so yes...the prices tend to be a little high. So, in the meantime, before walmart gets here, you need to travel to Laramie, 97 miles, or Casper, 110 miles, or Rock Springs, around 100 miles, and you will find walmart! There are two smaller stores here, Alco and Pamida, but Im sure they wont be here anymore when walmart opens. This town has more hotels/motels and bars than it has anything else. There is a town about 40 miles from here called Saratoga, which has some neat little restaurants and shops, and a natural hot springs pool. Sometimes that gets so hot you cannot get in it all the way, but its a nice little spot to relax. Let me know if you can think of anything else I might be able to help you with.

[snapperblue]

What are you looking for in a town? Rawlins is very isolated- a small cluster of houses in a hollow on very harsh sagebrush country. The country will be really stark compared to the south. Since there is nothing else for miles, it has more services than you'd expect from its size. The state prison is the only large employer. I'd check carefully on employment opportunities for your wife.

I lived in Laramie (about 100 miles away) for 5 years and loved it, including the wind and climate. But it is much larger, has the state university, has public land nearby.

[Griffis]

I agree. I thought Laramie was charming.

When we were waiting for our rent house to come open in Laramie, we had to find a place to stay for about a month. All the hotels around Laramie were booked because of some rodeo or other event, so we camped in Medicine Bow Nat'l Park for several days, then stayed at a hotel in Rawlins for a couple of weeks.

The people seemed friendly, but there was a lot of demolition and building going on. The town was pretty spread out. Some beautiful old buildings and some nice residential areas, but I thought the town's location was pretty desolate. Not my kind of landscape. And pretty isolated.

But most towns in Wyo are pretty far from each other.

[Dorothy Ramsey]

If I move to Rawlins, what kinds of jobs are there? I have completed high school, and some college classes. I like working with people best, but would try other work. Does anyone know what the prison pays? What kinds of jobs are there mostly available?

[Griffis]

Dorothy, I have to again recommend Laramie. It may be a little more expensive to live there than in Rawlins, but it is far prettier, only about an hour from Cheyenne, surrounded by mountains, national parks, etc.

Jobs are much easier to come by in Laramie, I am certain. There are a lot more businesses and the University is there. I felt kind of trapped and remote in Rawlins (though I wasn't there all that long), but Laramie was a great, cozy town full of cool stuff and a little more cultured due to the University. It's also closer to more things whereas Rawlins is quite removed from other towns.

The people in Laramie were top notch too. We loved it there.

Are you dead set on Rawlins? I'm not knocking it as my experience there was limited but the time we spent in Laramie was great and it just seemed like a more happening place. Much prettier too, as I say.