Can There Be A Large Metro Area in Wyoming? (Cheyenne: motels, houses)

[case44]

By the way, just to throw this in, even if Casper had, say, 300,000 people in that area, and the rest of Wyoming stayed the same, then wouldn't Wyoming still be 50th in population?

Hey, what's wrong with 49th?

[lilypad]

Well, how has it been surviving lo these many years?? Will have to live off tourism I guess. Do they still have oil there? I do hope there will not be a huge glut of people to the area, as it is my possible relocation site when Texas is overrun in a few years. Lived in Cheyenne for three years back in the 90s and really enjoyed the weather, crisp, dry, cool and SUNNY! Love to hike as well. Weather is very harsh in winter, but I continued to run in -17! Just got a little cold induced urticaria is all. And agree, most people won't want to chance it. Altitude can be rough as well in parts of Wyoming, up over 8,000 ft.

[ruggedindividual]

Originally Posted by case44

My question would be this: How can Wyoming survive without a strong, vibrant metropolitan area?

Survive what? I wasn't aware Wyoming is in danger of dying.

[sunsprit]

I'm kinda' baffled at the false premise of the question ... can Wyoming survive without a big economic center? Wyoming is doing quite well as it is now without one. Wyoming has done quite well without one for well over a century, too. I fail to see that Wyoming just isn't going to make it in the future without a big economic center ....

Economically, many portions of Wyoming are BOOMING due to the extractive businesses there. Tourism boosts the economy of many other places.
Ranching and farming still turn a modest dollar or two for the economy, too. Retirement and 2nd homes draw a portion of the population.

This has all been happenning with a rather modest resident population level for many years.

The state's current budgetary needs are reasonably well met with the low tax structure and severance taxes upon the extractive products. As long as Wyoming stays low key ... as it is now ... the tax basis should be adequate for many years to come in this state.

Casper certainly has a large portion of it's economy based in the extractive industries.

Cheyenne doesn't see much of that, but it has a military base, the state capitol, and a number of businesses and distribution centers that benefit from it's crossroads location (rail, I25/I80). There's a modest amount of farming and ranching in the area, too, and Cheyenne is a "bedroom community" to a fair number of Northern Colorado workers.

What are we missing that we didn't knowingly leave behind somewhere else?

[lilypad]

I appreciate that bit of info on WY, sunsprit. Did not think there was an economic scare there, not sure what case44 means by not "surviving" without some big metropolis forming?

[imbobbbb]

wyoming seems to be doing quite well as it is,for that matter its doing much better then many states that have several major metropolitan areas so i dont really see the point of the post.if you want to go to a metropolis you can drive to salt lake or denver from most of wyoming....and then go home and let utah and colorado have the headaches.

[wyolady]

case44, I just have to ask. Do you live in a metropolis? It might be difficult to see how economies and people unlike yourself thrive, but that we do. We survive the same way you do - just on a smaller scale. I'm curious as to why you think anywhere needs a large population to survive. We have people working in various careers - teachers, miners, oilfield workers, retail, etc. - that get a paycheck as disposable income, we spend the income in stores, the stores pay paychecks to workers and the stores and workers buy more goods, they pays taxes, purchase homes and entertainment, etc. The economic cycle is just like in big cities but on a smaller scale. One thing I believe I see less of here (I lived in Denver for 4 years) is affluenza - the disease to always need more to be okay, to measure worth by the pocketbook and home size rather than the genuine, intrinsic value of a person. There are thousands of wonderful, valuable, worthwhile people in Wyoming who may not make a lot of money or be worth a bunch finaicially. We simply don't care much about that here. Okay, okay - maybe in Jackson they do. . . .

You said

Originally Posted by case44

My question would be this: How can Wyoming survive without a strong, vibrant metropolitan area?

Wyoming has strong, vibrant cities - they just aren't metropolises with large populations.

[tigergal]

Originally Posted by case44

My question would be this: How can Wyoming survive without a strong, vibrant metropolitan area? I'm not even saying Casper or Cheyenne even have to have a million people. Just how can that place survive? I'll throw is to you and anybody else that can chime in. What if the economy in just one of those cities begins to really thrive and people actually do start moving in?

It can survive because what makes Wyoming Wyoming is the fact that it's not full of concrete, pollution and wall-to-wall people. Many places actually start to go down once they become "vibrant metropolitan areas". For example, in my hometown of Memphis, the city started to decline with the growth that the city went through. With a larger metropolitan area comes not only more jobs, but also more people who need them, more required services, more crime and more urban blight. I can't imagine that anyone in Wyoming has a desire for urban blight. It's crucial to remember that size does not equal quality.

[tigergal]

Originally Posted by case44

By the way, just to throw this in, even if Casper had, say, 300,000 people in that area, and the rest of Wyoming stayed the same, then wouldn't Wyoming still be 50th in population?

Hey, what's wrong with 49th?

What are the positives you perceive in the state becoming more populous? What do you think, in terms of quality of life, will occur to the state if more people move in. I'd refer you to the Montana board for a viewpoint regarding the decline of communities when significant growth is pursued.

[Kele]

Wyoming is PERFECT just the way it is! One of the very best things about Wyoming is the fact that it ISN'T heavily populated. If you want metropolitan areas with millions of people, move to L.A., but PLEASE don't bring the people here!!!!!