Based on the following, where in Wyoming should I go? (horses, grass)
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I grew up in Wyoming and have visited Tampa, life is much easier in Tampa. You had better budget for a completely new wardrobe moving to Wyoming. The 9 month long winters there are brutal compared to what you are coming from. You will need to install a core heater in your car, otherwise the engine will freeze up at night and be too sluggish to start in the morning. You will need snow tires and to winterize your car with low temperature anti-freeze. Some places the roads close in winter unless you have chains you can put on your tires for traction. Plan on scraping the ice off of your windshield most days.
Whoooaaaa there. We have enough fear-mongering going on in main stream media, no need to do the same thing here.
First off, one does NOT need a completely new wardrobe. All the same clothes will still fit and do their intended job, building temps are much the same all around this country no matter what time of year it is. You will need to augment with good winter boots, a warm coat, hat and gloves. It's not like you're going to be spending hours on end out doors just to survive (unless you're ranching), so everything needed can be bought, New, for about $100 if you're thrifty. Hit up a ski-swap/garage sale or just buy used, and you can do it for $20~30 (or could a few years back ~ I bought boots, ski bibs, jackets, hats, and gloves for 4 family members out of GA that were coming to ski for a Total of $100).
While some vehicles (diesel mostly) can benefit from a core or coolant heater, they are by no means necessary. I never bothered putting one on my decade old Toyota truck with an unknown age battery (more than 4 years old though) and it NEVER had issue starting. Our diesel car liked a couple hours on the heater, but the thermostat was also stuck open. It didn't NEED to be plugged in though. Similarly, my truck got new tires while living in Atlanta, GA and were fine through northern AZ, WY, Denver, CO and now back to GA again without any issue. We did put winter rated, all season tires on our car ~ but they cost the same and have the same life span as most all-season tires on the market today. That was mostly because my wife was driving all over the state and I felt better knowing she had the best. We never even touched the coolant other than to check it twice a year (I'm a factory trained/certified motorcycle/atv/utv/etc... mechanic ~ it's not like this is something that's even recommended by factories). I did nothing for winterization of our 2 cars, it's just simply not needed with well maintained vehicles.
Yes, scraping windows is the norm unless you have a garage or toss a sheet/rug on the windshield. I'll take that over a steering wheel that's too hot to touch (or seats that burn if your shirt pulls up when getting in) any day of the week.
Yes, there are the occasional road closures and 4x4/awd or chain-only sections. Neither are the norm, and neither are an issue for most people who live and work in one town. Road closures are easy to check via phone or online, and chain-law sections are almost exclusive to passes (going up and over a mountain range).
9 months of winter?? Really? Are you sure you're not exaggerating just a little bit? I'm not being facetious, I really want to know.
I'm applying for a job in Riverton, and I'm really liking what I've been finding out about Riverton and Lander. What do you all think of living there on about a $40,000 salary? I would also have my 18-year-old daughter with me who would be looking for those $10-11 jobs.
We have several horses, dogs and cats, so I think I would need to buy a property rather than rent. I have good credit and not too much debt. Maybe 10-20 acres with a mobile home, something like that.
Also, my daughter wants to get her pilot's license. I noticed that there is an airport in Riverton, so I imagine she could take lessons there?
Of course, I don't know if I will get the job, but I'm hopeful!
9 months of winter?? Really? Are you sure you're not exaggerating just a little bit? I'm not being facetious, I really want to know.
I'm applying for a job in Riverton, and I'm really liking what I've been finding out about Riverton and Lander. What do you all think of living there on about a $40,000 salary? I would also have my 18-year-old daughter with me who would be looking for those $10-11 jobs.
We have several horses, dogs and cats, so I think I would need to buy a property rather than rent. I have good credit and not too much debt. Maybe 10-20 acres with a mobile home, something like that.
Also, my daughter wants to get her pilot's license. I noticed that there is an airport in Riverton, so I imagine she could take lessons there?
Of course, I don't know if I will get the job, but I'm hopeful!
Thanks!
I don't know if you'd call it 9 months of winter, but it's pretty close. In 2011 we had our last frost on June 4. We had our first frost on Aug 28. Was there heavy snow up until last frost and immediately following the first frost, of course not. But other things that you need to concern yourself with. Frost on the roads, black ice, can't plant, etc... all fell in that catagory called "winter".
Of course, you can plant earlier than that, but be prepared to cover plants in the garden. Toward the end of August, be prepared to cover them again. A green house, is a blessing and doesn't have to be real big. Something built about 8 ft by 16 ft is plenty.
Wyoming grass is pretty thin. 20 acres will not even feed one horse through the summer, so plan on feeding, year round. This past summer, we found hay (70/30) to feed our horses for about $60 a ton (33 bales). We feed 2 percherons so they are healthy eaters, a ton of hay will last about 50+ days. The percherons are a team used to pull wagons. Not this past summer, but the summer before they pulled a sheep wagon 2400 miles in 3 months. So we keep them well fed.
9 months of winter?? Really? Are you sure you're not exaggerating just a little bit? I'm not being facetious, I really want to know.
6 months of winter would be very typical (Oct-March), with the potential for cold temps and snowstorms either earlier or later than that in any given year. I've been there with blizzard conditions in April that blew across the region ... The growing season there is Zone 4 with only about 110 days (or so) in an average year.
I'm applying for a job in Riverton, and I'm really liking what I've been finding out about Riverton and Lander. What do you all think of living there on about a $40,000 salary? I would also have my 18-year-old daughter with me who would be looking for those $10-11 jobs.
I think you'd be OK there on a $40K salary, especially if you have company benefits (health ins, etc).
We have several horses, dogs and cats, so I think I would need to buy a property rather than rent. I have good credit and not too much debt. Maybe 10-20 acres with a mobile home, something like that.
Rentals allowing pets rather slim pickins' ... so buying a close-in rural property allowing horses makes sense. Best to contact the RE agencies for their current listings to give you an idea of what may be available and to identify the price points.
Also, my daughter wants to get her pilot's license. I noticed that there is an airport in Riverton, so I imagine she could take lessons there?
Jim's Aircraft Service is the FBO at KRIV. They show flight training and aircraft rental on their AOPA listing. I have no experience with them for these services, only having flown into KRIV as a stop while on a cross-country through the region.
Off topic from this thread ... but one does need to "shop" flight training schools/instructors/services as carefully as one chooses a college. Not all "flight training" is the same in many aspects ... this is a wide-spread problem in the aviation training biz. Your daughter may find that Jim's has wonderful aircraft and instruction at reasonable rates and meaningly progress toward her ticket ... or not; Jim's may present a situation where she'd be better off to save her money and prepare for a flight school somewhere else, perhaps with accelerated training so that she gets her pilot's license with a minimum amount of time and expenses. What will be a big factor in how she approaches all this is what she intends to do with that license ... fly professionally, recreationally, or ? I've gotten some of my best flight training from some small FBO's and independent flight instructors ... as well, I've gotten some of my worst flight training from small & large FBO's and independent flight instructors .... YMMV.
Of course, I don't know if I will get the job, but I'm hopeful!
Thanks!
Good luck with your job search. Riverton through Lander is a gorgeous area of Wyoming.
Thank you so much for the advice! I figured that we might have to feed hay year-round. We're paying over $200 per horse to board them right now, so I'm hoping to save some money there! What I'm paying in board would be a respectable mortgage payment.
I'll show my daughter what you wrote about flight schools, Sunsprit! I don't think she has a very clear idea of what she wants to do with it yet, but I'm hoping while she is learning to fly she can do some networking and get a better idea of what she wants to do with it.
I was hoping to have a greenhouse...glad I am on the right track with that one.
Wyoming grass is pretty thin. 20 acres will not even feed one horse through the summer, so plan on feeding, year round. This past summer, we found hay (70/30) to feed our horses for about $60 a ton (33 bales). We feed 2 percherons so they are healthy eaters, a ton of hay will last about 50+ days. The percherons are a team used to pull wagons. Not this past summer, but the summer before they pulled a sheep wagon 2400 miles in 3 months. So we keep them well fed.
Wow, that's a long way! I don't think ours eat quite that much...we have a TWH pony, Appaloosa, Appaloosa/Morgan, Thoroughbred and a Paint. I'm glad you pointed out the grass situation, since I have been spoiled by the climate in Missouri; we get lots of rain here and grass is plentiful. I'll keep that in mind!
Wow, that's a long way! I don't think ours eat quite that much...we have a TWH pony, Appaloosa, Appaloosa/Morgan, Thoroughbred and a Paint. I'm glad you pointed out the grass situation, since I have been spoiled by the climate in Missouri; we get lots of rain here and grass is plentiful. I'll keep that in mind!
What ElkHunter didn't mention about hay was that due to the regional drought South of this area for the last hay season, horse quality hay has been in short ... and expensive ... supply.
How he obtained $60/ton hay is probably a story unto itself these days, likely a local producer that's a good friend ....
We've been experiencing hay thefts in the SE Wyoming area this year due to the high prices. With so much being shipped out of the area, it's not uncommon to see a semi-trailer loading up and you "assume" that it's a legit load-out.
I've been watching small bale horse quality hay prices in the area through this last winter: 2nd, 3rd, & 4th cut has been running $250-$400/ton this year. Those are "in-the-stack" prices, not delivered prices. Much has been shipped to Southern Colorado or points further south into Texas.
If you are buying small amounts, less than a ton at a time, at a local feed store, don't be surprised to see horse quality alfalfa (and grass blends) priced at $10/bale (33 bales per ton) right now. It wouldn't be uncommon to see it at $5-6/bale in most of the recent "average" years.
When I owned/operated a commercial horse boarding facility here in SE Wyoming, I could not break even at $200/month for a full service horse boarding ... and I bought the facility at a distress price due to a family sell-off distress situation. At that, my mortgage payments were lower because I had a 40% downpayment required by the bank for a commercial loan.
Even cow quality hay has been bringing $120-200 ton in big squares lately in this area.
Finding a acreage close to town will be your best option, but they tend to be pricey and in small supply. Home Source Realty moves the most property in this area so you might want to get them hunting because I chatted with the owner the other day and he said R/E inventories are substantially lower this year than last.
I've lived here most of my life and we don't have 9 month winters. There are winters that may stretch 6-7 months once in a while, but, on average, my garden usually takes that killer freeze in mid to late October and I can get things planted in April and get away with it most of the time. The true frigid (or possibility of frigid) winter runs from about mid December to mid February.
I think they have a pretty decent flight school (lessons) here because I have had a lot of friends over the past several years get their pilot lisc.. And I'm not a pilot but have used this airport several times with our prop commuter airline and I think I could even land on these runways
Depending on what housing you find (cost) you should be fine with your salary.
I've been watching small bale horse quality hay prices in the area through this last winter: 2nd, 3rd, & 4th cut has been running $250-$400/ton this year. Much has been shipped to Southern Colorado or points further south into Texas.
Even cow quality hay has been bringing $120-200 ton in big squares lately in this area.
You beat me to it.
You can live on $40K here. You'll be better off than more than a few of your neighbors. Some things get more expensive, though, and the weather is quite a variable.
Last winter we had a long dreary one. This winter was pretty open and mild. I always plan for the worst. I lived in the southeast of WY for years and have even had years when I had to buy and haul water to my stock. In places where we have never seen springs and dams go dry. Now they are fine again.
It's doable, but can be challenging. Some like it that way. Some are very disappointed. If your heart is set, then give WY a try!
Whoooaaaa there. We have enough fear-mongering going on in main stream media, no need to do the same thing here.
I stand by my post, there was nothing in it that was an exaggeration, as others here have confirmed. No fear mongering was intended, simply stating the facts as I see them, without the sugar coating you are trying to apply to it. LadyDB has limited funds and needs a job, she needs to know she should expect these extra expenses if she is going to move to Wyoming.
Yeah, maybe if she wants to wear the same pair of boots, the same pair of long underewear, the same sweatshirt and coat every day all winter long she can get by for only $100.
Anyone from Tampa probably can't imagine how tough the winters are in Wyoming. Which is why, as others have said here, so many move back home after their first taste of winter.
Last edited by CptnRn; 03-15-2012 at 04:44 PM..
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