Jackson Hole: Should a normal guy with normal wealth even bother?

[KillerK]

Thanks for the great post MRVphotog! Just the kind of things I like/want to hear. Like you said I could live there for a year and if it ends up sucking/not working out I can go elsewhere.

I'm an avid explorer/outdoors-lover and am pretty cynical so am not prone to fall for gimmicks. Finding unknown, out-of-the-way awesome natural spaces when everyone else is going to the well-known tourists traps would definitely be something I would do. I grew up in rural northwest Pennsylvania and explored just about every inch of the woods around my town so exploring/hiking in nature is something I love to do.

The huge crowds in summer might get to me though. One nice thing about where I grew up is that it's rural and pretty BUT ALSO *not* a tourist destination at all, so a "traffic jam" was when 3 trucks were stuck behind a slow Amish buggy or tractor, lol. But like you said if the crowds get to me it's only a few minutes away to "nowhere." That's one thing that draws me to Jackson is that even though it's a small town, there's a lot more to do in town than in other towns of similar population but it's just a few minutes away from "beautiful nothing", haha.

[KillerK]

Okay I have another question. In a lot of online forums where people talk about Wyoming, I see a lot of people saying things like "it's really hard to come to Wyoming if you don't already have a lot of money" and that kind of thing. However I think these people are talking about moving to Wyoming and NOT already having a job lined up (meaning moving there first and THEN trying to look for jobs). But maybe not. I don't have much money, but wouldn't move there without having a job lined up first. What do you Wyomingites here think? Would it be tough for someone to move there with NOT much money but WITH a job already lined up?

And also, on the side, I didn't think many people did this but apparently there are a lot of people who just move someplace without first having a job lined up? Isn't that...well...incredibly stupid? Of course you're going to go broke and be a destitute hobo if you just up and go somewhere with no job...

[sunsprit]

Originally Posted by KillerK

Okay I have another question. In a lot of online forums where people talk about Wyoming, I see a lot of people saying things like "it's really hard to come to Wyoming if you don't already have a lot of money" and that kind of thing. However I think these people are talking about moving to Wyoming and NOT already having a job lined up (meaning moving there first and THEN trying to look for jobs). But maybe not. I don't have much money, but wouldn't move there without having a job lined up first. What do you Wyomingites here think? Would it be tough for someone to move there with NOT much money but WITH a job already lined up?

And also, on the side, I didn't think many people did this but apparently there are a lot of people who just move someplace without first having a job lined up? Isn't that...well...incredibly stupid? Of course you're going to go broke and be a destitute hobo if you just up and go somewhere with no job...

You need to put the moving to Wyoming and jobs equation in the perspective of the historical boom-bust cycles that have marked the history of the state ... as well, in the perspective of what jobs sector your skills qualify you to enter.

For example, in "boom" times in the extractive industries, all you had to do was show up ready to work for a lot of jobs. Same-day hiring was commonplace, the employers were so desperate for employees. Sorting out where you were going to live was your problem, but with the prospect of top wages and overtime, that generally worked out ... even if the housing wasn't always up to the expectations of the new hire in a lot of towns.

So, was it "... incredibly stupid" for many folk to have moved to Wyoming at the "boom" times? Not if they were ready, willing, and able to work at whatever jobs presented upon their arrival and weren't choosy about doing only what they'd been trained to do or worked at in other places before arriving here.

But one has to temper this with the realities of time/place for making the move when the "bust" cycle returns. If one arrives with little money and the jobs are not available when you arrive, maybe there's hiring freezes or cutbacks ... then it's not such a prudent time to be arriving with little resources to survive on while trying to find a job.

Then there's the problem with jobs that are available but the prevailing wage rates and hours available don't equal a living wage in the town, even in more stable economy towns ... I bring that up because you, KillerK, have never mentioned what it is that you've got lined up for a job in Jackson; ie, it's relatively easy to get hired for some jobs, but the wage/salary rate may not afford you a living income in Jackson. There's a reason why so many Jackson workers don't live there and commute in from outlying towns ....

Compounding this is that in a lot of post-boom towns, the price points for housing have been driven up in the most recent up cycle and one is left trying to find a job that pays enough to be able to afford the top-of-the-market housing costs. Until the down cycle adjusts in the marketplace, it's not uncommon for the then prevailing wage to be an unlivable situation for a new hire. It's not just a problem for individuals seeking housing ... the marketplace costs for businesses can outstrip the local economy, too, and we see local businesses closing because they can't afford the overhead with lower gross sales.

When you look at towns like Jackson, which are seasonal tourist economy based towns ... as are so many other Wyoming towns with that dependence ... it becomes all the harder to survive financially as a new arrival when you have little resources to tide you over to the days of getting the income you need to cash flow in the place ... to afford the housing and costs of living there.

[CriKimimela]

I feel very grateful to this forum conversation. I could read the replies to my questions, too. It's not easy indeed.
Back home I've realized that my country is not eligible for visas such as H-2B etc. Too bad. I speak also 4 languages, and I'm single (no problem to move). I spent a wonderful holiday in JH this summer. I enjoyed outdoor activities, wildlife, nature and taking photos. I felt at home: huge sky, vast prairies, wildlife and high mountains. I'm missing all that every day. I'd like to come back there and enjoy the winter asap.
For the moment just a beautiful dream
Enjoy JH and walk / ski in Beauty