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because if you involed in anyting you know somebody in every town in the whole state. Heck Saturday I was on the swather all day , sweaty, dusty, 2 days of beard(my took a long weekend and was gone) grease under my finger nails in my bib overalls. Went down to Thayne to get a Guinness, while sitting there our Congresswomen her Husband Al and thier daughter came in. Ended up back in the steak house having dinner with them, also I on a board with Al.
Can go to a meeting and get called by my first name by our Govonor and one of the Senators before I put on a name tag.
being involed 4-H , FFA , UW and a few state organizations you think of the state as one little town with very long streets.
on the Dubois thread, posted by jackaroo ... but a realistic perspective on so many Wyoming towns:
Dubois is not Jackson. Many people move here (I live in DUbois) and end up leaving because they cannot handle the isolation and driving 80 miles to the nearest Walmart, Safeway, Movie theater, hospital, doctor and dentist appointments, vet, etc.
It is not for everyone by any means. It is one of the most isolated towns in the lower 48. Its beautiful and the people are great but us locals who have the cajones to live here year round and tough out Wyoming winters don't have much use for the part timers who are here 2-3 months in the summer, and jack up the real estate prices to ridiculous levels. Groceries are expensive here because of the isolation, and the small grocery store isn't that great.
Every couple weeks or so we make a big grocery run to Lander (some go to Jackson or Riverton- I would rather go to Safeway or Mister D's in Lander- the Riverton Walmart is NASTY), and stock up on things. Many go to Idaho Falls in the summer for their shopping. The nearest mall would be Casper, Billings, or Idaho falls, each no less than about 4 hours away. There are no clothing stores to speak of in Dubois. So if your dog ate all your underwear or socks, you are kinda SOL until you can order some online or run to Riverton or Jackson, each 80 miles away.
And the drive to Jackson, while gorgeous, is treacherous at best in the winter because it requires crossing Togwotee PAss. In the summer, tourists are EVERYWHERE and Jackson is so crowded most locals say to heck with it, and avoid it like the plague.
Wyoming is fantastic, but people keep moving here and trying to turn it into where they came from, like they did to Colorado. PEople here are very resistant to that and resentful of those who try to change Wyoming and do not accept Wyoming as it is- forever west and forever wild.
OH lots of grizzly bears and wolves and black bears outside Dubois too. We fish, hunt, hike, camp, 4 wheel and horseback ride a lot and never go in the mountains without having a can of bear spray, and each person armed- my weapon of choice is a 41 mag. Tourists are incredibly naive about the danger these predators pose. All it takes is unwittingly getting in between a mom and cubs- even if you have done everything else right concerning food- and you are in trouble. (end quote)
The problem for so many people moving here is that they take for granted all of the amenities that are ever present in their current locales ... and mistakenly think that similar population densities exist here in Wyoming. They assume that they can acquire all the isolation and remoteness that they want, but still have all the conveniences, shopping, medical, entertainment, restaurants, etc., just a few minutes away. "you don't miss your water 'till the well run dry" ... or, in the case of Wyoming, where all the stuff that made your life enjoyable and complete simply isn't readily accessible. While Dubois is isolated by 80 miles to the nearest real commerce/entertainments/medical ... if you look at the primary corridors in Wyoming, you'll see that similar isolation exists in most of the state between the few main population centers.
As I've repeatedly indicated ... for some folk, this adjustment is not too dificult. But in the whole, for most people, it's a huge obstacle to happiness.
As it is, I've got two local newcomers who are leaving their 40 acre parcels nearby. Both from Wisconsin ... the one family bought their parcel of an old barren dryland wheatfield at $2,000/acre, put a $65,000 pre-fab house on a slab, drilled a well, and discovered that the winds and snow build up on the house to the roof, even in drought winters. They can't ride their horses around here for 6 months out of the year due to the conditions making it very unpleasant. They recall that their place in Wisconsin had milder, easier winters ... and that's a place not famous for those conditions. The other family moved here from Wisconsin after selling one quarter horse to a rancher in Wyoming; they thought they were going to come here and show all the Wyoming ranchers what good horse breeding was all about. Surprise Surprise! most Wyoming ranchers have their sources of good horses and didn't take well to this bunch of folk telling them what they'd been doing wrong all these years. The couple hadn't sold another horse here in years, and they, too, are moving back to Wisconsin where they can sell their stock. Both families will lose about $100K with all the moving and sale of their houses at current price points.
I'm going to be leaving the Army within the next year and it's time to start planning for my post-Army career. I'm originally from South East Ohio. Thanks to the Army, I've spent time in OK, TX, LA and SC - and I realize that I want to avoid the hot, sticky and humid south at all costs! lol
So, I'm looking at Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, maybe the Dakotas... I'm not against moving back to Ohio or Pennsylvania as I have family there and am a Pittsburgh fan (mom's from a Pittsburgh suburb). I'm told that if I'm looking at Colorado, check out Wyoming as they're pretty similar but Wyoming is cheaper.
Mostly I'm looking for the following...
1. Job Availability (going to use ACAP to search for jobs once I settle on an area)
2. Low(er) cost of living (only place I've lived prior to the Army was Columbus, OH - something like that)
3. Cool - Cold climate (I love snow - and I miss not seeing it in the winter)
4. Mountains!!! (something around the 2-4k ft in the Rockies or something would be spectacular)
5. Moderate driving distance to a metro area (within 2hrs drive or so)
I grew up in a small town of less than 1000 people, so I'm not really afraid of the rural aspect - I like space, but I like to be close enough to something big so I can enjoy the benefits that a metro area has to offer. That said, I know it's a bit of a tall order because I hate, HATE country music - and the places I've picked like lots of that. lol
I'm single, 28 and male. I'm mostly looking for assistance so I can research a place to live and then use the Army's ACAP service to search jobs in that area - possibly Gov't to continue the Federal service or some sort of non-corporate private sector stuff (I've done fast food and retail, never again if I can help it... lol)
I appreciate your help - please ask if you need me to specify further!
Thank you!
1) Go to www.wyomingatwork.com and see if any jobs here might work for you. That might be a good start.
2) The Midwest in general is much cheaper than the Mountain West so it's best to do your homework on a specific town.
3) Plenty of cold to go around! That being said, while summers are brief, they are nice and this one has been HOT. However, there is low humidity which is a huge plus.
4) Your best bet is to check out the northwest part of the state (Cody, Powell, Sheridan, Buffalo, Star Valley, Pinedale, Lander). These areas are close to mountains. Jackson is nice to visit but unless you're a millionaire it's tough to make a living. If you don't mind smaller mountains Sundance and Newcastle are in the Black Hills. The area around Laramie is also in mountains although I haven't spent much time there so can't help much.
5) This is a bit tougher as it will limit you to the southern part of the state and not many areas near mountains. The southwest (Rock Springs, Green River, Evanston) part is close to Salt Lake City and the southeast (Rawlins, Laramie, Cheyenne) is close to Denver, but you are going to be further away from the mountains in the northwest (which are the typical "postcard" pictures.)
I'm kind of having the same dilemma and you sound just like me! I wanted to live in Alaska so badly so I set up an internship there for a month but decided that living there was too expensive. I fell in love with the state-especially the weather, had a job offer, and wanted to move there but the apartments were awful and expensive. I am now looking into Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Montana. I have a job interview in Casper so it's good to hear what everyone is saying. The job has offered to fly me from Madison, WI to Casper to check it out before I decide to move there so I am taking them up on that.
I'm a 25 year old female, does anyone know how easy it is to meet people? Is there a social scene? I realize that you have to get out there and try to meet people but I'm not too into going to bars. I'd rather go hiking or fishing. And what's this wind I keep reading about? How strong of a wind is it? I guess I have never heard anything about it before reading information on City-Data.
Thanks!
I'm kind of having the same dilemma and you sound just like me! I wanted to live in Alaska so badly so I set up an internship there for a month but decided that living there was too expensive. I fell in love with the state-especially the weather, had a job offer, and wanted to move there but the apartments were awful and expensive. I am now looking into Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Montana. I have a job interview in Casper so it's good to hear what everyone is saying. The job has offered to fly me from Madison, WI to Casper to check it out before I decide to move there so I am taking them up on that.
I'm a 25 year old female, does anyone know how easy it is to meet people? Is there a social scene? I realize that you have to get out there and try to meet people but I'm not too into going to bars. I'd rather go hiking or fishing. And what's this wind I keep reading about? How strong of a wind is it? I guess I have never heard anything about it before reading information on City-Data.
Thanks!
Casper doesn't have a huge social scene and although lots of people do go to the bars you don't have to be a barfly to enjoy the town. There seems to be a fair amount going on, I would say check the newspaper. There is plenty of hiking and fishing and since Casper is in a centralized location in the state you can get away to other areas. The wind is very strong there, especially in the winter. I would suggest looking for a place that is not on the outskirts of town and that is not managed by Alerin Management.
I'm kind of having the same dilemma and you sound just like me! I wanted to live in Alaska so badly so I set up an internship there for a month but decided that living there was too expensive. I fell in love with the state-especially the weather, had a job offer, and wanted to move there but the apartments were awful and expensive. I am now looking into Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Montana. I have a job interview in Casper so it's good to hear what everyone is saying. The job has offered to fly me from Madison, WI to Casper to check it out before I decide to move there so I am taking them up on that.
I'm a 25 year old female, does anyone know how easy it is to meet people? Is there a social scene? I realize that you have to get out there and try to meet people but I'm not too into going to bars. I'd rather go hiking or fishing. And what's this wind I keep reading about? How strong of a wind is it? I guess I have never heard anything about it before reading information on City-Data.
Thanks!
Good to see I'm not the only one with these kind of desires. lmao Good luck!
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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The PEOPLE and terrain will sell you on WY (and both are very diverse, but all are very interesting)
I encourage you to look to college towns, so you can complete edu AND get a wider variety of employment / activities.
I would suggest Sheridan as well as EH did already. It is close enough to MT, SD and varied WY sites + VA is a BIG plus to the Community (as is being on an interstate highway) + Jr College.
I would also look into Spearfish, Sturgis, Rapid City, (in that order) all are close to WY.
AK is a GREAT choice (tho a bit remote). It has lots of opportunity but can be pretty spendy to live (and comes with a price to commute to lower 48... not unlike living on an Island.
All these choices will do you well coming from Military.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Reputation: 46172
Quote:
Originally Posted by sunsprit
All I'm telling people is that Wyoming isn't everybody's cup of tea ...
and has had a long history, dating back to territorial days of
"boom-bust" economic cycles. ...IMO, the slow growth/low population here is because Wyoming presents a set of challenges which few people are willing to undertake for the long term.
As a Colorado kid (primarily) and a daily WY traveler / truckdriver, as well as occasional resident...
I'm with SS on this... WY is not for everyone, and it is well advised to come with FULL DISCLOSURE.
WY is TOUGH in economy, weather, services, proximity ... Colorado is quite different IMHO.
Kind of like the difference of driving a mid 60's 4x4 w/ no AC, PS, PB, through the deserts of NEV...(you may make it, or you may NOT.
or Driving a 70s Cadillac through San Francisco. Plenty of hills, plenty of power, can always 'survive'.
I rode my bike to work in NoCo everyday but 3, the last yr I lived there. In WY I would have been lucky to FIND my bike in a snow drift... much less ride it in a 60 mph wind. (An I was less than 60 miles from WY while in CO... Masonville / High Fire )
I like it. I like it a lot. Most of my years have been in the eastern half and as you drive up I-25, I've worked both sides of the interstate from just north of Cheyenne to a bit north of Kaycee.
The wind makes me feel alive. When I go somewhere without it, it's creepy. I'm working in Sheridan right now and I miss the daily wind. They don't get enough up here. Head back to country that gets a good dusting off every chance I get. I think it breeds a different kind of person, too. Good people everywhere, but those that do well in a harsher climate are my favorite.
My point is that you really do have to decide for yourself. Many don't like it, but some just thrive in this environment.
I like it. I like it a lot. Most of my years have been in the eastern half and as you drive up I-25, I've worked both sides of the interstate from just north of Cheyenne to a bit north of Kaycee.
The wind makes me feel alive. When I go somewhere without it, it's creepy. I'm working in Sheridan right now and I miss the daily wind. They don't get enough up here. Head back to country that gets a good dusting off every chance I get. I think it breeds a different kind of person, too. Good people everywhere, but those that do well in a harsher climate are my favorite.
My point is that you really do have to decide for yourself. Many don't like it, but some just thrive in this environment.
There is something different (and good) about those kinds of people.
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I think it breeds a different kind of person, too. Good people everywhere, but those that do well in a harsher climate are my favorite.
