wife offered job in riverton,need lots of help. (Cody: fit in, real estate)

[tnhunter]

Hello, from what Ive read ,everyone ion the fourum seems very helpful,so ,today my wife had her secon job interveiw with the state of wyoming for a job in riverton,problem here is we live in west tennessee,just outside of memphis.
I am US MERCHANT MARINE,so we can pretty much live anywhere,at least for now,make a fairly decent living considering I only work 6months a year.
here are our needs
1.3 br 2 bath home or aprtment,pet friendly to rent
2.place to park our off road vehicals(jeeps)
3.what are the high schools like?
4.what is there to do for the kids in the cumminitty?
5.what kind if any jobs are there available for the lids,Ihave a verty enterprising young son who loves to work.
6.what is the drug and gang problems like?
7.what is the meth problem like?its getting bad around here,thats why we ask.
8.does the airport have a flying club or aircraft rental?
I am a state fo tennessee certified hand gun and tatical weapons instructor,also a hunter education instructor is there any need for any of that?
9.I also run a small archery and gun shop when im off the boat any need for any of that in the cumminity either?
anyone who wuld love to assist or be a long distance sponser in the form of info,we would love to hear from you,simply email me at [EMAIL="chesterevitt@hotmail.com"]chesterevitt@hotmail.com[/EMAIL]
have hunted several times in and all over wyoming,and we love it,was hopeing job wa in cheyenne.because its close to denver airport but I have to take what we can get,no real jobs around here anymore.
thank you chet,dee and lil joe

[tigergal]

I can't help you with Riverton, in particular. I've only driven through it on my way elsewhere. Just wanted to say Welcome. We moved here from Memphis last summer. Where in West Tennessee are you? I'm in Cody now and I'm prejudiced toward it, but Riverton is in a pretty are and very close to some of the most beautiful areas Wyoming has to offer. I'll tell you that if you hate the West Tennessee summers (all 8 months of it), this will be a welcome relief! Also, though I'm not specifically familiar with Riverton, the crime situation and thug situation out here isn't nearly what West Tennessee has.

[jody_wy]

Fremont Co has a great 4-H shooting program, bet there always room for more 4-H leaders. Riverton and Lander both have good gun -archery shops.

[bawha]

Finding a decent 3 BR 2 bath house that is pet friendly is going to be the toughest thing you will encounter. The rental market is very tight and you will pay in the $800-$1,100 range. You may want to contact a couple of the larger real estate companies right away: Home Source Realty, REMax, and/or Wind River Realty. They also may be able to help you find a spot to park your off-road stuff.

Riverton, like the rest of the state, has well funded good schools, with one 850-900 student high school.

There's not as much for high school aged kids to do as there would be for younger kids, but you have all the outdoorsy things. Hunting, fishing, decent bird hunting, and about half an hour from the mountains and hiking/camping. The school would offer several other civic and sports activities.

There always seems to be job openings in the fast food businesses, Walmart, and Kmart. Depending on his age he may also be able to find something in agriculture close to town.

I'm not aware of any gang problems, but Riverton has "its share" of the drug problems. However, like most social problems it tends to be limited to "the wrong crowd" so unless a kid surrounds him/her self with that element, it should be pretty much a non issue.

I know several people that own aircraft, but am not sure if there is a flying club or rentals available.

In Wyoming there's always a need for hunter education instructors and anything to do with weapons.... though Wyoming no longer requires a permit for concealed weapons.

You'll find it a unique area, at least by Wyoming standards. Riverton (11,000) more blue collar red neck conservative, Lander (7,000) 24 miles to the south, more white collar liberal; Wind River Reservation (12,000) in between; a very conservative rural & farm/ranch population (5,000-6,000), 4 casinos, a very nice jr. college in Riverton, and a small 4 yr Catholic college in Lander (also the home to the world known National Outdoor Leaders School - NOLS.

[sunsprit]

"does the airport have a flying club or aircraft rental?"

Riverton has Jim's Flying Service with a rental Cherokee 140 upgraded to 180 spec @ $93/hr wet

Lander has Wind River Aviation with a C172 @ $125/hr wet

A couple of flight instructors in the area, Brett Crowley or Andy Hansen. If you haven't had a mountain flying check-out, I'd suggest that you do so ... and the FBO's would most likely require a local check out for their rental aircraft.


Lander through to Riverton is one of my favorite areas of Wyoming. Not as crowded as the bigger name tourist areas, plenty of outdoor activities ... and the public use Hot Springs pool(s) at Thermop are free (with a nominal time limit per use).
But it's hard to beat the outdoor pool on a snowy day, just to be soaking outdoors ...

[tnhunter]

Originally Posted by tigergal

I can't help you with Riverton, in particular. I've only driven through it on my way elsewhere. Just wanted to say Welcome. We moved here from Memphis last summer. Where in West Tennessee are you? I'm in Cody now and I'm prejudiced toward it, but Riverton is in a pretty are and very close to some of the most beautiful areas Wyoming has to offer. I'll tell you that if you hate the West Tennessee summers (all 8 months of it), this will be a welcome relief! Also, though I'm not specifically familiar with Riverton, the crime situation and thug situation out here isn't nearly what West Tennessee has.

we live up in brighton,as you know in titpon county just north of memphis,hello old neighbow,we have frineds that live there in cody also from brighton,look up michell clark
chet and dee

[tnhunter]

Wow,everyone thank you all so much for all the honest andd great info,wife and I had a chuckle at the hot springs suggestion,we would have tpo take a pic and send it back home to tennessee of that and in the snow too.will let every know hat happens,maybe bring some souther cooking flare too,plus sweet tea,of course,hope to see everyone soon,chet,dee and of course our 16 year old son lil joe.

[tigergal]

Originally Posted by tnhunter

we live up in brighton,as you know in titpon county just north of memphis,hello old neighbow,we have frineds that live there in cody also from brighton,look up michell clark
chet and dee

I know exactly where it is. We used to drive through Brighton every time we went up to see my inlaws up in the boot-heel of Missouri.

[rya700]

I live in Fremont county and can attest first hand to people moving here due to it being a scenic rural area but in terms of employment and the communities themselves - they find that it is not the best 'fit' for them - myself included. You guys may like it here and only you can be the judge of that and with the current job market understandably you may need to take what you can get. Just keep your guard up in term of your expectations. Rental housing is difficult to find but not impossible. Much of the housing is built in the 1950-1960 era and is on the small side. Best of luck.

[Brian_M]

I'm a Lander native (though now in my wifes home town, she's closer to her family than I am to mine), mom taught at CWC in Riverton, I started my college path there, and spent plenty of time in both communities. I have NOT been in the area for a few years now, so specifics might have changed, but I doubt it.

Originally Posted by tnhunter

1.3 br 2 bath home or aprtment,pet friendly to rent
2.place to park our off road vehicals(jeeps)

As mentioned, the available housing market is tight. Doesn't matter if you're looking to rent or buy. ALL the local realty companies get together and 'publish' (heh, print from desktop printers) a rental listing pamphlet. Any of them can help you find a rental, and I know that a lot of the Realtors do both that job and fix/rent or fix/flip homes, so if you're months out you may be able to negotiate your way into something that's not yet on the market. Never hurts to ask. Riverton will have slightly more options at slightly lower prices than Lander just due to the community (more transient, more blue-collar oriented).

Originally Posted by tnhunter

3.what are the high schools like?
4.what is there to do for the kids in the cumminitty?
5.what kind if any jobs are there available for the lids,Ihave a verty enterprising young son who loves to work.
6.what is the drug and gang problems like?
7.what is the meth problem like?its getting bad around here,thats why we ask.

Been a couple decades since I was in High School, but at That time Wyoming was consistently very highly rated in National test scores. When I was back a few years ago, one of my co-workers had a daughter in the Lander HS and I was impressed with their class offerings and school activities. I'm not sure if Riverton is the same (but can hardly believe it would be much different), but you could do far, FAR worse in picking a place for your children's public education.

Most communities in Wyoming are centered around Church and Children. While there are less options and opportunities for kids as they get older (HS age), they DO exist. The vast majority are involved in the outdoors in some way. If they are used to something Now, you may want to check into those specifics. Through HS, I was on the golf team, XC skiing team, shot competitive rifle, and rode my mountain bike into the ground every time I had a chance. If I was bored at home, it was NOT because of a lack of options... and I've never had interest in the main-stream things (baseball, basketball, football, soccer, etc..)

Jobs for teens are the same everywhere. I made pizzas, was a gas station attendant and did lawn care (not all at the same time, those were just the jobs I had). An enterprising son will be able to do nearly anything he desires.

There ARE gang problems in Lander/Riverton, but they aren't major. Ditto with Meth and other drugs. But, just like anywhere else, it's easy to avoid with a little basic common sense. 20 years ago, the kids that seemed to be in the center of all the problems were Arapahoe. I haven't had dealings with the Riverton police dept, but the Lander chief was always very open to coming in and talking at our CCW classes (back when they were required) in Lander about just these things. You may want to contact them just to hear the worst-case point of view.

Originally Posted by tnhunter

I am a state fo tennessee certified hand gun and tatical weapons instructor,also a hunter education instructor is there any need for any of that?
9.I also run a small archery and gun shop when im off the boat any need for any of that in the cumminity either?

And here's my strong point ~ I'm an AVID shooter (on the competition side, I've got roughly 1 day of "hunting" under my belt ~ lol). Lander has one of the few very active shooting clubs in the state, web page is Lander Valley Sportsmen's Association Most anything shooting related in the area will be found through them. The club supports everything from Olympic/International air rifle and air pistol (on both the junior and adult levels), to both indoor and outdoor smallbore events, on up to outdoor highpower 'mile' matches (well, they haven't had one recently, but I remember them vividly as a kid). They are VERY short on shutgun and tactical handgun (IDPA and, I forget the other one), so if you could bring something like that to the table, you'll be highly desired. There's still a CCW class (though, it's always been called "Personal Protection" and while completing the requirements for the old CCW permit, it's more focused on adult education on handling pistols and the mental aspect of keeping yourself away from the situation where a firearm might be needed, than how to get down and dirty in a firefight), and they always have need for instructors. Ditto with hunter education. Lander is also home to the One Shot Antelope Hunt, which is fun to be involved in (I've met lots of political guys, actors, and famous folks while volunteering). Of all the things I miss from Lander, the shooting club is right at the top (along with the food, crazy that I can't find the same number of places with similar quality food Anywhere else). But I was raised at the various ranges (there's an indoor in Lander, an outdoor a few miles outside of Lander and a very recent outdoor in Riverton that I know Nothing about), by a father who started shooting in the woods of MN as a kid himself.

For the shop... I just don't know. Depends on how you run it. More Custom work? You'll find your nitch fairly easily. Mostly stock/off the shelf items, you might find it hard to compete with what's established (you'll find that locals are fairly set in their ways and don't tend to change things that work for them). There are several world-class gunsmiths in the area, and at one time there were a family of archers that had 2 daughters competing on the world stage (but they "ran" a trophy/engraving business while dabbling in archery on the side), so there are top-tier experts locally, but they tend to be busy with work that's not exactly local.

If you want to contact someone at the LVSA who can answer most of your shooting questions (or get you to the person who can), email or call the Secretary/Treasurer:

Lander Valley Sportsmen's Association - Content

He's Very active with email and knows everything that's happening.



The last thing I want to say is that even as a native of Lander, I found it Very difficult to fit into the community after being gone for 13 years. My wife and I have no children and aren't particularly interested in talking about someone elses children, so we were excluded for all social occasions that related to those activities. We are also not church-goers, and thus missed out on Those social activities as well. That leaves near enough to zero that one could call it zero, social activities to engage in. It pretty much came down to my works Christmas party. This wasn't from a lack of knowing people as my folks were still in town, people I went to school with were still there, etc... but if you don't have the combination of children and love of Church, there will be more challenge in fitting into the community.

Good luck, hope you find that it all works out well for you.