Want to Relocate to Cody/Powell area (Meeteetse: real estate, rentals)

[Hayes5]

Hello! I have been lurking in this forum for a little while, finding out some great information about Wyoming. We currently live in southern Oregon and are considering relocating to the Cody, Wy area. I am a nurse and would be looking at employment probably in Cody. We have 3 small children, and I have been happily reading about the family-friendliness and low class sizes in the schools compared to here. We are conservative folks at heart, looking for a place with more traditional values as Oregon becomes increasingly liberal (especially from Eugene to Portland). Also looking for a little more sunshine than here.
One concern I have is about water. Are there water restrictions during the summer? What is a typical well output for a property that has a well?

Also, how much acreage is typically required in the area to support livestock, and do you have to put up a lot of feed for the winter? We would like to find a small acreage that would allow us to garden, have some chickens, and maybe a pig and and raise a couple of steers/cows. I have been browsing real estate listings in the Cody/Powell/Clark/Meeteetse areas, and don't mind living a little out of town (currently commute 22 miles to work), but am concerned about distance/weather for a commute to Cody. We will also need to sell our place in Oregon, which typically takes 12-18 months on average around here (the economy is bad and we have few job opportunities in the area), so we may need to be looking for a rental that will allow a dog and chickens at least.

One last question...poisonous snakes? I am from east Texas originally and if it slithered it probably could kill you, and you took a gun fishing to kill the snakes. How often do you run into poisonous snakes in the area? We are a big hunting/fishing/outdoorsy family and so we will be spending time in the woods.

Thanks in advance for any information you can provide!

[sunsprit]

Originally Posted by Hayes5

(snip)
One concern I have is about water. Are there water restrictions during the summer?

Water "restrictions" come about from various reasons:

1) actual functional availability; ie, your well source may not necessarily replenish/recharge at a rate adequate for your needs. Your well may run dry under your pumping demands

2) municipal or community water sources may impose restrictions due to limited supply; ie, municipal wells can run dry, too.

Understand that your "domestic use" water supply is not the same as other water uses, say for irrigation. If your domestic water supply is from a permitted well for that purpose, it is limited to that purpose with a small allowance for landscaping, a small garden, watering livestock, etc. You'd need to have a permitted source of water for irrigation purposes, and a functionally available amount of water to deliver for beneficial use on the land for which the permit (either surface or well water) is issued. The water permit is specific as to purpose and location of the water. You either use it to beneficial purpose within the permittted use or leave it in the source. With the recent droughts, water seniority rights are a very big deal; ie, you may see functional water available but not be able to use it until a senior water right holder to you is satisfied for their water purposes. In recent years, this means that a lot of junior water right holders don't get any water.

What is a typical well output for a property that has a well?

There is no such thing as a "typical well output" in the area. For a domestic well, the state engineer will issue a permit up to 25 gal/minute output. What you actually achieve at a given well location can be anything from a seep to the full permitted output, even with properties relatively close together where one has an excellent producing well and the next property has a fraction of a gallon/minute output.

Additionally, you may have water quality issues in some locales that present so that it's customary in that area to not even drill a well, but install a cistern and have potable water delivered to your property.


Also, how much acreage is typically required in the area to support livestock,

Depends upon location, but it's not uncommon in Wyoming to need 100 acres/cow/calf unit. Some places, a little more, some places, a lot more, some places, a little less.

and do you have to put up a lot of feed for the winter?

Yes.

We would like to find a small acreage that would allow us to garden, have some chickens, and maybe a pig and and raise a couple of steers/cows.

Figure on a 1/4 to 1/2 section of land to do so if you want to rely upon your own resources, and that's with ag water rights (and functional water delivery) for irrigation.

You've got to put this in perspective: you are coming from a riparian area with lots of natural moisture to a high level desert area. Water and it's availability is a very big deal here in determining what/where you can farm/ranch, even on a limited scale such as you propose.

I have been browsing real estate listings in the Cody/Powell/Clark/Meeteetse areas, and don't mind living a little out of town (currently commute 22 miles to work), but am concerned about distance/weather for a commute to Cody.

Mileage is but one aspect of the commute. Time is the other. Weather will be a large factor in your life in this area.

We will also need to sell our place in Oregon, which typically takes 12-18 months on average around here (the economy is bad and we have few job opportunities in the area), so we may need to be looking for a rental that will allow a dog and chickens at least.

Very limited marketplace/availability for what you seek. Not saying that there aren't any such rentals, but there's a limited ROI for investors to have these properties. Best to contact local area real estate agents to get their insight into what may be available.

One last question...poisonous snakes? I am from east Texas originally and if it slithered it probably could kill you, and you took a gun fishing to kill the snakes. How often do you run into poisonous snakes in the area?

Rattlers. Generally rather timid, but there's reports of livestock/horses/dogs getting bitten every year. I've killed around 20 in the last decade around my irrigation ditches when cleaning the debris out, or along some of my fencelines. I don't go out to do those chores without a shotgun in my vehicle. Had one of my LGD's corner one last year in a pasture with a flock of sheep around, she alerted us and we came out to investigate what was going on ... ran an ATV tire over the rattler to keep it in one place and the put the shotgun to work.

We are a big hunting/fishing/outdoorsy family and so we will be spending time in the woods.

Thanks in advance for any information you can provide!

Good luck on your job search and relocation. As always, I urge you to come visit the areas under consideration at least twice before making any decision about moving here ... once in the fair weather months, and once in Jan/Feb/Mar winter time frame. Be prepared for some very high costs of real estate/housing compared to potential earnings levels in the jobs here.

[Goin'toasquarestate]

Welcome to the forum, and your searching as well!

Increasingly liberal? LOL

Take care

[NDak15]

Hello! I have been lurking in this forum for a little while, finding out some great information about Wyoming. We currently live in southern Oregon and are considering relocating to the Cody, Wy area. I am a nurse and would be looking at employment probably in Cody. We have 3 small children, and I have been happily reading about the family-friendliness and low class sizes in the schools compared to here. We are conservative folks at heart, looking for a place with more traditional values as Oregon becomes increasingly liberal (especially from Eugene to Portland). Also looking for a little more sunshine than here.
One concern I have is about water. Are there water restrictions during the summer? What is a typical well output for a property that has a well?

You will find more sunshine than the Oregon coast. As far as being family-friendly I can't think of any place in Wyoming that isn't family friendly. Unless it's a severe drought I don't think you will have to worry too much about water restrictions.

Also, how much acreage is typically required in the area to support livestock, and do you have to put up a lot of feed for the winter? We would like to find a small acreage that would allow us to garden, have some chickens, and maybe a pig and and raise a couple of steers/cows. I have been browsing real estate listings in the Cody/Powell/Clark/Meeteetse areas, and don't mind living a little out of town (currently commute 22 miles to work), but am concerned about distance/weather for a commute to Cody. We will also need to sell our place in Oregon, which typically takes 12-18 months on average around here (the economy is bad and we have few job opportunities in the area), so we may need to be looking for a rental that will allow a dog and chickens at least.

As far as acreage goes I'm not sure exactly how much it takes for livestock, I'm sure some others on here know a lot more about that. Keep in mind that even though Powell, Clark, and Meeteetse aren't too far away, these areas can get severe weather in the winter. There is also no shortage of deer in the area so watch for those. I would also be surprised if you can find a rental anywhere that allows chickens, but who knows, you might find one.


One last question...poisonous snakes? I am from east Texas originally and if it slithered it probably could kill you, and you took a gun fishing to kill the snakes. How often do you run into poisonous snakes in the area? We are a big hunting/fishing/outdoorsy family and so we will be spending time in the woods.

There are prairie rattlesnakes in the area but I wouldn't worry too much about running into one. Just watch where you step and put your hands. Wyoming doesn't have water moccasins, copperheads, or coral snakes like areas of Texas have. Too cold.

Thanks in advance for any information you can provide!

[outwesterner]

Hello,

We were in much the same position as you when we moved out to the area. Plenty of acreage property available around Cody and the roads are generally well-kept in the Winters (only one that really seems to get bad is between Powell and Clark). Most of the snows are moderate (couple inches) and the winds and sun eat away so they don't stick around too long. Water can be an issue for irrigation but rarely for stock or personal use and it's of a high quality. Don't let anybody tell you differently but there are a lot of prairie rattlesnakes in the area. Unless you step on one or stick your hand somewhere you shouldn't you'll probably be just fine but they are present. One very important thing that has not yet been brought up - if you are a nurse looking for a job you should probably concentrate most on the Cody hospital instead of Powell. I worked as a nurse in Powell (came from a fairly large city hospital) and found the care to be downright scary there (like a miracle nobody was killed by poorly trained staff). Cody is a much nicer hospital to work for and you'll have a lot less stress. Cody is also SLIGHTLY more liberal than Powell but saying that is kind of like saying that black is SLIGHTLY darker than white. You'll be happy in either area but Cody definitely has much more to offer for just about everything. Good luck.

[Hayes5]

Thanks everyone for the information. Especially good to know about the hospitals, outwesterner. We are still in the exploring phase, we might get a chance to visit in a couple of months.

[sunsprit]

Originally Posted by outwesterner

Don't let anybody tell you differently but there are a lot of prairie rattlesnakes in the area. Unless you step on one or stick your hand somewhere you shouldn't you'll probably be just fine but they are present.

LOL ... I was at the Powell airport yesterday, and went into the office there. There's a sign on the door leading out to the ramp area "Warning: Snakes!"

Seems like the area around the building where the pavement is warm and there's lots of open spaces there is an attraction for the snakes to get sunshine warmth ....

[georgiainwyo]

Originally Posted by outwesterner

Hello,

We were in much the same position as you when we moved out to the area. Plenty of acreage property available around Cody and the roads are generally well-kept in the Winters (only one that really seems to get bad is between Powell and Clark). Most of the snows are moderate (couple inches) and the winds and sun eat away so they don't stick around too long. Water can be an issue for irrigation but rarely for stock or personal use and it's of a high quality. Don't let anybody tell you differently but there are a lot of prairie rattlesnakes in the area. Unless you step on one or stick your hand somewhere you shouldn't you'll probably be just fine but they are present. One very important thing that has not yet been brought up - if you are a nurse looking for a job you should probably concentrate most on the Cody hospital instead of Powell. I worked as a nurse in Powell (came from a fairly large city hospital) and found the care to be downright scary there (like a miracle nobody was killed by poorly trained staff). Cody is a much nicer hospital to work for and you'll have a lot less stress. Cody is also SLIGHTLY more liberal than Powell but saying that is kind of like saying that black is SLIGHTLY darker than white. You'll be happy in either area but Cody definitely has much more to offer for just about everything. Good luck.

I don't know about the general overall care at the Powell Hospital, but I do know that it has gotten high marks nationally for it's labor & delivery/newborn care program. A lot of moms from Cody have their babies in Powell. It is named as one of the best hospitals nationwide for OB/NB care. My daughter had 2 of her 3 babies there and I was totally impressed with the care and their philosophy of mother/baby bonding.

[Hayes5]

By the way, when we travel this spring, we will be pulling a camp trailer. Any recommendations of where to camp for reasonable price around Cody/Powell area? Also thinking about taking the kids to Yellowstone since we are so close.

[sunsprit]

Originally Posted by Hayes5

By the way, when we travel this spring, we will be pulling a camp trailer. Any recommendations of where to camp for reasonable price around Cody/Powell area? Also thinking about taking the kids to Yellowstone since we are so close.

Just a few miles West from Cody is the Buaffalo Bill Res, which has a number of WY State campsites readily accessed from the highway. Paved roads all the way into the sites, graded at the sites with gravel so many of the sites are level. All have tables and fire rings, potable water system gets turned on in the spring.

IIRC, a non-resident daily camping fee is only $8 night. A good deal, IMO.

Alternatively, there's camping at numerous sites in town itself, with varying degrees of amenities/cost. There's the campground adjacent to the Cody Museum .... which is a must-see destination in Cody.

Be aware that it can get very breezy in the area, especially Westerly winds. If so, the BB lake are can be a very sporting location to camp in. I was there last night in 50+ mph gusts, and finally gave up to get on the other side of the rocks in Cody proper. Stealth camped in my RV in town where I was sheltered from the much lessened gusts which didn't abate until about 3 AM.