Carbon County (Casper, Laramie, Rawlins: real estate, gynecologists, low crime)

[BradH]

My family and I may be re-locating to the Carbon County area. I may be getting a job with the Deoartment of Corrections. Anyway, we would like to know if the mountains are within view if living in Carbon County (Rawlins, Saratoga Springs, etc.)? Also, are there kids activities (teeball, flag football, soccer, etc) that are available? We appreciate any feedbback. Thank you

[Wildman]

Since no one has responded to your msg.... I will help you out. Rawlins is above six thousand feet and it has a good size hill next to it, but it situated between the Medicine Bow Mtns (12,000 to 14,000 feet) to the south that you may not see from Rawlins and the Ferrell Mtns/Casper Mtn (10,000?) to the North which you may not see. Which means Rawlins in the path of least resistant for the wind. So the answer will have to be NO, but you are in luck because Elk mtn to the east and near Saratoga. Saratoga is the small community with at least dozen corporate jets lined up at the airfield. There plenty of corporate lodges nestled either in the mountains or along the blue ribbon stream of the North Platte. I hope this helps.

Wildman

[Munshine]

Dear BradH,

My family and I moved to Carbon County a little over a year ago, and because my husband, also, acquired employment with the WYDOC. Before I begin giving my opinion/facts regarding this area, I will tell you that we are very pleased with where we moved to, (Hanna WY, 38 mi. east of Rawlins), and we enjoy the scenic beauty and small-town-living that exists here in Carbon County.

There are mountainous areas in Carbon County, and which majestic and beautiful scenery can be seen once entering this County while on I-80, and when traveling westward from Laramie WY, (Albany County), to Rawlins WY. Carbon County is nestled between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Madre mountain range. We, natives of Colorado, consider this stretch of country to be one of the most breathtakingly-scenic that we’ve ever seen.

In the Town of Hanna, although somewhat less in Rawlins, the area is really that of rolling hills, rather than mountainous, and which we feel, also, provides a unique beauty. The gorgeous and massive, Elk Mountain, along with the range which begin near Saratoga WY, are either/both, within plain view, only a short drive away. (The most spectacularly-scenic mountains we’ve seen thus far in WY, and possibly, ever, exist on the Snowy Range Road, and which is easily accessible from anywhere in Carbon County).

Here is a list of our “pros” and “cons” regarding Carbon County:

Pros - traffic is never a problem/ never congested traffic, well-paved/maintained highways and streets, outdoor activities available, (such as, fishing, golf, parks, historical landmarks/areas), wide open spaces, recreation centers available in some communities, (and such as Hanna and Rawlins), small-town living, good schools, (in Hanna, for their Jr./Sr. high school, (under one roof), the Medicine Bow and Elk Mountain children also attend, and the average class size is usually under that of 20 students), low crime rate/feeling of safeness/security at home and in the communities, very affordable real estate, (prices have risen dramatically, however, within the past year, but better deals/more for your money can be attained in Carbon County, and when compared to the going-rate in other states), even the smallest of communities have their own police/EMT departments, towns/cities are reasonably and or considerably quiet, wildlife is abundant and readily visible, (and even within the larger communities, such as Rawlins)

Cons - communities are remote/traveling time between communities is, usually and at the least, about 40 mins, grocery prices/shopping is on the expensive side, (closest discount shopping is in Laramie/Casper, and from Hanna that‘s 90 miles/115 miles one way, (however, a Walmart is, reportedly, going to be built in Rawlins in the near future), bad weather which can, and does, close roads and highways in a heartbeat occurs, (leaving motorists stranded/making going anywhere, not an option), frequent wind/strong winds, certain types of medical specialists are not attainable, (ex: podiatrist/gynecologists, rheumatologists), stores/professionals sometimes keep odd/inconvenient hours, (it’s not unusual here to arrive at a store, mid-day, to find it temporarily closed for some reason when it shouldn‘t be)

I apologize this was such a lengthy post, but you are in the same shoes we were in only a year ago, and I wanted to let you know what we think about Carbon County.