Cost of Living (Casper, Gillette, Buffalo: house, movie theater, college)

[jewelsfaith87]

If I were to get a place in moorcroft or pinehaven how far are the mines from them???

[imbobbbb]

it depends on which one.there are about 8 that i can think of,a couple right there outside wright and several half way between wright and gillette on hwy 59.then wyodak right on the east edge of gillette right off interstate 90.my cousin lives in moorcroft and works at one between wright and gillette[cordero? i believe]50 miles from moorcroft.

[ElkHunter]

50 miles is a pretty fair estimate to the middle of the mines. You've also got the plus of the old road. If they close the interstate, you can head down the old road and still get home.

Normally, if they close it, it's because of visibility. But you can run down the old road and not worry about being run over. Can cruise along at 10-15 mph.

Many times they've closed the interstate between Gillette and Sheridan. I just jumped on the old gravel and headed for home. Never had a problem.

[jewelsfaith87]

Now some people have talked about Wright on here...is that closer then Moorcroft...or would there be more apartments there???

[imbobbbb]

wright would be closer too most of the mines.some of the mines are real close to wright,thats why the town was built to begin with.housing may not be much different then moorcroft or pinehaven pricewise.a tornado destroyed a lot of housing there last year,im not sure if it has all been replaced.wright is more isolated from recreational opertunities then moorcroft,which has keyhole resevoir,the blackhills national forest,devils tower,etc just to the nw.moorcroft is also right off the interstate and more convienient to rapid city south dakota and the 3 zillion things to do in the blackhills just west of rapid city.while i dont think moorcroft itself is anymore attractive then wright i do think its much closer to places i liked to hang out when i wasnt working.if you are going to rent you could live anywhere around gillette you can find to begin with and just check out places when you arent working to see what you like best.

[jewelsfaith87]

If y'all were to be able to move anywhere in the Gillette area...moorcroft, pinehaven, wright... what would say is the best place. My fiance and I are 20 and 22 and we would also have another friend of ours coming with us who is also 21...what would you suggest??

[ElkHunter]

Morcroft - Nothing there. A bar, a truckstop. So for a young couple, you'd drive into Gillette for grocery's, going out for supper, and night life. Then you'd have that long drive to get home.

Wright - Less then Nothing. Wright was hit by a tornado last year and litterally wiped out. They've done a terrific job of rebuilding, but they've only rebuilt what they need so far. Every house is full. If you had a trailer, there would be a place to park it, but then again, if you had a trailer, you could park it in Gillette.

Gillette - Nice dining, nice night life. But housing is scarce to say the least. Housing can be found in Gillette. But it takes a long time and you have to be in the right place at the right time.

I would highly suggest you look at a RV. Say a 37 ft 5th wheel. Would give you a place to live, in Gillette, and it would afford you time to find a house.

Gillette has boomed once again and as such, nothing is available. There are people living in Buffalo and commuting 66 miles to Gillette because there is just nothing available.

[ruggedindividual]

Originally Posted by ElkHunter

Gillette has boomed once again and as such, nothing is available. There are people living in Buffalo and commuting 66 miles to Gillette because there is just nothing available.

Yup, I'm one of them.

I agree with ElkHunter...Gillette sounds like the best bet for you. Plenty going on there for y'all.

[jewelsfaith87]

I did get in contact with an apartment complex in Gillette...the lady I talked to told me the same as what you are telling me. So I"m considering that option. I just have act fast. Thank you everyone. SO what is the night life in Gillette like??? What is the norm for going out for a young couple??? I'm used to small town but my drive to the city is only 15 to 20 mins unlike Gillette

[molon labe]

Originally Posted by jewelsfaith87

I did get in contact with an apartment complex in Gillette...the lady I talked to told me the same as what you are telling me. So I"m considering that option. I just have act fast. Thank you everyone. SO what is the night life in Gillette like??? What is the norm for going out for a young couple??? I'm used to small town but my drive to the city is only 15 to 20 mins unlike Gillette

If you're looking at living in the surrounding areas you are going to have a bit of a drive any way you look at it, unless you're talking about Wright. Wright (as somebody else mentioned) was built by Exxon back when they owned Black Thunder IIRC. Wright is just a few minutes from Black Thunder, Jacob's Ranch, North Antelope/Rochelle, and Coal Creek. Coal Creek is a smaller mine that Arch (same place that owns Black Thunder) owns but they've been growing a lot so there's probably employment there as well as at the larger ones.

If you're in Gillette Eagle Butte and Rawhide are just north of town past the airport, and Caballo, Belle Ayr, and Cordero Rojo are south of town. After those you start hitting Coal Creek, Jacob's Ranch, and the other mines down towards Wright.

I personally know of a few people who live between Moorcroft and Newcastle and commute to Cordero. Personally, I wouldn't do it, and I also wouldn't live in Wright if I could help it. If you're looking at a commute Pine Haven would be the place I would drive from if I was living east of here (within reason anyway).

I think you should take a harder look at Gillette... there is housing around if you check it out. I can give you the name of a good Realtor; she found us a place that met our budget and worked with a local bank to have the sale closed within 3 weeks. The housing market here just cooled off a little bit as well, so you can find something that you're able to purchase. If you check into the WCDA loans I think you'll find that they will finance the entire loan and closing costs if you need them to. We used the WCDA for the interest rate (around 5.75 %) even though we put a down payment on the loan.... with a rate like that it was the best and most convenient choice.

As far as nightlife goes.... there are a lot of restaurants around, but most of them are mediocre with poor service. Prime Rib, Humphry's (when they re-open anyway), the Chop House, Bootlegger's, and a couple of others do have good food and good service. There are also quite a few bars and such... if you're into a good time you can find it. There are some bars that get a little rowdy but all you need to do is ask around and you'll the the info on which ones to avoid.

I haven't seen anybody mention that Deadwood and Rapid City are both within a couple hour's drive from here. There is a lot to do in Rapid, and Deadwood is full of great food, gaming, bars, and an overall great atmosphere. Although I like Casper (I'm in Casper on business this week) I would much prefer to go to Rapid to do the shopping that can't be done in Gillette and stop by Deadwood for a night on the town.

My wife and I like it in Gillette (although one of these days when we have more $$ than we know what to do with we'll be heading back to Cody ), and we're both in our 20's. There are a lot of outdoor activities around if you're into that, and there are a lot of places to make a good living.

If you need any more information let me know and I'll shoot you my email address.

And BTW..... There is a nice community college on the west side of town.