Rawlins Or Lusk? (Cheyenne, Casper, Laramie: credit, how much, house)

[07chevy]

I would appreciate everyone's opinions on which of these places would you pick to live. I like to hunt, fish and snowmobiling. I would eventually buy some land and build my house. Please be detailed on the good and bad of each area, since I haven't been to either one before. Before I make a commitment, I need to know as much about each place to help make a decision. Thanks.

[jody_wy]

Lusk is in the least populated County in the USA, not much for sledding, lots of private ground. Rawlins middle of no where, but a truck and trailer can get you close to snowmobiling, and probably a lot better fishing and hunting and public ground to do both.

[NP78]

Rawlins has better proximity to quality hunting and snowmobiling, IMO. Rawlins is a much bigger town as well (9k vs less than 2k in Lusk).

Having said that, any particular reason you narrowed it down to those two? Not sure how much land you are looking for or what you want to do with it, other than build a home, but I wouldn't really consider any land around Rawlins productive in any fashion. Rawlins is higher in elevation with a more arid climate than Lusk. Of course, no consideration of Rawlins is complete without discussing the wind.

[07chevy]

NP78: These are the 2 places where a possible job is at. So what you are saying, is you really can't grow anything in the Rawlins area? And I have hears/read about the wind, basically all across wyoming, being continuos. Ya, I'd like to put up a small house and large garage and plant myself in either place. That's my idea I have right now.

[branDcalf]

Rawlins is larger. Lusk is closer to the Black Hills. Not bad hunting around Lusk. Both are hard to get to if you need to use commercial airlines, IMO.

I'm guessing you might be in corrections.

I like Lusk better as a town, but that may be because I'm from a little ways west of there.

[Ltdumbear]

Lusk is way more 'slower-pace' (of life) than Rawlins, mostly because it's much quieter country. Rawlins just 'feels' rushed and noisey, owing to the fact that I-80 goes right through it.

And assuming you ARE in corrections, I guess you also want to give thought to which gender you'd prefer working with. Last I heard, Lusk was the woman's state-pen, and Rawlins is where the men go.

Lusk has the older of the two state-pens, and it seems Rawlins has 'issues' with the new(er) facility, from what I've heard...but I could be wrong.

Rawlins has a Wallmart now; it's a small place...but added with the other grocery stores (one of them is rather nice, as far as I'm concerned) and one other dept store...one no longer really NEEDS to fight the interstate-traffic to make the run-downhill (and then back uphill) to/from Laramie for anything but the biggest items.

Lusk...really doesn't have all that much going for it (shopping-wise) but a well-stocked country grocery. The next Wallmart from there would be quite a few miles west (to Chadron) and it is a very nice store, along with quite a few farm/ranch supply stores in town, as well...

...or you have your choice of heading south to Cheyenne or west to Casper, for most anything else you could possibly want; both by Interstate.

My gut-instinct tells me you want a 'quiet' place to live, off the clock, and after retirement...so my advice would be Lusk.

You should check it out first, though. Early January, and then again in Mid-summer.

[jody_wy]

"few miles west (to Chadron)" think you mean east as Nebraska is east of Wyoming

[ScottStielow]

Originally Posted by jody_wy

"few miles west (to Chadron)" think you mean east as Nebraska is east of Wyoming

As of yesterday Chadron was East of Wyoming. But things change?

[WyoNewk]

I hope you realize that neither are in scenic areas. Both could be considered high plains deserts. Rawlins is a fair bit higher and has the Red Desert nearby (Visit Southwestern Wyoming: Sweetwater County), and it's not that far from some nice mountains, but it's likely a far cry from what you're used to in Alaska. (I lived in Alaska for 3 years before settling in Wyoming 45 years ago.)

I've read that Rawlins has been "revitalizing" their downtown, but for decades it's not been a very pretty town. I've never spent much time there to speak of, but I hired a couple people from there who were both very happy to leave the town behind... and move to Gillette, which isn't in a very scenic area either. In fairness, this was years ago. Gillette's improved in those years; Rawlins probably has too.

I regret that I've never investigated the Red Desert. It's a long ways from where I live, and I just never took the time to see it, other than traveling through.

I've been through Lusk, but I think I blinked. If you desire a quiet, laid-back area, you might like it. People I've known from Lusk were fine folks -- friendly, honest and salt-of-the-earth. I credit one of them, who I was privileged to call a casual friend, for saving my life 25 years ago. My son, an avid golfer, looks forward to an annual golf tournament in Lusk. It's an hour or two drive from there to the Black Hills, and there's nothing else around other than semi-arid high plains.

Sorry I can't be of more help. If I had to pick between Lusk and Rawlins, I'd pick the latter. Rawlins is closer to better outdoor opportunities, imho, and while the town doesn't offer much for shopping and entertainment, it easily beats Lusk. You really NEED to visit these places before committing, in my opinion.

[branDcalf]

There IS Guernsey reservoir west of Lusk. And a good elk hunting area southwest of town. Some people from the area go to Scottsbluff if they are Walmart fans. There is some hill country with public access west of Lusk, too.