Tell me about Wheatland (Cheyenne, Laramie: relocation, real estate, vacation)

[headingwest]

My husband and I will be moving out to Wyoming hopefully this summer. We really like Cheyenne but some places on the MLS in Wheatland have caught my eye. We have not been to Wheatland. We have horses and would like to be near horse events. I don't care about malls and shopping. So what can you tell me about Wheatland? How does it compare to Cheyenne?

[jdavid93225]

Wheatland only has about 3500 people vs. Cheyenne's 50,000 or so. There's basically only one or two major Grocery stores in town (Safeway, Food Pride), a Pamida department store, and a handful of restaurants. There are a couple of hardware stores, a couple of banks, the Hospital, State and County offices, as well as car dealerships, so most of your basic needs can be met there. Since Cheyenne is only about an hour south on a good day, it's not terribly difficult to get there for the things you can't find in Wheatland, which is pretty much everything not listed above. For those rare occasions that Cheyenne doesn't have something you need, Denver's only about an hour and a half south of there, and Ft. Collins is between those two cities.

As for things to do with horses, specifically horse events, I can't give you any info, since I don't have any experience with horses in the area. Looking in the Yellow Pages under horses, I found Horse Training and Horse Shoeing in Wheatland. Boarding, Breeders, and other horse related things were listed in Torrington and Cheyenne. That's not a very good way to find out about those types of events you're interested in, but at least there is a little bit of local horse related business, so there should be some folks you can contact for the information you seek.

If you haven't already done so, check out the Wheatland page on City-Data.com since it shows a lot of good information, and has a couple nice photos. Here's a link:
Wheatland, Wyoming (WY) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news, sex offenders

I really liked what I saw when I visited that website, and ended up visiting there a couple years ago while on vacation. While I was there, I bought a 36 acre parcel about 20 miles west of town. I now visit regularly, and hope to retire there someday in the future. I have found the people in town to be quite friendly, and seemingly accepting of newcomers (though I haven't yet moved there). Keep in mind that the great folks in Wyoming don't want you to change Wyoming into what you left behind. They like it the way it is, and as long as you don't want to change everything when you get there, you should get along fine with everyone there.

[headingwest]

Thank you for the information. I don't plain on trying to change a thing about Wyoming. I love it out there and can't wait to call it home.

[jdavid93225]

Originally Posted by headingwest

Thank you for the information. I don't plain on trying to change a thing about Wyoming. I love it out there and can't wait to call it home.

I know what you mean. I feel exactly the same way, which is why I intend to spend my retirement years there. I wish I could move there now, but I have too much vested where I am to move at this time. The good news in all that is that I should have a comfortable retirement when I'm done working, which will allow me to do the things I can only dream of doing now.

[wyoman]

Originally Posted by headingwest

My husband and I will be moving out to Wyoming hopefully this summer. We really like Cheyenne but some places on the MLS in Wheatland have caught my eye. We have not been to Wheatland. We have horses and would like to be near horse events. I don't care about malls and shopping. So what can you tell me about Wheatland? How does it compare to Cheyenne?

What is a horse event? Is that kinda like gettin the old mare packed for a 12 mile trip in the mts.? Ponyin a couple of greeners? Cominin back to camp with a string of tangled up broncs to tired to buck? Now that is a horse event! As for wheatland- rolling beautiful prarie- home of the one shot antelope hunt- attended by presidents-congressman- you will love it there-come and enjoy our great state-just pullin your leg a little-come on you'll love it here! Keep your cinch tight!

[headingwest]

Thanks for the laugh. No bronc or green ones for me. I like my calm trail horses. We love trail riding and team sorting but we love to watch any kind of equestrian event.

[jdavid93225]

Originally Posted by headingwest

Thanks for the laugh. No bronc or green ones for me. I like my calm trail horses. We love trail riding and team sorting but we love to watch any kind of equestrian event.

For trail riding, I think you'll find the Medicine Bow National Forest to be much to your liking. It's only a short distance west of Wheatland, and offers many miles of roads and trails. Some of the roads would be mixed use, but there are plenty of them, and not too many people there, so I think you would not have much trouble.

Here's a link to the USFS trails page for the Medicine Bow & Routt National Forests:

USDA Forest Service, Medicine Bow & Routt National Forests, Thunder Basin National Grassland - Recreation Activities

You will probably want to look at trails under the Laramie and Douglas Ranger Districts. Here are some trails to consider:

USDA Forest Service, Medicine Bow & Routt National Forests, Thunder Basin National Grassland - Recreation Activities
USDA Forest Service, Medicine Bow & Routt National Forests, Thunder Basin National Grassland - Recreation Activities
USDA Forest Service, Medicine Bow & Routt National Forests, Thunder Basin National Grassland - Recreation Activities
USDA Forest Service, Medicine Bow & Routt National Forests, Thunder Basin National Grassland - Recreation Activities

These trails are located northwest of Wheatland, but are not terribly far away (within about 30 miles, more or less). There are plenty of other places you could ride in the nearby area without much difficulty, too. I think around Glendo, Guernsey, or Greyrocks Reservoirs there might be some neat places to ride. Having never visited those places with horseback riding in mind, I am not certain, but I don't think you'd have any trouble finding places to ride.