Casper, Anyone? (Cheyenne, Mountain View, Robertson: real estate, trip , income)

[GEORGIAINMT]

Okay, my next town of interest is Casper. Although I lived in Wyoming until 1995 and have been to Casper many times over the years I haven't heard much about it since I've been in Billings. There are some special ed jobs open there so we are considering looking into applying there. I do know most of what Casper has.....mall, shopping, Events Center stuff, baseball & indoor football team, the college, Alcova, Casper Mtn., etc., so I don't need that kind of information.

What I'm most interested in hearing about is the job market for my hubby and housing. I've heard that Casper is booming again and that there are many jobs available. His background is mostly in warehouse and delivery work, mixed with a law enforcement background. He has a Class B CDL, but doesn't want to drive the big trucks so doesn't have a class A. His worry is that employers may want to hire younger people over guys his age (45) who have experience. Any thoughts out there on the employment outlook in Casper? Wages?

As for real estate, from what we've seen online it looks pretty comparable to Billings. We have talked to 2 realtors there and will be meeting with them so they can show us new construction properties to give us an idea of what we could get. Being we wouldn't be going until fall it doesn't make sense to look at existing homes other than to get an idea of what homes cost. Any opinions there on what parts of town are the best to look in for low-middle income folks like us? We don't want to be in a "bad" part of town but sure aren't opposed to living in an area where there is a mix of older and new homes. We certainly don't make enough money to be in the "fancy" subdivisions!

The most negative comment I've heard about Casper is that it's so windy. Other than during some nasty winter storms I haven't noticed it being that bad whenever I was there. Has it gotten windier over the years? Also, some people don't like the industrial feel of Casper. That doesn't bother us a bit. We're pretty much blue collar type people. My husband always says "mmmmmmm, the smell of money" when he smells the oilfields or refineries!

We will be making a weekend trip to Casper this weekend to check things out. I'm anxious to see how things have changed there. Are there any great eateries with good prices? Any info on Casper would be appreciated!!!
Georgia

[ElkHunter]

Don't know a lot about Casper but I can give you some info on a couple of things.

Housing right now isn't real bad because the boom hasn't ruined it yet. There is still housing available. As to areas that are bad, can't tell you much on that.

One thing I did want to mention is age and getting a job. There's two thoughts. 1) hire young so you can train your way and keep them for years and years. 2) hire middle to old because they are experienced and won't be around long enough to have to pay them retirement.

[loudyk]

Yes, the wind is horrible here. You've been lucky in the past I guess. Casper and Cheyenne are tied as the 5th windiest cities in the U.S., so that should give you a pretty good idea as to how windy it gets here November through April. Summers are gorgeous though.

Employment and job opportunities vary depending on what you're looking for. With the oil and gas boom going on, those type of jobs are plentiful and the pay is good. Very hard work though and burn out is a possibility. As a local business owner, I can tell you that this boom has been awful for other types of businesses. Employees are almost impossible to find. The ones that do come around aren't worth anything. We have a new Popeye's fast food place and they have closed there doors until they can find "qualified" employees. I'm not sure how qualified you have to be to work fast food, but that is an indication as to how bad it is. One of the McDonald's & Arby's had to close their dining areas and do drive thru only because they couldn't find enough employees. The new Walmart on the west side of town had to stop requiring drug testing on potential new employees so they could find any employees at all.

Hope this info helps out a little.

[tekape]

I'm a resident of Casper (and the hubby grew up here). Yes, we have wind, but so does the rest of the state. My hubby is a local business owner (gunsmith/gunshop) and is doing great! Jobs are plentiful....but people think they're "too good" to work there, that's why our Popeye's shut down (and the other fast food restaurants are having such a hard time). Another reason finding suitable employees is so hard is the huge meth problem (and we're not talking just low-lifes that are doing it either....it goes WAY up the food chain).

Obviously, the oil industry is huge....and the housing boom is outrageous. We were lucky enough to find a nice little house up the street from my in-laws....built in the 50's and had an unfinished basement that we put 2 bdrms and another bath into. We have two hospitals (one is a neuro-surgical specialty place...the other is a regional trauma center with the only life-flight service in the state). If anyone's looking for a job in healthcare...Casper is for you!

It's not the prettiest place to live, but I'm not much of a complainer. No matter where one lives, there will be downfalls/problems/etc.

Wish you the best of luck in your search...if you have anymore questions, feel free to ask!

[GEORGIAINMT]

We spent the weekend in Casper. We enjoyed it and even though it got windy with the storm coming in on Sunday it wasn't any worse than a lot of places in Montana/Wyoming. The only negatives we've heard is about the wind and about the meth problems. You also get that anywhere you go, and we realize that the more blue collar type jobs there are around the more alcohol, drugs, etc. are prevelant, although I know the companies do drug test.

We were most pleased with the housing situation in Casper. We looked at some beautiful new homes that were very reasonable, even under $200K. We are thinking about the Southeast Casper area or the Southwest near Robertson Road. Both have fantastic mountain views. For the gal who said it isn't the prettiest place, we both think Casper is quite pretty.

When we came back to Billings we made the decision that I would apply in Casper, so on Monday I called the special ed. director there to find out about jobs. Guess what? I have an interview next Wednesday already! Please keep your fingers crossed for me. Although I love teaching here in Laurel, that $17,000 a year more in Casper sure is attractive! We teachers don't do it for the money, but it sure would help us get ahead a little!

If anyone out there has any connections or ideas for jobs for hubby please keep me posted! Thanks to all for your help!
Georgia

[shadowwalker]

Sticking my nose in here. Could you tell me the name of the Neuro-surgical hospital? Thanks.

[HighlandLady]

Originally Posted by GEORGIAINMT

We spent the weekend in Casper. We enjoyed it and even though it got windy with the storm coming in on Sunday it wasn't any worse than a lot of places in Montana/Wyoming. The only negatives we've heard is about the wind and about the meth problems. You also get that anywhere you go, and we realize that the more blue collar type jobs there are around the more alcohol, drugs, etc. are prevelant, although I know the companies do drug test.

We were most pleased with the housing situation in Casper. We looked at some beautiful new homes that were very reasonable, even under $200K. We are thinking about the Southeast Casper area or the Southwest near Robertson Road. Both have fantastic mountain views. For the gal who said it isn't the prettiest place, we both think Casper is quite pretty.

When we came back to Billings we made the decision that I would apply in Casper, so on Monday I called the special ed. director there to find out about jobs. Guess what? I have an interview next Wednesday already! Please keep your fingers crossed for me. Although I love teaching here in Laurel, that $17,000 a year more in Casper sure is attractive! We teachers don't do it for the money, but it sure would help us get ahead a little!

If anyone out there has any connections or ideas for jobs for hubby please keep me posted! Thanks to all for your help!
Georgia

Best of luck to you and yours...it is nice to know you had a lovely time of it and found the beauty so very evident here!

[HighlandLady]

Originally Posted by shadowwalker

Sticking my nose in here. Could you tell me the name of the Neuro-surgical hospital? Thanks.

Central Wyoming Neurosurgery

[tekape]

Originally Posted by shadowwalker

Sticking my nose in here. Could you tell me the name of the Neuro-surgical hospital? Thanks.

Someone had said Central Wyoming Neurosurgery....which is what the practice calls their office....but those docs opened up a hospital on the east side of town near Hat Six Road called...oh gosh, now that I went to type it, I forgotten the name! I think it's called Mountain View or Mountain West....something in that neighborhood.....I'll check it out tomorrow and post the "real" name! Sorry!

[Clay Lady]

Originally Posted by loudyk

The new Walmart on the west side of town had to stop requiring drug testing on potential new employees so they could find any employees at all.

This is really hard to believe!! It goes against everything I know about the standards that are in effect here in Arkansas for that company. I'm sorry - I just can't believe it.

Of course, I am having a hard time understanding what I am reading in this thread about the drug problem in general! What's up with law enforcement?