Riverton or bust? (Cody, Jackson, Lander: crime rate, home, buying)

[Dresden]

I'm thinking of relocating to Riverton WY or the Cody area any opinions on what kind of town Riverton is would be appreciated. I hear the winters there are the mildest in WY? Thanks!

[Mark S.]

My wife was born there, but they moved away when she was just a kid. She loved it, but again, that was 20 years ago.

I don't know about mild winters. My wife said she remembers trick-or-treating and hunting easter eggs in full winter coats every year with lots of snow on the ground. It might well be the mildest winter in Wyoming, but still...it's Wyoming. Winters are pretty brutal.

[Dresden]

Thanks Mark I appreciate the input. Do you know anything about Lander which is 25 miles from Riverton?

Originally Posted by Mark S.

My wife was born there, but they moved away when she was just a kid. She loved it, but again, that was 20 years ago.

I don't know about mild winters. My wife said she remembers trick-or-treating and hunting easter eggs in full winter coats every year with lots of snow on the ground. It might well be the mildest winter in Wyoming, but still...it's Wyoming. Winters are pretty brutal.

[dmkookie]

I grew up and lived in Riverton for 21 years, when I moved away. I loved it there but things are changing, I have friends both from the Riverton and the Lander area and I would say from what I've heard from them is the crime rate in Riverton is getting pretty high with a lot of drugs, were as in Lander it isn't too bad... Lander is also prettier then Riverton and no Walmarts or Kmarts!!! I hate to diss my home town, but you need to know!!! The winters lately havn't been to bad in Riverton it does get extremely cold, but as for snow in Riverton there isn't a whole lot and it dosn't stick around like it does in some of the other places in wyoming. But getting around out of town in the middle of winter is pretty scarey and a lot of times the roads all around are closed because of snow and ice. So if you are willing to stay put during the winter and not travel too much its probably a good place for you.

[alpine]

I think you would like Cody better than the other two because there is always something to do here. We've been to Lander & Riverton and noticed the layout is a lot different than Cody. The kids are well mannered and polite, the shopping selections are better than many towns with ~ a 9000 population and if big city shopping is necessary, Billings MT is only ~100 miles away. The Winters are mild but we are at the 5000' elevation so storms can happen. But the snow is basically gone in a day or so. Gas prices are a lot like Jackson however!!
HTH
John

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by Dresden

Thanks Mark I appreciate the input. Do you know anything about Lander which is 25 miles from Riverton?

I know it's about 25 miles from Riverton.

Sorry, I really don't. I'll ask my wife. I'm sure she'd be happy to answer, but again, she hasn't lived there in more than 20 years.

[broncomack]

The biggest issue in Riverton is the problematic relationship to the Indian Treaties from the late 1860's. Riverton is within the Boundaries of the Wind River Indian Reservation which is the largest Res in the U.S. I believe. I have watched the weather patterns quite closely there for more than a half century and it can be extreme, yet, more pleasant than the majority of the State. I would not recommend buying land withing the Reservation Boundaries.

[Wyomama2]

"Do you know anything about Lander which is 25 miles from Riverton?"

Winters in Lander are more harsh than in Riverton. As far as winter goes Riverton is one of the mildest in the state.

[bawha]

Did you notice that Dresden's original post was almost 6 years ago. I think he's either living in Riverton or busted at this point

[NWbyNW]

Riverton is like a little gateway of greenery in the middle of a rather harsh landscape. It has hovered at just around 9,300 people, and has not grown in about 30 years. It is a rather stagnant economy for the area with no growth or real decline.

The climate is more mild, but still you will see an average temperature of about 20 degrees in Dec-Feb.

There is a nice historic downtown with some shops and businesses. There are also a few chain businesses like a Walmart at the north end of town.

There is a hospital in the town. Also a municipal police department and the Fremont County Sheriff's Office patrol the city and surrounding county.

It is a remote city, far from any city of considerable size. The nearest city with over 100,000 is Salt Lake City which is about 240 miles away. Denver is about 290 miles away.