Need Change & WY looks great! (Gillette, Sheridan: sales, city hall, rental)

[Alpphy]

Hi Everyone, I am looking to make a life change in the next year and have dreamed of moving to WY for some time now. I would love to hear your thoughts on possible places to move. Here is a run down of me and what I am looking for:

-Single 39, Female no kids
-Desperate for space and nice people to be around
-I live in Dallas now (smack in the middle of Dallas) and feel like I don't know a soul not even the neighbors 3 houses down let alone the other 6 million of us in the Metroplex. Before that I was in FL, but it was too hot for me
-3 dogs who also hear the calling for more space
-I love to be outside, gardening, hiking, birding, skiing, picture taking, etc...
-I grew up in NM in the mountains outside of Albuq. and love the snow, had horses, chickens and such...

-I am fine with a small town and welcome the change
-would like to be somewhat close to the town, any size as long as there is some type of store - even if only to get gas, beans and rice... I can live without the rest of the big box stores as well as most other chain stores.
-I would like to have internet connection, electricity, water. Hope this does not sound strange but I think I would like to buy property and build a small (probably really small) house. Possibly a rental for awhile...
-Not too worried about work as I have been saving for some time to get to this dream and will also be selling a house and most everything in it. And figure if I live small I can make it last for some time. I work from home and there is the possibility of doing the same/similar thing from home there. But any type of job would be great at the price of space, sanity and nice people!

-I am learning that some parts of WY are more windy then others and would prefer less wind.
-I assume I will want a 4x4 to get around in?

I plan on a trip this spring to visit a few towns again from a new perspectives and so far have been looking at the following areas:

Powell
Bryon
Basin
Worland
Greybull
Sheridan
Riverton

I sure would appreciate any feed back or any other suggestions...

For all that have posted on the other topics under WY, thank you so much, the information is great!

Alpphy

[Brian_M]

Well, you may be stuck with a couple issues. If you want city water instead of cisterns (holding tanks, when WY is in a drought, as we have been in over a decade, you have to haul water in), you're stuck living in city limits. Empty land plots within city limits are dang near non-existent, so your dreams of building may need to be altered (either buy a pre-existing home or deal with the water... of course internet outside of city limits gets more expensive and slower too).

You do not Need 4x4 (4wd), or even AWD to get around Wyoming reliably. 99% of my driving is in a VW Jetta with winter rated tires (not even studded). The biggest issue I have is ground clearance, so when we get more than a foot of snow and I drive somewhere that hasn't been plowed, I can kinda high-center myself. But that's more of an issue with the car having really low ground clearance than it being 2wd/fwd. If you're going to buy something new (or new to you) anyway, a simple AWD vehicle will be more than enough, and more than that if you put good winter tires on.

Can't help with the wind.... residents DO call it "Windoming" for a reason though. You will not find a place that never has wind, or wind that gusts to 60mph on occasion.

Hope you enjoy your visit. Know that what you may consider spring (March/April) is still winter up here. I think of spring as May and sometimes early June.

[Alpphy]

Thanks! I am ok with hauling water/cisterns - good point though. Will add to the ever growing list. I have a Honda Pilot, will stick with it and see how it works out.

I have heard about the wind, was just hoping to find a less windy place! (if it exists)

And I was thinking more May'ish for a visit, sounds like I best plan for late May.

Any thoughts on the towns I mentioned?

Thanks again!

[GEORGIAINMT]

You mentioned some nice towns. Sheridan is by far in a class by itself compared to the rest you listed. Housing is much more expensive there, as you are at the foot of the Big Horn Mountains and Sheridan has become a bit of a "ritzy" (HA! ritzy for Wyoming) place to live. Next to that, Riverton would be the next most expensive, but not bad. The other towns would cost you much less to live. My daughter lived in Powell for awhile and loved it there. I was born & raised in Basin. Nice little town, but a bit too small for me. Greybull is pretty much like Basin (8 miles apart). Byron (not Bryon) is close to Powell and is tiny. Worland is my least favorite of the towns. Nice people there, etc., but to me it is more dirty, maybe because it smells quite often from the sugar beet factory, the stockyards, the oilfields, etc. I think you should just make your visit in May and decide what places you like. All except Sheridan are in the Big Horn Basin area on the West side of the Big Horns....Riverton actually south of the Basin, but in the general North-South linear lineup. I've lived in Basin, Greybull, Manderson (tiny town between Basin & Worland), and Thermopolis (between Riverton & Worland). Then I moved to Montana for 13 years. I moved back to Wyoming in August and am very happy I did. I'm in Gillette (southeast of Sheridan), where we are extremely happy so far. As for the wind, I don't think it's as bad in the Big Horn Basin as it is in some other parts of the state. People seem to be good folks all over Wyoming, in my opinion. Like I said, give the places a good once over when you come for a visit and see what's best for you. Any other questions, please ask, I'm always willing to help if I can! Best Wishes!
Georgia

[NVDave]

One thing you should understand about the Big Horn Basin area (Basin, Powell, Worland, etc) is how dry it is there. It is hotter and drier than than, say, Sheridan. When I drive around Wyoming, I see ground in the Big Horn Basin that looks every bit as dry and droughted as any ground I've been across in Nevada.

Sheridan has housing prices that are rather inflated relative to the median incomes in the area. The towns in the Big Horn Basin are much more in line with their local economics.

As for 'net access: all of the larger towns I've been through in the BHB appear to have higher-speed 'net access (Powell, Cody, Greybull, Worland, Riverton). The smaller towns, you should check into the situation first, and don't take the word of some sales flack at a 800-number national sales office. Ask locals and ask at the city halls.

[Brian_M]

I can't really comment on towns other than those in Fremont County (Lander, Riverton, Dubois, Hudson, Shoshoni and then the Really tiny places) as this is where I grew up and where I moved back to. I guess I don't think of Riverton as being a very expensive place to live, but then that's because it's cheaper than Lander (where I am). Lander is next in line down the Rockies for mountain access on the west side (starting out in Jackson, then Dubois and ending here). Not sure if it's Sheridan expensive or not, but there is a very definate inflation to living here. It's worth the drive through the area to see how you like the lay of the land.

Again, as for internet, even Crowheart, WY has DSL. They have a population of about 150 and no real "town" per-say. The 3g wireless network is improving so you can get passable internet through your cell service when you can get cell service. And the last stop is WildBlue, which is a satellite provider (I've heard no complaints from the businesses with IT staff that use the service). You can GET internet anywhere, it's just a matter of what speed and at what cost. I know that some areas are also served by a wide area wireless here in Lander (through Wyoming.com), including folks that are just outside of the city limits.

[TNT22]

Please don't let the "dirty" comment discourage you from Worland. I'm having a hard time understanding where this idea comes from. Granted, we are known as an industry town, with Wyoming Sugar, Pepsico bottling, Crown Cork & Seal, etc. But to define the town as "dirty" is unfair in my estimation. Please come visit each town to decide for yourself. Worland is actually one of the least windy towns in the state, so that right there should put it high on your list. However, be warned that it gets toasty here in the summertime...
TNT

[GEORGIAINMT]

Originally Posted by TNT22

Please don't let the "dirty" comment discourage you from Worland. I'm having a hard time understanding where this idea comes from. Granted, we are known as an industry town, with Wyoming Sugar, Pepsico bottling, Crown Cork & Seal, etc. But to define the town as "dirty" is unfair in my estimation. Please come visit each town to decide for yourself. Worland is actually one of the least windy towns in the state, so that right there should put it high on your list. However, be warned that it gets toasty here in the summertime...
TNT

I don't mean any offense to Worland or those who live there. My post said that TO ME it seems more dirty because of the smells that I, MYSELF, have experienced almost every time I've been there. Having grown up in Manderson & living in Manderson, Basin or Thermop for the largest portion of my life, I've been in Worland a lot. That's not saying that the hot pools in Thermop don't stink!!!! I just think that once you live in a place you get used to the smells. I got used to Thermop as I'm sure people in Worland are accustomed to the smells there. I certainly didn't mean to ruffle any feathers, I was just giving my own, one person, honest opinion. My apologies as no offense was meant!

[wyoman]

Originally Posted by Alpphy

Thanks! I am ok with hauling water/cisterns - good point though. Will add to the ever growing list. I have a Honda Pilot, will stick with it and see how it works out.

I have heard about the wind, was just hoping to find a less windy place! (if it exists)

And I was thinking more May'ish for a visit, sounds like I best plan for late May.

Any thoughts on the towns I mentioned?

Thanks again!

Put tensleep on your list-you will pass through it on your way from worland to buffalo to sheridan.

[sunbelt]

why is it so windy in WY?

Dan