Cody or Greybull?

[countryway]

Originally Posted by Darrow

Sometimes the shop owners get agitated with the shootout, but I think it's really parking issues and sectioning off the street by the hotel...but after the shootout, the tourists go to the shops - so it kinda works out for them.

It's difficult when the town fills up. The tourists bother me like jkb826, but mainly it's the slow drivers looking at everything and not paying attention - or the folks at the crosswalks, ignoring the traffic...and yes, there's lots to see and do. Usually on Fridays thru the summer we have free live music in the downtown park - which is a great way to wind down the work week...and I've noticed some streetcorner musicians already out...and generally the bars have live music all summer. The Hell's Angels had their world rally here in 2006 - that was interesting! The most complaints I heard about from the locals was the policing - not the gang!

You're right WyoNewk - the bypass road was brought up a few years back and quickly tabled...and I think we are gonna be in a mess because of the new medical center, strip malls, hotel/motels and restaurants that have gone up in the last few years. There's only 1 road on the west strip and if anything happens on it -we're gonna be in trouble. Cody has new housing developments in every direction. It's really changing. My son was gone from Jan - Aug this past year and he couldn't believe the changes, and when he gets leave in October he's going to be very surprised again.

What kind of music do they have in the parK? And how about the bars? Country? Or other kind of stuff. When I stayed in Cheyenne for a while, I was surprised to learn there wasn't any country music played live...it was all rock. I guess I assumed the cowboy culture would attract country bands and such. I was told there is more of that down in Denver.

Is Cody really booming? I mean like rapid growth. Is it losing its small town feel?

[Darrow]

The music at the park varies: country, blue grass, cowboy ballads, jazz, rock, family groups - etc. The bars vary too: old rock hits, country, piano type. Dan Miller is also bringing old country/western stars to town in his downtown theater, like Lacey J. Dalton, Mel Tillis and a couple others. Vince Gill was eating at Cassie's with his wife a few years ago and he got on stage and played for kicks. I've seen a couple of kids playing instruments on the street corner this spring, and sometimes there's live music outside the Irma and Silver Dollar Bar...it's fun.

I don't think Cody has a small town feel - but I was raised in Lovell, which is about 1/4 the size of Cody, so that's what I compare it to. I don't run into people I know every time I go to town, so that's a little bigger than small town. In the last couple of years, there have been housing devopments going up in every corner of town. There's a lot of new business growth in town - very noticable, but I don't know if Cody's booming...the tourists are here - so it sure feels that way.

[countryway]

I would have loved to see Vince Gill!! He's one of my favorite artists/guitarists. I am a musician too. Yeah, I was told that Cody is really building up. I also heard that people from Jackson were moving to Cody because of high costs etc. I bet Cody residents are not too thrilled with that? I still haven't decided...but I think if I were going to come up there, I would go to Cody. But the fast-paced touristy environment does concern me. I like a more countryfied type of town...but at the same time have stores and ammenities. I'm still looking at the sandhills of Nebraska as you are.

[Gerardo Returns]

Why are people obsessed with buying property just to make money? Whatever happened to buying a home so you can actually live in it? Happy in Wyoming, you can comment here.

[paintersspouse]

Originally Posted by Gerardo Returns

Why are people obsessed with buying property just to make money? Whatever happened to buying a home so you can actually live in it? Happy in Wyoming, you can comment here.

Owning land as a vehicle to prosperity has never changed. It has been always this way.

[Happy in Wyoming]

I bought my house as a place to live the rest of my life. It's in a beautiful location that would be hard to improve. If the value goes up, so will my property taxes. Why, therefore, would I wish it to go up in value?

Because wealth is security, and the more wealth I have, the more security I have. I have the dubious honor of having reached the age of 62, so I am eligible for a reverse mortgage. That means I can take money out of my property and never pay it back. It's better than owning it clear because no one can ever seize it. As long as I don't move out for more than a year straight I'm set. As the property appreciates, I can borrow more money on it, money to buy adjacent property to keep things private, or money to improve the house or buy myself treats, or, worst case scenario, money to pay for private duty care and avoid ever going into a nursing home. In the last case I would like to die when I run out of money.

You can never have too much money.

Cody does not now and never did have a small town feel. Buffalo Bill Cody planned it as a tourist town and that's what it has always been. It's a city of 9000 with the services and amenities of a much larger city. We have the largest museum between Minneapolis and Seattle. We have events that bring people from all over, some coming in private jets. We have one the most famous natural attractions on earth just fifty miles west. Every year people from all over the world make the trip of a lifetime to visit Yellowstone. Many come through Cody. Cody is a city of 9000 with two airlines flying in.

How could Cody possibly have a small town feel? Would Cody be better without the museum, without the feativals, without the auctions, without Yellowstone? Not for me.

Do we have slow moving cars? Sure, what place doesn't. Do we have traffic? Compared to Lovell, WY or some other tiny town-sure we do. Compared to Jackson or Aspen or Sun Valley or Zug-no.

Does the shoot out mess up the town and outrage the locals? No. It's actually way more than a shoot out; it's a pleasant if silly melodrama that always has a travesty of a gun fight. Most locals manage to see it every summer.

Cody has everything any small town offers as well as a few things that only the top resorts in the world can offer. We'll never compete with Aspen or Jackson or Vail because we have no decent ski area. But we have little crime or traffic, relatively unobtrusive government, quiet and private places to live, and scenery that draws people from everywhere. I can look out my window and see the Absaroka wilderness a couple of miles away. And I didn't need to take an expensive vacation to do it. Or maybe living here means I'm always on vacation.

[countryway]

Happy in Wyoming: Thanks for your response. it was very informative.