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Thank you for your response. My thoughts actually are to sell the boat and move there to Wyoming. Neither my husband nor I have any further ties to Maine other than older children and they know how to get to us if they need us
Education is extremely important to me and I expect nothing but the best for my child. Having said that I expect nothing less from my child than the best. I homeschooled him for years and only recently put him into the public school system. I firmly believe that it is difficult at best to get anywhere in this world without an education and at his age it is the only thing he owns. \
As far as jobs go my husband is a writer and during this adventure of ours I have worked a few retail jobs that have benefited us.
All we are truly looking for is a better life in these days of turnoil. I have been reading as many websites and information that I can get my hands on about Wyoming and it seems to me that the best place to get information is first hand from those who live there.
So where is the best place to raise a boy there and where should I begin my job search? I have tons of experience doing numerous tasks including management of a medical practice for more than 20 years, I have managed of all things 2 different McDonald's, I currently work for a Southern grocery chain as an administrative coordinator, I train new associates and work in the cash office handling large amounts of money and crunching numbers.
Thank you again for your many responses and I look forward to hearing back from anyone interested in giving advice!
The education system in Wyoming is well funded throughout the state, so your options from that perspective are wide open for your son. Home schooling is also very popular here, so there's a large support group for that, too.
With your husband's self-employment, I'll assume that it's also important that you have a job/income. In today's economy, you must use every resource possible to locate a job ... direct contact with prospective employers, Wyoming at work website (the statewide jobs listing), local newspaper ads, and so forth. Your varied management/work experience will be very helpful to finding employment here. Where you can find employment with a livable income may be just as much a factor in a Wyoming location as the location itself presents.
However, you still haven't defined what it is you're looking for to have "a better life". Until you can identify what issues are a concern to you in your new home ... perhaps what you're dissatisfied with in your current location .... It's tough to pinpoint where, if at all, in Wyoming you'll find what you're seeking. I don't want to throw rain on your parade, but at this point it's tough to answer if Wyoming will be able to meet your requirements and expectations. As I work closely with a number of people in the NewOrleans area (and surrounds, all the way to Western FL, on the waterfront), several who live on houseboats or sailboats, or one with a townhouse/private dock with their sailboat only steps away from their porch on a lake connecting to the open water through a couple of waterways ... and they're all quite happy with their lives there ....
I'm wondering what it is your trying to leave behind or to come to ....
OK let me start at the beginning..........We left Maine in 2005 in search of a much simpler life. The idea was we would live on the sailboat in Louisiana for 1 year fitting the boat with all the needs to travel and give our son opportunities and for us to live a self sufficient life ....off grid so to speak.
We arrived in LA August 15th with a 9X5 trailer filled with what we thought we would need and lots of things I wanted to try and live a somewhat normal life.
We were just getting acclimated to life in the hot South when Katrina hit exactly 2 weeks after our arrival. As everyone knows the area was devastated and things would never again be the same. All the money we had saved and put away for emergencies was now being used in this emergency just to survive.We were not equipped yet to handle this kind of self sufficiency. This was definitely not my definition of a simple life!
After living primitively for 11 months we decided that we had enough of the area and moved further East to the Alabama Gulf Coast. Although we like the area I am ready to move back to land and try to go with plan B which is to buy a piece of land, build a small house for just the 3 of us and actually have a simpler life. I want to have gardens and preserve for the winter months.
To some this may seem as though I am running from something but in my mind and my dreams I am trying to run to something........a simple self sufficient lifestyle.
Other then onions and potatoes and a few greens during the summer, most every thing bottled here comes in from the Idah or Utah fruit truck. Not to say we do pick, service, huckle,Choke cheey, and currents to make jam and jelly, Ruhbarb make a good gelly too. We taken a Elk, or beef instead of bottling we taken it to a County cannery in Preston Id. Done tomatoes, peaches, chicken,beans, BBq hamburger and bread pudding there too
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To some this may seem as though I am running from something but in my mind and my dreams I am trying to run to something........a simple self sufficient lifestyle.
What I am hearing is that you want simplicity in "a simple self sufficient lifestyle" ...
and I'm not hearing that you've any real experience or understanding of how difficult that is to achieve here in Wyoming. Here's why ....
Wyoming is essentially a high altitude desert area for much of the state, especially in those areas where land is less expensive and more moderately priced. It makes water availability a concern for your domestic as well as self-sufficient gardening effort. The climate is a Zone 4 growing area for much of the state, and that means a short growing season which precludes growing a lot of items. (we get by with tunnel greenhouse structures, which help extend our growing season ... but by no means allow us to grow all the vegetable varieties we'd like to grow).
The regional climate doesn't lend itself to simplicity ... the winters are long and can be very brutal with high winds and extended periods of low temperatures (as in days on end of sub-freezing, if not sub-zero temps). This is still a major issue as long as you're well prepared in an appropriate house and have appropriate transportation and open roads when needed ... but if you aren't prepared to fully deal with these conditions and realities, it can become a very big deal just to survive. It's a big deal to get to work if you're out in the country and the roads are closed or in very poor condition, for example. Transportation will become a very big part of your "simple life" needs at times for 4-5-6 months out of the year.
Absent hearing from you that you're prepared to focus upon and dedicate your resources to the realities of life here in attempting to be self sufficient, I'd suggest that you seek land in a more forgiving rural area of the USA where land is less expensive, water readily available, with a more temperate climate given to easier and more reliable crop production. There's many reasons why much of the available land in Wyoming is sparsely settled compared to other regions. For the most part, Wyoming's wide open spaces are historically low productivity ranch land, more recently mining lands, dryland farming, with a few railroad towns, or ... unsettled.
I might also suggest that you take a look at Backwoods Home magazine or similar periodicals dedicated to that "simple, self-sufficent" lifestyle, and how other folk achieve it. For the most part, you'll find that they load the odds of success by choosing riparian areas of the USA with good soils, friendly climates, and plenty of water ... at affordable pricing and still located close to their sources of income/jobs.
Again, I'd advise you ... if you're really motivated to settle in Wyoming ... to come visit here during the summer month and during the winter months to get a better understanding of what you're dealing with as opposed to your "dream". However much you've been exposed to New England winters, they are well offset by the high density of people/towns/development compared to what you'll find here; this is a much harsher environment to deal with for many months of the year. Be forewarned that some of the most picturesque areas of the state are also some of the most expensive land in the region .... and a lot of the very cheap land will not be conducive to your "simple lifestyle" concepts.
Wyoming doesn't have 4 distinct seasons. In Autumn months, there are very few fall colors in the foilage. If you want 4 distinct seasons, suggest you move to the northeastern U.S.
If you don't like weather extremes, don't come to Wyoming. Because there are weather extremes.
Wyoming has flash flooding, tornados, blizzards, hailstorms, etc.
If you don't want to drive more than 20 minutes to work, don't move to Wyoming. Many jobs require considerable commutes. Additionally, you may have to drive considerable distances to go shopping. For example, my town doesn't have a Wal-Mart or K-Mart, Sears, Pennys or a mall. Many drive almost 40 miles to shop in a larger city, or even drive 2 1/4 hours to other even larger cities. In winter this can be a challenge, especially when the highways are winding and near mountains.
Black ice is a considerable road hazard that people in Wyoming deal with all winter long.
I lived in Louisiana 11 years and am familiar with the torrential heavy rains ones experiences -- they're a piece of cake compared to black ice.
It sounds to me like you'd do better in a more temperate climate where there aren't weather extremes. I'd suggest Iowa.
Thank you all so much for all your replies. You have given me much food for thought and perhaps a real insight into what I would be getting us into. Truly it is my dream to live a more simple life and not cause myself or my family any more stress with weather situations or famine or drought. My guess is we will probably look elsewhere for a more lucrative and feesible place to persue our dream of simplicity. Thank you all once again and may you be blessed and safe in your lives!
Many low-elevation river valleys in Wyoming DO have 4 distinct seasons. I live in Torrington, a farming community close to NE border. We are having a hot summer week right now, and you can grow a beautiful garden here....weeds included.
We have typical fall, distinct winter and lovely spring. We only have a Pamida here, but 2 nice mom-n-pop grocery stores. Scottsbluff, NE is a 30 minute drive. They have most of what you'd need...Walmart, larger grocery stores, Target, Home Depot, indoor mall, etc.
Real estate is still affordable here as well. However, we have a new medium-security prison that has made rentals scarce, bringing in many transplants from other states for work.
Our schools are good with low teacher-student ratio.
Many low-elevation river valleys in Wyoming DO have 4 distinct seasons. I live in Torrington, a farming community close to NE border. We are having a hot summer week right now, and you can grow a beautiful garden here....weeds included.
We have typical fall, distinct winter and lovely spring. We only have a Pamida here, but 2 nice mom-n-pop grocery stores. Scottsbluff, NE is a 30 minute drive. They have most of what you'd need...Walmart, larger grocery stores, Target, Home Depot, indoor mall, etc.
Real estate is still affordable here as well. However, we have a new medium-security prison that has made rentals scarce, bringing in many transplants from other states for work.
Our schools are good with low teacher-student ratio.
While Torrington is one of my favorite areas of Wyoming and I've looked at buying farms and investment rental properties up that way before the prices skyrocketed with the development of the prison ...
It's also in the region of serious hailstorms and other severe adverse weather patterns. Not what I'd call "simplicity" per the OP's "wish list".
And, thanks to the funding sources for the Wyoming schools, Torrington's schools are pretty much equivalent to the school districts around the state.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Yes, Torrington was one of the very few places in WYO for OP. Not sure where they should head, but WY may bring more of the same (crisis for them).
Rural AL, GA, TN, MO would be a lot closer, more weather friendly, and much cheaper.
Sounds like they maybe should return to ME, there are reasonable 'back woods' places there!
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