Questions about Laramie (Cheyenne, Medicine Bow, Albany: apartments, rentals, low crime)

[JanellP]

I'm looking at different colleges right now, and UWyo has been looking like a possibility, as far as the college goes. The thing that I'm most unsure about is the city, Laramie.

I have only seen snow once in my whole life: last December it snowed enough to coat the ground, but it all melted by 9 o'clock. Would the snow make it impossible for me to visit my family during Christmastime, whether I drove home or caught a plane home, like, do many roads get closed because of it? Do many people run out in the snow? I like to maintain a running routine, preferably an outdoor one.

After graduating high school I will be able to test and certify to be a Level II Pharmacy Technician, meaning I can work in a retail or hospital setting, filling prescriptions or mixing IVs. Are there any retail pharmacies, hospitals, health care facilities, etc. in or around Laramie, that I might find a job at? Here in Beaumont, an IV technician makes about $18 an hour. Can I expect to make more or less than this in Laramie?

I really do want to try UWyo and Laramie out. I want to live here, but I think the most important factor is the money. If I can't get a pharmacy tech job that pays at least $13 an hour, I probably won't be able to make it here.

[Busybeemom]

Hi! We recently relocated to NC after 10 years in Laramie; our daughter is still a UW sophomore there, so we are planning to get back as often as we can to visit :-).
As far as the snow goes - our 1st winter there we didn't see the ground until about May, but that is very unusual - that was the only one of our 10 yrs. that it was so severe a winter. Normally there are some decent snowfalls - a couple feet or so - a few times per winter, so you will definitely see lots of snow, and for a few weeks it can get down into the -20's or so. We saw -40 one time only. The roads, including interstates, do close from time to time, but we never had a problem with travel into or out of the Denver airport for the holidays or whatever, although I'm sure it could happen so you would need to keep an eye on the weather especially if you're considering travelling.
People in Laramie generally keep on going strong in all kinds of weather, running, cross-country skiing, or whatever; the schools don't restrict the kids from going outside for recess until the temps. hit the 0 mark, and schools close only rarely no matter the amount of snow.
If you go there, I would recommend a good parka and some good snow boots, along with a cell phone for sure. You have to keep an emergency kit in the trunk of your car with a small snow shovel, blanket or sleeping bag, water, etc. if you decide to travel up into the mountains during the winter.
On the flip side, summers are usually just splended, with temps. in the 70's to 80's. We have friends with a boat who waterski regularly all summer, and there is an outdoor pool at the local recreation center; other friends are big campers and spend a lot of time in the mountains in tents in the summer.
Speaking of the outdoor pool, there is a wonderful, nearly new rec center in Laramie with a great indoor track also, for the days that you wanted to exercise indoors - Albany County Rec. Center. Also as far as your career goes, I would try checking with Ivinson Hospital in Laramie for starters; they could certainly answer salary questions for you.
Since Laramie is a college town, there are generally some choices of rental properties available - apartments or houses. The Laramie Boomerang, the local newspaper, generally has information in the classifieds on the latest availabilities in rentals.
Hope this helps you, and for what it's worth - we loved living there; friendly people, not much traffic, low crime rate (many of our friends there never locked their doors!), and wonderful outdoor recreational opportunities - 30 minutes from closest ski area (Snowy Range Ski Area) and mountains, gorgeous scenery and lots of cool "critters". During our time there, we had in town: several moose, a black bear, a mountain lion, along with numberous foxes and coyotes and such. There are no poisonous snakes there, believe it or not - too high up (7200 ft. above sea level).
If you decide to persue this potential move further, I could put you in touch with a few good folks there who could probably help you with other questions you might have; I could also recommend a couple of good churches if you're interested and get you in touch with folks there as well. Good luck to you!
Kate in NC

[GEORGIAINMT]

My daughter and her husband just moved from Laramie when he graduated from UW in May. They absolutely loved it there. They have 2 small children and felt it was a great, safe town. The college gave my s-i-l and excellent education in engineering and helped him (along with his efforts and hard work) get him into an internship program that led him to his current job. If you are a pharm. tech my assumption is that you'll be studying pharmacy???? If so, my sister-in-law attended pharmacy school there and also got a wonderful education. I don't know much about the jobs there but as was said before, I'd check at the hospital first. There are also several pharmacies in town, both "chain" ones (like Walmart, Kmart, etc.) as well as small local ones. My kids traveled a lot during any school breaks and never had a bit of trouble in the winter. It's just something you have to get used to. Best wishes in your endeavors and I just want to say I'm proud of young people who really think things out as far as their futures go!!!

[mtlogger]

Laramie is one of my fav towns to visit and stay over. We've been visiting the area since the early 80's and don't feel unwelcome. The Snowy Mountains to the West and the Medicine Bow NF are THE best Snowy Range Scenic Byway

[Crazymomof3]

We're moving to Laramie from Houston in 2 weeks. I grew up in snow in Illinois, but my husband is a native Texan and has only seen Texas snow, meaning little flurries floating in the atmosphere.

I did some looking around at jobs for myself, but I've decided to go to school at UW. I have seen several pharmacy jobs in Laramie. A great resource is Indeed.com. You can put in a keyword and location and it will pull up several web sites' listings.

Another idea is to call the school and ask about potential earnings after graduation. Another great resource is www.wyomingatwork.com.

Good luck-I love Laramie and can't wait to move there. I think it's a lovely town and I'm so ready to get out of Houston!

[omaraz]

Laramie is awesome especially if you are moving there for college. I went to school at UW and there is plenty of outdoor type of stuff but the people are amazingly friendly and Laramie is not too terribly far from everything. If you ever get bored; Cheyenne, Denver and Ft. Collins-Loveland are all 1 - 2 1/2 hours away.

The jobs were scarce when I was there but if you network; you'll probably find something. My advice is to visit (if you have a chance) during the summer and do some job searching before the college students come back for the semester.

My wife and I are planning on moving back soon.

[WyoNewk]

My daughter graduated from the pharmacy school at UW 12 years ago. If that's your goal, it's a great place to earn your degree. She had her choice of top jobs upon graduation, as recruiters see UW grads as ready to step right in and work without further training. (They have excellent intern and externship programs.)

She also worked at a drug store in Laramie before graduation. I don't think she was a "tech" at the time -- not sure there was such a thing then, but I recall her saying that it was easy for upper class pharmacy students to get work at the drug stores. She also worked for one of the professors as a research assistant.

I'd suggest that you contact a few pharmacies and the hospital in Laramie and ask them directly about your chances for finding employment and what the pay would be.

[MRVphotog]

There will be days in the winter when running outside will not be very pleasant. When I was going to UW I lived about 5 blocks away and just walking was a major challenge on those windy/snowy days. I think UW has an indoor track for those days plus you could take up cross-country skiing and ski around town.

[Griffis]

Laramie is a great town and UWyo is a fine school.

No place is perfect, but my wife and stepson and I lived in Laramie for a few years in the late 1990s and we loved it.

Winters sure can be harsh, but I was born in Texas and lived in Oklahoma for many years.

I think I'd take the winters over the summer heat & humidity of the Texas area any day.

[lefteyedom]

Weather in Laramie can be rough. That said, the weather in Wyoming does not stop us from doing what we want. Sure the roads connecting the towns close for a few hours (or a day) then they are right back open. You can still get around the town just fine.