Cheyenne Q... (fit in, rentals, condos)

[mohnstad]

Hi, I am considering a move to Cheyenne, because I have always wanted to live there..I love the rural life, outdoors, and I don't mind the cold. However, I am a bit concerned about the singles scene...I am female, in my 30s, single, professional and looking to date/make friends in my age group. I feel a bit awkward asking this direct question, but...can anyone give me some idea on how likely is it that I will have ample opportunites to date and meet people in my demographic? Thanks!!

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by mohnstad

Hi, I am considering a move to Cheyenne, because I have always wanted to live there..I love the rural life, outdoors, and I don't mind the cold. However, I am a bit concerned about the singles scene...I am female, in my 30s, single, professional and looking to date/make friends in my age group. I feel a bit awkward asking this direct question, but...can anyone give me some idea on how likely is it that I will have ample opportunites to date and meet people in my demographic? Thanks!!

Well, you'll have to put up with that old cowboy that chews a little snuice. Big smile on his face. Got that wore out pocket on his left hip. He'll smile and then reveieal his adulthood. You just have to put up with him.

[shadowwalker]

You won't have any problem meeting men. Unless there has been a huge influx of ladies since I left acouple of years ago. Wyoming has been notorious for lack of female type persons. I don't think it has changed much. Also, there are several towns/cities in colorado just starting what? 40 minutes away.

[jazzlover]

The stereotype is that Wyoming is nothing but redneck cowboys and roughnecks. That's not really accurate. Cheyenne, in particular, has a large professional and administrative population. As the state capital, a lot of people like that work in state government, law offices, and other businesses that serve state government. It also has the Air Force Base with a large civilian work force associated with it. It has the usual mix of professionals, etc. that will be found in any town of 50,000+.

There are some very nice single guys in Cheyenne--I know, I'm one of 'em! (But I am a little ways older than you, mohnstad--and I don't "chew," like another poster insinuates that all Wyoming guys do.)

[logicskier]

Originally Posted by shadowwalker

You won't have any problem meeting men. Unless there has been a huge influx of ladies since I left acouple of years ago. Wyoming has been notorious for lack of female type persons. I don't think it has changed much. Also, there are several towns/cities in colorado just starting what? 40 minutes away.

Wyoming
Total population
495,226

*****
Male
247,262
49.9%

Female
247,964
50.1%

*source: US Census Department, Wyoming - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder

[mohnstad]

Thanks so much for the replies to my silly singles scene Q...although I'm a bit more confused than ever with the very different responses of shadowwalker and logicskier...no problems meeting men vs. the higher women to men ratio...Yikes! Maybe others can shed some light on this discrepancy????

But, onto my next Q, I would like to rent a furnished apt when I get there. How easy are these to find and where do I start looking? I'm gonna be driving out with only the stuff I can fit in my car, all the rest will be in storage back East, so I'll need an apt with most everything already there. Also, can anyone give me some insight into how the public schools are in the area? I'm going to be looking for a teaching job in a public elementary or middle school and would like to know what I'll be getting myself into

[racechick73]

What I've learned from my research over the last few weeks is that rentals are hard to come by, therefore being pretty expensive compared to buying. You might think about buying a condo- you should find one fairly cheap and resale shouldn't be a problem. I've been in contact with Kathleen Durante at #1 Properties (cheyennehomes.com) and she's been pretty helpful.
Maybe you and my family should have a race to see who can get to Cheyenne first, ha ha! Good luck with your move.

[mohnstad]

Thx so much, racechick, for the agent...I will def look her up!!

[sunsprit]

Rental/leasing housing availability in Cheyenne is glutted right now ... close to three times the normal amount of vacancies. Due to a lot of "starter" housing being built over the near term and sold to first timers (previously renting/leasing) with the very low mortgages of the last few years. Cheyenne saw a lot of new housing built and almost no change in the total population ... I read in the local paper that there was actually a net loss of a few people over the last year in spite of WY's recent 4% overall population growth rate.

Sunday Tribune-Eagle in hand, I see several columns of unfurnished apts/condos available for the low $400-$550/month range. That's a big inventory in Cheyenne.

Fully furnished rentals aren't common (in fact, none in this weekend's paper), but you could acquire the minimal furnishings for not a lot of money. If the household goods you're putting into storage aren't collectable, sentimental, or high value items, you might consider selling them back "home" if you're really planning on staying in WY. Check out what the projected storage costs and shipping costs are on your items ... it may just be more cost effective to cash out and buy new as needed when you get here and find a job situation.

Any realtor advising that rentals aren't readily available in Cheyenne now is blowing smoke up where the sun doesn't shine. If a realtor at #1 Properties here tells you there aren't rentals, then I'd suggest you seek out an honest realty company ... there's a bunch of other outfits here that can treat you a lot better.

There's also Trader's Shopping Guide, which comes out every Thursday ... which has rentals listed.

PS: of all the realty firms I've had dealings with in Cheyenne, #1 Properties ranks at the bottom of the heap with a managing broker with a real "attitude" toward clients. I had to file a complaint at the state board before they completed a deal properly for me ... and the broker was very nasty about challenging me to file my complaint instead of listening to the problem and trying to resolve it before he got very hostile and belligerent.

All I asked was for them to properly complete the deal for which they had received their full commission instead of getting a run around from their agent and broker, and them sending me to the selling agent and the title company for a resolution which they knew could not be had at those places ... they'd all done their job properly.

Without getting too deep into the specific details, my complaint was valid as to an agent there not having a license to sell something to me that he'd sold as part of a deal ... and so he knew he couldn't follow through on the deal, just kept giving me the run-around after the closing because he wasn't honest enough to admit he'd made a mistake and bring in somebody else in the firm who could easily and quickly resolve the situation.

This is what I've meant in all my posts about realtors and brokers in these forums ... when you give bad service for a hefty fee, then it's time for the "screwee" to let others know before they do business with people like this. And so I shall, at every opportunity. These folks are a big waste of your time ... and I smell a bad situation when an agent there tells you there's not many rentals in a market that's not only quite open, but glutted at this time.

There's other competent agents/realty firms in Cheyenne to have to do business with these folks. I strongly advise you to seek them out.

[mohnstad]

Hey sunspirit, thanks also for some GREAT info. I guess I'll just plan on renting unfurn and living sparse for the first year. I plan on trucking over my stuff in storage back East once I find a place to settle in Cheyenne. But I'm figuring I'll need to rent and scope out the area for about a year first before settling on a house. People have been telling me for years to get rid of my stuff in storage because I've been overseas for about 6 years, but I just can't do it--its so much that I've amassed and loved for so many years!!