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i live in metro detroit I am a 30 year old AFR/American what is the job market like a lot of people are moving to wyoming from here and how diverse is wyoming
i live in metro detroit I am a 30 year old AFR/American what is the job market like a lot of people are moving to wyoming from here and how diverse is wyoming
Diverse? It is NOT! Left a few years ago, but I do know if you are a blue collar worker than the job market is great. That being said, the Wyoming economy is rank DEAD LAST in diversity. An article published just this last Sunday, in the Casper Star-Tribune lays it all out. Here is the link....
Wyoming ranks last in economic diversity (http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2007/06/28/news/caspernext/435049dc4ad108ce872573080051595d.txt - broken link)
Please read through the threads of many posters here over the last few months.
You'll find that Wyoming folks are open, honest, and accepting of their neighbors. It does take a special type of person to want to live here and enjoy it ... typically, an independent individual who is self reliant and enjoys outdoor recreation. You must be tolerant of an extreme climate, desolate spaces, low population density, and an income level that may not make living here very affordable.
If you need big city amenities and to be entertained, you probably won't like it here.
As far as "diversity" goes, we care more about how you take care of your place, how you ride your horse, and how much we can count on you as a neighbor when the need arises more than your religion, your skin color, your choice of partner, or your appearance.
FWIW, Wyoming hired a number of drivers and state workers over the last years from MI. About half didn't last a year out here, and moved back "home". I don't know what the problem was, but I suspect that it's a lack of the amenities and independent attitude here that disappointed the folks.
Please also note that "logicskier" is a disgruntled former Wyoming resident who has moved on to Boise, ID ... and thinks they found nirvana. We here are happy that someone so highly dissatisfied with Wyoming has moved on to a place where they're finally very happy. We certainly wouldn't want you to stay here if you were unhappy and miserable; life's too short and there's lots of other options.
Also, FWIW, there's a lot of very successful people of color living here, mostly military retirees who have found jobs, housing, and a pace of life they enjoy here in Wyoming. I deal with several who are long time employees in their jobs, and are managers who I see frequently in my sales rep route. They're nice people, assets to the community ... and very welcomed and respected here ... we simply don't see them as different. They're here for the same opportunities and recreation all of us are here for ... enjoy!
As long as you come out to Wyoming with an attitude of "what can I bring to the place" instead of "what can Wyoming do for me and looking for a handout" ... you can do fine here. That's been the case for well over a century.
Please read through the threads of many posters here over the last few months.
You'll find that Wyoming folks are open, honest, and accepting of their neighbors. It does take a special type of person to want to live here and enjoy it ... typically, an independent individual who is self reliant and enjoys outdoor recreation. You must be tolerant of an extreme climate, desolate spaces, low population density, and an income level that may not make living here very affordable.
If you need big city amenities and to be entertained, you probably won't like it here.
As far as "diversity" goes, we care more about how you take care of your place, how you ride your horse, and how much we can count on you as a neighbor when the need arises more than your religion, your skin color, your choice of partner, or your appearance.
FWIW, Wyoming hired a number of drivers and state workers over the last years from MI. About half didn't last a year out here, and moved back "home". I don't know what the problem was, but I suspect that it's a lack of the amenities and independent attitude here that disappointed the folks.
Please also note that "logicskier" is a disgruntled former Wyoming resident who has moved on to Boise, ID ... and thinks they found nirvana. We here are happy that someone so highly dissatisfied with Wyoming has moved on to a place where they're finally very happy. We certainly wouldn't want you to stay here if you were unhappy and miserable; life's too short and there's lots of other options.
Also, FWIW, there's a lot of very successful people of color living here, mostly military retirees who have found jobs, housing, and a pace of life they enjoy here in Wyoming. I deal with several who are long time employees in their jobs, and are managers who I see frequently in my sales rep route. They're nice people, assets to the community ... and very welcomed and respected here ... we simply don't see them as different. They're here for the same opportunities and recreation all of us are here for ... enjoy!
As long as you come out to Wyoming with an attitude of "what can I bring to the place" instead of "what can Wyoming do for me and looking for a handout" ... you can do fine here. That's been the case for well over a century.
MHT? jgussler? what say you?
Instead of trying to pigeon-hole me, how about reading the post, including the article I link to from the Sunday Star-Tribune that speaks to no diversity in the state's economy!
I lived throught the last bust and saw the sad state of affairs that Wyoming became only now, some 15 years later, recovering from it.
As for Boise being perfect. NO! As a matter of fact I am likely relocating to Minneapolis in the very near term. I will say that as compared to Wyoming, Idaho, and more specifically, the Boise Metro, has way more opportunities for employment that will last over the long term and not just through another "natural resource boom".
Location: My heart is in Wyoming, my body is soon to follow.....
745 posts, read 4,066,007 times
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There may not be much diversity here in terms of people of race, but that doesn't make the people here any more racist than other areas of the U.S. I have several African American friends and never experienced anything out of the ordinary when I was with them. I think the people of Wyoming are more open minded than a lot of people expect them to be. Like Sunsprit said we have bigger concerns than the color our skin. We all love Cowboy Troy so that has to speak to something, LOL! (I hope that came out the way I meant it.)
If you're concerned that you'll find a cross burning on the front yard or that someone will call you derogatory names, you can rest easy. That sort of thing doesn't happen here. No one will discriminate, deny you employment, refuse to rent to you, etc. etc., based on your race or ethnicity. Sunsprit summed up the attitude of the locals very accurately.
Still, the fact remains that most MI transplants don't last a year in WY. As the old TV show said "It's a different world that where you come from". There are a few African-Americans in Cheyenne and Casper, but virtually none in the rest of the state. That doesn't mean you aren't welcome here, you most certainly are!! However, when you get here, you'll hear lots of country music, and see lots of cowboy boots, Stetsons and pick-up trucks. You'll see mostly white folks plus a good number of Hispanics and some Native Americans, but very few African-Americans. If you're hoping to find soul food eateries, AME churches or beauty parlors that specialize African-American hair styles, you'll be very disappointed.
Hope I don't come off as being negative, but my "big city" friends and relatives (of all races) who have visited me in Wyoming usually find the state "rustic" and "boring". I strongly suggest that you do lots of research and visit the state before committing to a permanent relocation.
We'd be happy to welcome you to Wyoming, but we also want you to be happy living here.
logicskier ... the furthest thing on my mind was to "pigeon-hole" you.
You are certainly free to drag up every report and statistic and opinion and outside survey/study that helps rationalize and support your past viewpoint/ experience and dislike/dissatisfaction with Wyoming. I hope they all give you extreme comfort and satisfaction with your decision to leave Wyoming.
And you're certainly welcome to continue to live in your past and dwell in your bad memories, but they are not necessarily representative of what a new arrival in different circumstances might encounter today.
The simple fact is that a person moving to Wyoming now will encounter those of us who live here ... not you, living somewhere else.
Many of us are actually very happy here and wish to present a factually based assesment of what life is like in Wyoming today. Our perception of our life may be quite different than your memories of Wyoming. But we get to live with our decision to be here everyday, and wish to share that view with like minded people who we hope will enjoy it here, too.
Please read through the threads of many posters here over the last few months.
You'll find that Wyoming folks are open, honest, and accepting of their neighbors. It does take a special type of person to want to live here and enjoy it ... typically, an independent individual who is self reliant and enjoys outdoor recreation. You must be tolerant of an extreme climate, desolate spaces, low population density, and an income level that may not make living here very affordable.
If you need big city amenities and to be entertained, you probably won't like it here.
As far as "diversity" goes, we care more about how you take care of your place, how you ride your horse, and how much we can count on you as a neighbor when the need arises more than your religion, your skin color, your choice of partner, or your appearance.
FWIW, Wyoming hired a number of drivers and state workers over the last years from MI. About half didn't last a year out here, and moved back "home". I don't know what the problem was, but I suspect that it's a lack of the amenities and independent attitude here that disappointed the folks.
Please also note that "logicskier" is a disgruntled former Wyoming resident who has moved on to Boise, ID ... and thinks they found nirvana. We here are happy that someone so highly dissatisfied with Wyoming has moved on to a place where they're finally very happy. We certainly wouldn't want you to stay here if you were unhappy and miserable; life's too short and there's lots of other options.
Also, FWIW, there's a lot of very successful people of color living here, mostly military retirees who have found jobs, housing, and a pace of life they enjoy here in Wyoming. I deal with several who are long time employees in their jobs, and are managers who I see frequently in my sales rep route. They're nice people, assets to the community ... and very welcomed and respected here ... we simply don't see them as different. They're here for the same opportunities and recreation all of us are here for ... enjoy!
As long as you come out to Wyoming with an attitude of "what can I bring to the place" instead of "what can Wyoming do for me and looking for a handout" ... you can do fine here. That's been the case for well over a century.
MHT? jgussler? what say you?
Hit it right on the head. There's a lot of folks that have a preconceived notion of what it's going to be like and are fairly disappointed after a period of time because it wasn't exactly what they expected. Don't get me wrong, I love it here. But I set my watch back 20 years when I moved here back in the 70's. It worked for me but it doesn't work for everyone.
You don't mention what your area of work is. The job market currently in Wyoming is booming for those with mechanical skills that can be used in the methane gas boom, and for anybody in construction. Drivers, too, are able to find work virtually anywhere. Mining and ranching have for years been big in Wyoming. The main reasons people from Michigan have been courted by Wyoming employers, through job fairs, newspaper ads and signs on billboards along Michigan highways (yes, Wyoming folks, really) is because the States are similar in having hard winters, so the Michiganders are less likely to bolt when the temperature reaches the sub-zero mark and stays there, and those who have industrial/mechanical skills are assets in the current boom. The main reasons they don't stay are that they couldn't find adequate housing and the pace of life was too slow for them. The housing market is very tight, especially for rentals, and a lot of people came out, drawn by the promise of ready work, only to find they couldn't find a place to live and were tired of the search. I'm from Michigan but spent years in Wyoming, and I love it and miss it. It's a very far cry from S.E. Michigan, which is one of the most densely populated regions in the U.S. You won't find people in Wyoming going bumper to bumper at 85 miles an hour. You won't find road rage. Your likely traffic jam is cattle or elk crossing rural roads. You'll find clean air and amazing skies, clear creeks and broad vistas. If you are a sportsman, you'll likely love it. If you need night life, outside of the biggest towns, you might not. When I first came from Michigan to Wyoming 12 years ago, I was astonished with how helpful and open the folks were. At first I wasn't very trusting of this. People simply are not guarded here. Perhaps it's because it is a thinly populated State, but here people are judged by what they are, not by what they have or how successful they are. "What do you do?" seems to be the first question out of the mouths of many first meeting in the metro. area of S.E. Michigan. And the sense is that it matters. In Wyoming, it's not very significant. I never met a racist there, at least not one who'd admit to it. I worked with a white woman with a black child and she never spoke of any problems or bigoted attitudes. I think Martin Luthor King Jr. would have liked Wyoming. It truly is an egalitarian State. They say the cold keeps the riff-raff out; perhaps there's truth to that. If you are man enough to take on Wyoming, it's open enough to take you in.
Last edited by Meg Lesher; 07-06-2007 at 06:33 AM..
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