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I feel bad for some that come out, too. Especially if they get an energy-related job. The wage sounds great, but the cost of living is high. The temptation to get a place with a few acres, horses for the kids, toys for dad... Then there are lay-offs, or the small company sells or loses a lease. Suddenly out of a job with rent of more than $1500/mo. (conservatively). Sure it's worked for some, but I've listened to too many heartbreaking stories.
To me, it takes a lot of energy and a lot of money to live here. I'm doing okay now, but I had more than 20 years of grubbing along to get to this point.
Yep...it's great out here...as long as you learn to live conservatively; otherwise it's just a big money-pit.
But isn't that true of about anywhere? I am from bigger city with conveniences. I came to Wy over 20 years ago and have lived in rural Albany, rural Goshen and now rural Converse counties. While the winter weather is colder and windier, (I stay inside much during the winter) IMO, Wy isn't a big money-pit. Nor do I belive it take some lumberjack, completely self-sufficient isolated soul to live here. You can certainly survive well if that is you, but I'm nowhere near that and I have thrived here.
hmmmmmm.......makes me think we don't want anyone else moving here, trying to scare them off. Just yesterday so many people at my work were complaining about people without jobs in this country, how they want the job to come to them in their own back yard, how they want to stay in their nice town/climate and aren't willing to move. Okay, some people are willing to relocate to improve their situation. Just confuses me, I guess. We think people ought to be willing to move to where the jobs are....just not in our backyard. We can't have it both ways.
(snip) While the winter weather is colder and windier, (I stay inside much during the winter) IMO, Wy isn't a big money-pit. (snip).
NAUSEA ALERT! LONG POST AHEAD! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!
Precisely on point for why Wyoming isn't going to work for many people ....
Winter weather can be six months out of the year in much of Wyoming. Many folk aren't accepting of being "inside much during the winter" ... they want to be entertained, they want to have ready access to recreation, they want ready access to shopping of all kinds, and they want freedom from a weather system that keeps them housebound or takes a significant effort to get around ....
That's the crux of the issue as to why so many people are willing to spend huge dollars in resort areas to live there even though there are winter conditions present.
For example, I have a second home in a major Colorado mountain resort town where folk have a winter climate that is far more agreeable to most. With world class skiing right off their doorsteps, a wide choice of shopping/restaurants/entertainments ranging from family activities to adult pastimes, swimming pools, ice skating, snowmobiling, quality medical facilities close by, a major international airport 1.5 hours away by car ... people can get around to their priorities in life without severe weather being the prevailing concern for their activities.
In short, there's "winter" on an enjoyable scale compared to "winter" here in Wyoming which can oft-times be less than a pleasure. What was the temp the other day in SE Wyoming? at our ranch it was -8F, which means taking care of livestock is a chore, keeping stock tanks open is a chore, getting a 6x6 started to bring hay down to the livestock is a chore ... and the winds buffeting about didn't contribute to making these activities pleasant. The folk in Laramie were dealing with -22F, where things start to get decidely unpleasant ... well, at least for me, they do.
It's wonderful that you've made your adaptation to the prevailing conditions work to your liking by being comfortable and happy to be indoors ... but many people find it stifling and confining as a way of life for months on end. The proof to me is to have watched so many people come out to Wyoming with a dream and enthusiasm only to have the realities of living here shatter those dreams .... others on this forum have seen this and are now reporting the realities of this.
'nother example, firsthand experience ... I just took a new job here (to help pay for my farming and ranching habit ... and I'll again point out that I'm past an age when most people figure on being fully retired) that had been vacant for two years. The company had tried to hire here, had advertised in national markets, brought in other folk with a successful track record of doing the job in other locales ... and watched them all stay here for only a few months before quitting. The earnings potential is more than adequate for a good life here in Wyoming, but you've got to be on the road a lot and it's a daunting proposition for a commission only paid job to be spending much of your day with "windshield time" instead of most of your sales day in front of prospective clients ... which is what all those other reps experienced in their previous territories. At the end of a day, they were home with their families and able to do things recreationally/socially, indoors and out. At the end of the sales day here, you're still on the road ... enjoying Wyoming's vast open spaces ... or not enjoying it, as the case may be and was for others before them.
ltdumbear has it right on for many people here ... the expectations, the paradigms that they envision of life here ... simply don't match the realities of living here. I'll agree you don't have to be an fully self sufficient independent lumberjack type to be happy and survive here ... but it's a lot closer to being on the mark for many compared to their existence in metropolitan (and, as well, rural areas in most of the USA) where ready access to all that life has to offer are very accessible and affordable at the prevailing incomes of the area. Especially when it comes to farming/ranching ... for example, compare the number of cattle per acre in places like Florida to the number of acres per cow/calf unit here in Wyoming on land that's not suitable for almost any other use. It's a huge inbalance when you look at the labor and fencing and providing water and feed issues here in Wyoming to places where they are modest costs and time committments. Gardening in Wyoming? we have an acre outside, but most of our vegetable and herb production comes from our greenhouse structures and a limited season. And that limited season starts wtih our seedlings produced in our basement under grow lights and a heated area from the house heating boiler and heated mats under the starter pots ... all an expense, a maintenance chore, and a lot of time/effort/energy expended to be able to get seedlings into the ground in the greenhouse when the weather warms up. Again, compare this expenditure of time and money to what most of the USA population experiences to have a wonderfully productive vegetable garden ... heck, my Dad used to take some tomatoes and just throw them out into a minimally prepared garden area and see what came up every year; we had tomatoes by the bushel without any more effort than watering the patch now and then because we had timely natural rainfall.
When my Dad wanted to go fishing at the end of a day of work, he had numerous choices of ocean and fresh water close by ... head out to dinner? no problem, an extensive choice of quality/price points/convenience presented and were accessible within minutes from home. Shopping? same thing ... extensive choices/price points/wide selections. Medical facilities? many world class choices close by. Where did all this happen? My folks lived in coastal areas on both the East and West coast, and in a total of 8 different states with that kind of lifestyle/access. Winter was a minor inconvenience for the most part when they were in Northern areas (at the most, a couple of months of "winter" conditions), and further South ... simply wasn't an issue at all except in rare circumstances. All you have to do to get a measure of comparison is to look at the population centers of the USA to appreciate that most folk choose these conditions instead of what presents in Wyoming ....
and not everybody lives the comfy 'home-bound' suburban lifestyle, whether employed or not. This is still 'ag-territory'. Some of us (when we're fortunate or lucky enough to) still earn our way (and keep a roof over our heads) by working for ag-employers; but due to the huge influx of suburbinites looking to 'escape' the high-population centers by moving HERE, alot of those treasured jobs are becoming extinct. So maybe NOW you know why I come in here to add MY ('tiny-minded' ?) two-cents to every "Y'all C'mon out and set a spell now..the waters JUST fine here in Wyo !" posting I see.
I DON'T want to see our population-levels increase; because I'm pretty sick-to-heart by the rising numbers of competing garbage fast-food joints I see on the street-corners, and hearing the garbage 'city-rave' music that's replaced the time-honored country-music stations; I'm TIRED of being pushed-around and having jack-wad drivers on my bumper whenever I'm trying to save money and gas-mileage by sticking to a SANE driving-speed out on the back-roads.
I'm sick to heart of all the crap moving into this once-fine state that I call 'home'.
If you can't handle competing posts, then I suggest you apply for 'moderator' priviledges on here.
Otherwise this IS an open-forum, and it takes two to tango in all dances, no matter what type of music is playing.
and not everybody lives the comfy 'home-bound' suburban lifestyle, whether employed or not. This is still 'ag-territory'. Some of us (when we're fortunate or lucky enough to) still earn our way (and keep a roof over our heads) by working for ag-employers; but due to the huge influx of suburbinites looking to 'escape' the high-population centers by moving HERE, alot of those treasured jobs are becoming extinct. So maybe NOW you know why I come in here to add MY ('tiny-minded' ?) two-cents to every "Y'all C'mon out and set a spell now..the waters JUST fine here in Wyo !" posting I see.
I DON'T want to see our population-levels increase; because I'm pretty sick-to-heart by the rising numbers of competing garbage fast-food joints I see on the street-corners, and hearing the garbage 'city-rave' music that's replaced the time-honored country-music stations; I'm TIRED of being pushed-around and having jack-wad drivers on my bumper whenever I'm trying to save money and gas-mileage by sticking to a SANE driving-speed out on the back-roads.
I'm sick to heart of all the crap moving into this once-fine state that I call 'home'.
If you can't handle competing posts, then I suggest you apply for 'moderator' priviledges on here.
Otherwise this IS an open-forum, and it takes two to tango in all dances, no matter what type of music is playing.
I'd like to share that not everyone moving here is "crap".
My family moved out here this summer. We haven't taken any of your "agri" jobs. Heck, I work from home owning my own business which certainly didn't take away another person's job. My husband took a job out here and has helped transform the IT network of a rural hospital into one that reflects the knowledge he gained from decades at one of the top healthcare systems in the country. He has saved this district hospital thousands of dollars while improving the ability of the hospital to treat patients with state of the art IT innovations and best practices.
My kid has brought into the schools an exemplary academic record, behavior beyond reproach, and by teacher reports, a respectful attitude and manner of speaking which has rubbed off on other kids.
We pay taxes, contribute to charities, contribute to the community, buy whatever fundraiser stuff the kids in the neighborhood are selling, and are darned good neighbors. We subscribe to the newspaper because we believe in the importance of the press in a community. We buy local, obey the traffic laws, and when we notice something amiss, we contact the proper people. We eat in locally owned eateries and did all of our Christmas shopping locally. (And I'd like to say for someone who has lived within 2 miles of Target all of her life, that took a lot of pluck and determination on my part). We have also brought with us the proper usage of the word "y'all".
BTW, we are former suburbanites of a major metropolitan area. We're both highly educated people and yes, we sought to get away from the most dangerous city in the US (as determined by FBI) to raise our daughter in a place where she could grow up safely and could attend schools without fear of getting shot (if we didn't have her in private school as we did back home). And since it's important to you, we listen to country music - along with bluegrass, Broadway, Contemporary Christian and classical. I do have to acknowledge that there is one aspect we don't support locally - radio - but only because the station for some reason interjects commercials into the middle of a song and then resumes the song halfway through afterward. That's highly annoying.
So, not everyone who moves out here is "crap" anymore than the people originally from here are all saints.
Last edited by tigergal; 12-09-2011 at 01:17 PM..
Reason: clarity
I was wondering if anyone could help me please? We are looking to relocate to Wyoming but know very little about where the best place is to move to. We have 2 children age 3 and 4 with another one on the way so family orientated is a must as is low crime if possible and good schools. Could anyone recommend where the best place to move to would be please?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have done a little research into the crime statistics but feel I am getting nowhere :-(
Thank you for your help in advance, :-)
So there are lots of negative posts on here and I hope you don't think that all of us in Wyoming are negative. While it is true that you don't have the convenience of a big city and it does take a certain type of person to make it here, you will do fine if you are a down to earth hard worker. To answer your question about crime, there isn't a whole lot of crime here if you are comparing it to a major city. In most areas of the state you would feel safe taking your kids to the park and letting them play in the backyard. Schools are pretty well-funded so that is a plus as well. Otherwise, the next question is can you deal with cold winters and do you want prairies or mountains?
30 years ago I moved from Wyoming to Montana. After a short 8 years in MT, the ex decided we needed to move to the east coast. After 22 years on the east coast I finally tired of the rat ace (and the ex) and moved back home 2 years ago. I can say that Wyoming never lost my heart or dreams. Every year I dreamed of coming back home but life did not provide the opportunity. Has it been easy..........it has not. But I had one thing in my favor. GOD's providence. He has provided a job, nice home, place to worship, close to my family, and challenges every day. If you move here do not expect it to be like anywhere else you have ever been. It is far better.
30 years ago I moved from Wyoming to Montana. After a short 8 years in MT, the ex decided we needed to move to the east coast. After 22 years on the east coast I finally tired of the rat ace (and the ex) and moved back home 2 years ago. I can say that Wyoming never lost my heart or dreams. Every year I dreamed of coming back home but life did not provide the opportunity. Has it been easy..........it has not. But I had one thing in my favor. GOD's providence. He has provided a job, nice home, place to worship, close to my family, and challenges every day. If you move here do not expect it to be like anywhere else you have ever been. It is far better.
One mans prospective.
Amen to your post. Although I have never moved far away as you have, I did live in Montana for 13 years, and when I came back to Wyoming about 3 1/2 years ago I asked myself why I ever left. It is home. I think a lot of living anywhere is all in what you are used to. I don't blame people who want to move elsewhere (example: big city to country life, etc.) as we all have dreams and until we try something new we don't know how we will respond until we try it out. To each his own is what I say. I have always been encouraging to people who want to try something new and never discourage them from moving here, although I do caution them to visit first, be as aware as possible about the weather, lifestyle, lack of some resources, etc. I think the main thing people have to keep in mind on these forums is that every post is each person's personal opinion or perspective (except for when they are relaying factual statistics, etc.). Life is what you make of it, and if you don't take risks you will never know whether something may be right for you or not.
People sure do get high and mighty on the internet. This country was built on the pioneer spirit. Nothing wrong with wanting to escape the big city life and find some peace in Wyoming. I agree that many people move to rural areas expecting the same convenience as the suburbs. Not exactly coming to terms with reality. If your looking for big city convenience and beautiful scenery all with taco bell and target right around the corner, there's always denver. I do think it's good to bring people into the reality of what type of Wyoming living is. That might just be exactly what some people are looking for.
People sure do get high and mighty on the internet. This country was built on the pioneer spirit. Nothing wrong with wanting to escape the big city life and find some peace in Wyoming. I agree that many people move to rural areas expecting the same convenience as the suburbs. Not exactly coming to terms with reality. If your looking for big city convenience and beautiful scenery all with taco bell and target right around the corner, there's always denver. I do think it's good to bring people into the reality of what type of Wyoming living is. That might just be exactly what some people are looking for.
Very well said. Although you can get Taco Bell and Target in Casper and I would guess Cheyenne.
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