What's it like in Laramie, WY? (Cheyenne, Jackson: ski resorts, home, school)

[CLIK92]

Hey guys,

I'm thinking about doing a year or semester national student exchange at the University of Wyoming and I was wondering what it is like in that area. I am from New Jersey, and I have been to Wyoming before (Jackson, and drove through Gilette). I know that Jackson is way different from Laramie, but what is Laramie like?

I love the outdoors (I don't mind the cold, but from what it sounds like NJ and WY winters are polar opposites) and I love small towns. And does Wyoming have any foreign car garages (I'm thinking of bringing my car if I do go).

And I am an Asian American, so will I be the only one there?

[sunsprit]

Laramie is a little town on the prairie with Wyoming's only university, so it's a bit unique with the range of activities there. There's reasonably close-by access to mountain areas. Much has been written about Laramie on the C-D threads, you'd do well to search these.

Wyoming has foreign car shops and Laramie has a couple that specialize in foreign cars, too. For a larger market, Fort Collins is nearby with service including exotics ... so you can get your Ferrari or Lambo or Roller serviced at your choice of an experienced independent repair shop. What car do you have?

You won't be the only Asian American in Laramie. And ... just for the record ... very few people here will care about it, either.

[CLIK92]

Laramie is a little town on the prairie with Wyoming's only university, so it's a bit unique with the range of activities there. There's reasonably close-by access to mountain areas. Much has been written about Laramie on the C-D threads, you'd do well to search these.

Wyoming has foreign car shops and Laramie has a couple that specialize in foreign cars, too. For a larger market, Fort Collins is nearby with service including exotics ... so you can get your Ferrari or Lambo or Roller serviced at your choice of an experienced independent repair shop. What car do you have?

You won't be the only Asian American in Laramie. And ... just for the record ... very few people here will care about it, either.

I'm bringing a Mercedes coupe with RWD (which I'm guessing is going to be horrible in the winter time).

And are there any ski resorts nearby?

[sunsprit]

Originally Posted by CLIK92

I'm bringing a Mercedes coupe with RWD (which I'm guessing is going to be horrible in the winter time).

And are there any ski resorts nearby?

I used several MB's throughout the decades for year-round driving in this region ... all the way back to 280SE's and 280SEL4.5's, a number of 220D and 240D's, and at the last, a couple of 1982 300Dt's. As RWD cars, they were exemplary for their type in adverse road conditions.

But the 123 chassis Diesels were replaced with Audi AWD cars for several years, and now Subie OBW's. After several hundred thousand miles of winter time driving with the 'benz's ... I wouldn't go back to a RWD car for the adverse conditions that present here. The driving concern isn't so much deep snow, but black-ice slick surfaces.

Just about any FWD car today will outperform your RWD 'benz in the adverse conditions here, although the 'benz coupe will be adequate to get around Laramie for most of the winter. They do a decent job of clearing the roads around town and the typical winter sunshine will sublimate a lot of the slick stuff.

You'll find shops in Laramie that can work on your car, and Fort Collins has many shops that can do so, too.

Ski resorts nearby? in the sense of a full-service facility with a downhill ski mountain, lodging, entertainment, restaurants, bars? In a word, NO. Your closest opportunities will be to head to Colorado's Summit County ski areas (Loveland, Keystone, Breck), or up to Eagle County (Vail, Beaver Creek), or ... more distant ... Jackson in Wyoming. If you're up for the travels, UT has some places not too far from the Wyoming border (East of SLC). Choice of which would be the "best" to ski at on any given week will be the current snowfall/conditions ... and what you prefer to ski for difficulty, snow type, grooming (or not). But the one thing in common is that all of these will be an expedition to access; they are not on your doorstep or nearby. Don't just consider the road miles, look more to the number of hours they will take to access.

As a Vail homeowner, I still prefer Vail even though I now live in SE Wyoming. But it's gone from being an hour and change away from home to there to a now 4-5 hour trip in average winter driving conditions with an AWD car. You'll take about that long to get there from Laramie even with the short-cut to Fort Collins to access the I-25 to I-70 travel up to the mountains. Puts getting away to go skiing for a day into an entirely different perspective; now I don't go unless I'm able to stay there for a few days. There are closer options for cross-country skiing, if that's your pleasure ... but they aren't "ski resorts"; in some cases, it's a state or federal lands area that has limited ski trails laid out and groomed, but you are totally on your own for anything else at most of these places.

[NW Crow]

Census says that almost 3% of the population is asian-american in the Laramie metro, so that would make about 1,000 asian-americans in the area.

[WyoNewk]

I think my kids used to go skiing at Snowy Range when they attended UW: Snowy Range Ski and Recreation Area*|*Archive*|*Tickets & Passes

If you want a larger ski "resort", Steamboat Springs is one of my favorite Colorado ski areas, and it's only two hours or so from Laramie. It's been my experience that it's a little colder than the other big ones, but if you like powder....

My late wife moved to Wyoming from NJ and loved it. She said one of her biggest regrets was that she didn't discover Wyoming sooner in life. (She moved here when in her late 40s.) I don't know that we're polar opposites. It'll be colder and windier in Laramie with a little less snow, but both have real winters.

[Froggie Legs]

My cousins live there... they are always complaining of the wind... and my cousin had difficulty finding a job.

[CLIK92]

Also, I love photography so are there lots of nearby places where I can shoot?

[GirlWithAHorse]

Re the car, I've always had AWD in Laramie, so I can't help you there. There is an excellent import auto repair shop in West Laramie on Snowy Range Road that I highly recommend.

I've loved living in Laramie (I've lived here on and off for 11 years). There are many folks here who maintain footprints in big cities AND in Laramie, because it's a unique place with a huge variety of people. The access to outdoor activities is unparalleled for a college town that is relatively affordable. In fact, much of Colorado's front range recreates in Laramie because of the excellent trail systems here. There is very little suburban sprawl, partially because of the windy, dry climate. Yes, the wind blows often here, some years more than others. If you live in town, the buildings and trees break it up more than if you choose to live out on the plains. The opportunities for wildlife and landscape photography are wonderful--I have even heard of the northern lights being visible occasionally.

Cross-country skiing can be out your front door a couple of times a year. More often than that, I x-c ski in local parks, and the closest groomed x-c ski area is only 10 miles from town. Snowy Range ski area is about 40 miles west of Laramie, and Steamboat Springs is a 2-hour drive. Extreme skiers scale the cliff faces of the Medicine Bow Range to ski down the glaciers that are accessible in June, July and August.

If you come to Laramie with an open mind, you can make a wonderful life here. In my experience, the people who choose to live and stay here are interesting and diverse. Laramie isn't for everyone, but it's for me!

[fr8train]

Originally Posted by CLIK92

What's it like in Laramie, WY?

I've only been here since August, but as far as I've been able to tell it's just like anywhere else in the US. Aside from seeing more folks sporting cowboy boots/hats, people aren't really that much different. In addition, since UW has relatively low OOS tuition, the school has students from all over the country, so you won't be the only one in town with NJ tags on your car.

As far as location goes, despite being in Wyoming, Laramie is conveniently located, and if you can't find what you're looking for in Laramie, you can always make the short trip to Cheyenne or Fort Collins.

From what I understand winters here are bright and sunny for the most part, in contrast to the east.

Originally Posted by CLIK92

Also, I love photography so are there lots of nearby places where I can shoot?

Just to name a few...

Medicine Bow

Roosevelt National Forest

Rocky Mountain National Park