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Wherever you think about moving to in Wyoming, be sure to visit first and look up stats and stuff on the area. Although all of Wyoming has certain things in common, like being dry and windy, some places are less dry and less windy, some are colder and some are not so cold, etc.
I lived in Pinedale for a year, which is in western Wyoming just an hour and a half from Jackson. At 7,200 feet above sea level, it is arid and cold (very long, very cold winters even by Wyoming standards) with sagebrush dominating the landscape and the Wind River and Wyoming range mountains always in sight.
Now I live in Buffalo, in the northeast corner on the east side of the Big Horn Mountains, near Sheridan. It is much lower (about 4600 feet elevation I believe), is noticeably warmer and more humid, and is greener (grass instead of sagebrush, plains instead of desert) but still is quite windy. I think it's actually windier here than the Pinedale area.
Both are beautiful and have their good and bad points, and although both are near pretty mountain ranges, they don't have much in common aside from that they're near mountains and they're in Wyoming.
I'd recommend looking into both Pinedale and Buffalo...Buffalo's a bit bigger, is closer to other larger cities (Sheridan, Gillette, Casper, Billings, Rapid City), and Pinedale is more isolated. But Pinedale might fit your weather bill better. Glorious dry warm summers if you can stand the harsh winter temps. Incredible mountain vistas pretty much any way you turn (except when they're obscured by forest-fire smoke...) It's also been voted as one of the top 100 communities in the nation for youth. Lots of stuff for the kids to do. Great schools, incredible public library. And I found it was actually more diverse than Buffalo, at least on the surface.
Buffalo and its area are great as well. Summer is hotter/more humid, but by trade the winters are not as harsh as Pinedale (but still chilly). There's a lot more cultural stuff to do around here, like art galleries, museums, historical reenactments etc. More "culture" here. It's also less expensive to live in than Pinedale. I'd say the only real problems with Pinedale are its isolation and the cost/availability of housing.
Those fences are not used to stop wind. They are Jackalope fences. See, Jackalopes don't realize there are big gaps in the fences and they think they are continuous. It works, and it's cheaper.
Just kidding...
LOL ElkHunter - that is too funny I actually saw a 'jackalope' (stuffed of course) on the wall at a steak house once - they said many people actually believed they were real!
Thanks for the explanation - I didn't know what those things were!
Thank you SO much to all of you who were so helpful to respond - if Wyoming and that area has such helpful (and funny) people, it is going right at the top of our list. You guys are just awesome!
I guess we are off to more research to narrow down areas then...
Hi everyone,
what a great forum you have!
We're seriously considering moving to Wyoming (and driving up there in July) and I thought we'd ask if anyone out there might know of someone who has a cottage/cabin/guesthouse OR a large RV pad for rent on their property. We just bought a 45' Motorhome and would like to know what might be out there. A small house on a farm where we could park our coach, or just a large RV pad with utilities (50 amp).
We're retired, quiet, non-smokers, no pets, love nature. Husband was raised on a farm in southern Illinois, so he has a healthy respect for anyone who farms I'm a classically trained oil painter (I also taught at university level) and love to paint landscapes, animals and people.... We'd love to live under a few trees, and be very near a river (we like to fish) and have great scenery around us. Someone in Douglas had the perfect thing -except train tracks were extremely close, and had frequent coal trains, not to mention horn-blowing - so not for us.
We were thinking Casper or maybe Buffalo but after reading some forum comments, we see that Sheridan and Lander might be great for us.
We look so much forward to hearing from forum members!
Best
Pam and Dan
Hi everyone,
what a great forum you have!
We're seriously considering moving to Wyoming (and driving up there in July) and I thought we'd ask if anyone out there might know of someone who has a cottage/cabin/guesthouse OR a large RV pad for rent on their property. We just bought a 45' Motorhome and would like to know what might be out there. A small house on a farm where we could park our coach, or just a large RV pad with utilities (50 amp).
We're retired, quiet, non-smokers, no pets, love nature. Husband was raised on a farm in southern Illinois, so he has a healthy respect for anyone who farms I'm a classically trained oil painter (I also taught at university level) and love to paint landscapes, animals and people.... We'd love to live under a few trees, and be very near a river (we like to fish) and have great scenery around us. Someone in Douglas had the perfect thing -except train tracks were extremely close, and had frequent coal trains, not to mention horn-blowing - so not for us.
We were thinking Casper or maybe Buffalo but after reading some forum comments, we see that Sheridan and Lander might be great for us.
We look so much forward to hearing from forum members!
Best
Pam and Dan
I get haying here you could park.... no power though and probably make you move about every 10 day to let grass grow.... mosquitoes can get bad for another few weeks. Star Valley Wyoming - Star Valley .com
Do not know when you are planning to visit Sheridan. Beware of Sheridan Rodeo Week: July 5th – July 12, 2015 Rodeo Performances: July 8, 9, 10, 11,2015. So you will have a hard time finding RV camp sites. Sheridan WYO Rodeo |
RV Parks in Sheridan.
Digging up an old thread. Thanks to everyone in advance who posted earlier. We are looking at Cody, pretty much for retirement, I guess early retirement - as we have one kid still to get through high school and college.
A lot of things about Cody fit our bill - proximity to Yellowstone, off the main highway/urban sprawl, hospital, apparently a very good high school, an economy that is diverse enough to sustain it. 40k people is too many and 5k is pretty small - Cody just kinda seems to fit well.
Our daughter is Chinese (we are not), so there are some question about fitting in, however in the other posts/threads that I have read - it does not seem to be a real issue. On the plus side our girl is a beacon of tomboy energy and all things revolve around her. Everyone will hear her before they see her.
Couple questions (and will take all the unsolicited feedback you have). First, what really is the perception on crime, burglary and such - I'm pointing a finger at meth and oxy stuff. We don't have the meth / oxy issues in the same Per Capita way (I assume), however we have way more pot and heroin and homeless than you would believe unless you saw it for yourself.
Second - it the airport really year round? Being able to get to SLC or Denver for connections whenever is pretty attractive, as while I'm talking about retirement - I would still take along some of the consulting I currently perform.
I guess lastly, how has it been for transplants? My wife lived in SLC for many many years, while I'm a big city guy, I'm an outdoorsman and tend to go "where everybody ain't". Is the community engaged with the town leadership? Are the planning and building departments oppressive to deal with? Is the police department a toxic scandal plagued association or are they well liked, helpful and respected?
Couple questions (and will take all the unsolicited feedback you have).
Cody is a seasonal town ... with a substantial tourism based economy that slows down a lot in the winter months due to the oft-times brutal winter conditions that present around popular outdoor attractions such as Buffalo Bill Res west of town or the Shoshone forest area access. A gateway to YNP in the summer months, so a lot of traffic through the area. But it's otherwise an out-of-the-way town, somewhat isolated as a destination apart from the main roads through WY.
During the prime season months there, the close access to outdoor recreation is spectacular. Short drives can get you to many historic areas, gorgeous mountain vista's, camping, fishing, hiking, equine activity ... the whole spectrum of outdoor activity you might want in WY.
With a sizable enough town for an economic base to accomodate most of your needs (shopping, entertainment, medical services), it can also be a bit confining for some folk in the winter months. Of course, the core town activities, school activities ... are ongoing and a sizable draw for the town's community.
Like much of WY, it can be an acquired taste to live here year 'round. IMO, you'd be well served to come visit with a view towards your housing/costs of living/activities ... with at least one trip during the summer months and one trip in the January-March winter time frame.
First, what really is the perception on crime, burglary and such - I'm pointing a finger at meth and oxy stuff. We don't have the meth / oxy issues in the same Per Capita way (I assume), however we have way more pot and heroin and homeless than you would believe unless you saw it for yourself.
Crime stats ... it's all relative to your perception of the problem areas. For folk coming into the area from much of the USA, WY's drug problems/crime may seem to be pretty low. There's a number of reasons that contribute to that ... there's fewer public assistance programs in this state than others, coupled with the brutal and long duration winters. Homeless in a WY winter is a lot more difficult than in areas with a larger support system and the opportunity to survive the winter in a more moderate climate zone. You won't see people out on the streets in Cody during blustery winds and single-digit low temps in the winter unless they're between their vehicle and heading indoors. Nor will they be camping in public areas, it's simply too brutal an environment.
Second - it the airport really year round? Being able to get to SLC or Denver for connections whenever is pretty attractive, as while I'm talking about retirement - I would still take along some of the consulting I currently perform.
Served by Delta or United Express, there's flights to SLC and DIA, along with some services to OAK or Chicago. Best to look up the pricing and scheduling to see if they meet your needs. Some flights are outrageously expensive ... it's all about supply/demand and use rates. The airport is "year round" ... although inclement conditions can cause flights to be cancelled. Like all travel in the area during the winter months, you need to watch the weather and forecasts.
I guess lastly, how has it been for transplants? My wife lived in SLC for many many years, while I'm a big city guy, I'm an outdoorsman and tend to go "where everybody ain't". Is the community engaged with the town leadership? Are the planning and building departments oppressive to deal with? Is the police department a toxic scandal plagued association or are they well liked, helpful and respected?
In visiting with friends in the area ... multi-generational families based there with various businesses ... my impression is that the community and the "town leadership" are pretty much one and the same group of folk.
Z&P have had their issues with some of their business plans which lead to substantial expenses for compliance, but a lot of these issues come about from fed regulations such as ADA compliance needing upgrades.
I've not heard of any issues with the local PD from my friends in Cody ... perhaps another C-D poster may have further insight on this topic.
Absent knowing where you've lived or are now relocating from ... it's difficult to relate your concerns to what presents in Cody. WY is a very different environment for a lot of folk and many aspects of daily life that you take for granted "back home" may not be so simple here ... while other concerns just aren't an issue here. Again, as always, I suggest that you make at least a few trips here to visit to check the place out. Do consider what you value in terms of access, shopping, recreation, entertainment, medical access .... and make no assumptions, verify all these aspects of your daily living here. Do keep in mind that the costs of living here may not be inexpensive, either ... but that's relative if you're moving from an area of $1mil market house prices to this area.
I've lived in the Cody area for over eight years. I'm very happy. Almost everyone I know is a transplant from someplace else so it isn't a problem. There's not much snow here as it's almost desert. Southern Wyoming is the cold and snowy country. It can be windy at times, but wind generally brings warmer temperatures. It's a rare year when we haven't had a few days over 60 by early February.
Cody is overwhelmingly conservative Republican; Obama carried only about 20‰ of the vote. Liberals usually don't stay here long.
There are two Chinese restaurants in town. I know that there's an Oriental nurse at the hospital, but I don't know if she's Chinese. I don't know whether a Chinese student would be accepted by other students. It would be helpful if she loves horses and guns.
Billings, Montana is a hundred miles away. Eighty miles of the drive is two lane. There's little traffic in Wyoming but a fair amount in Montana. Online commerce is very popular here. Cody is a prosperous place; you can buy Roquefort locally.
Except for shoplifting and some bar fights during tourist season there's little crime in Cody itself and virtually none in adjacent rural areas. Prison sentences are long. There are no homeless that I've ever seen. Beggars and bums wouldn't be tolerated. I have no personal experience with the police, but I've never heard or read anything bad about them.
The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is the most popular attraction for both locals and visitors. It's the largest museum between Minneapolis and Seattle.
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) people, it is going right at the top of our list. You guys are just awesome!
