Recommendation needed: Cody, Casper, Lander, or? (Cheyenne, Laramie: hotel, find a job, school districts)

[Lobo505]

I'm a teacher but wish to semi-retire as a furniture refinisher. I need to get out of SoCal for so many reasons I can't tell you.


we visited WY this summer and am in love with the state. My wife and I are from NM, so no problem on small towns. Given this, we are looking for:


--a town over 10K


--has mountains nearby


--not over-priced like Jackson


--needs teachers (wife one, too)


All recommendations welcome. Thanks.

[jody_wy]

The official

Star Valley Wyoming - Star Valley .com
they are 2 different sites

[sunsprit]

In view of your need for teaching jobs ...

the number one priority in relocating to WY will be answered by "where the jobs are".

Don't forget that you will need WY teaching certificates. Others here on the forum have a great deal of experience with this process, but it is a hurdle to jump to get access to the teaching jobs. My understanding is that it's not difficult to get, but it is a requirement ... perhaps best obtained early on so that you are competitive for the jobs. Of course, this year is already in session so you'd be looking at next years' job postings.

Keep in mind that Wyoming has very few towns over 10K population. Cheyenne, Casper, Gillette, and Laramie are the biggies, with the rest significantly smaller even when you count the surrounding county populations. Jackson is a unique location which has not yet spilled over to the rest of the state ... and it's highly unlikely that it will do so, either.

"Mountains nearby" ... what's your definition of "nearby"? on your doorstep? a 1/2 hour drive away? just in view from home? or could you live with a several hour drive, which by Wyoming standards isn't a big deal? Keep in mind that a lot of Wyoming recreational access to the "mountains" can be a seasonal only access ... wintertime roads can be closed off or impassable in many locations. There simply isn't enough demand to justify plowing and keeping a lot of places open in the winter months; even the towns that support recreation in these areas can see a lot of business closures or cut-backs in the winter months ... to the extent that even the hospitality industry can cut back with hotel/motel/restaurant closures "for the season". Even KOA Kampgrounds "close for the season" in several locations around Wyoming come winter months. You'll even see signage advising seasonal road maintenance on county roads, where it wouldn't be unusual to have 5-6 months of "no road maintenance; ie, no snowplowing" so travel on the road is at your own risk should inclement weather conditions present. At that, a lot of public roads simply become impassable in the winter months ... as well as recreational and/or residential access.

RE: furniture refinishing biz. We have a neighbor here in Laramie County (outside Cheyenne) who had such a business for many years, operating from his home-based workshop (about 2,000 sq ft). Appeared to be consistently busy with everything from furniture to horse buggy's to piano cases to commercial furnishings/display cases. Finally retired a couple years ago when he was in his 80's, unable to continue the work. From my perspective, his volume of business was highly dependent upon the population center of the area, Cheyenne and surrounds. Even though you might be able to keep a reasonably low overhead in a modest shop, however, you'll still need a population base to support your business. Most of the "smaller" towns in Wyoming are significantly smaller than 10K ... so is there enough business to meet your cash flow requirements?

[Rescue3]

Sheridan has award winning schools that a lot of people want to come work in. Unfortunately, there is a huge financial deficit because of decreased energy revenues. The schools are laying people off, not hiring. I believe this deficit is statewide as the state government has reduced the amount of revenue it distributes to school districts. Our local senator has been trying to warn the two districts here for about a year, but they didn't listen. Now they're hurting.

Sheridan has 16,000 or so, Big Horn Mountains ten miles to the southwest, and lies approximately equi-distant between Billings MT and Casper at about 130 miles each. Gillette is 106 miles to the east southeast.

Not for nothing, but the coolest furniture shop I know is in Gillette. Lots of hidden compartments and such - but Gillette is in worse shape than Sheridan because they are closer to the mines that are closed or are cutting back.

Sorry to be a gloomy Gus, but I hope you find a job here. Good luck!

[Froggie Legs]

As an out of state teacher who has tried to land a job in Wyoming for a number of years, there are some areas that seem harder to get into than others. I have had 3 interviews- one phone, one in person, one skype- yet no offers. Make sure you take the Wyoming constitution test for teachers beforehand, so you will be qualified to get the license there. I second that you should "go where the jobs are." Keep watching the Wyoming School Boards Associationwebsite for vacancies in your area(s) of discipline. Not all schools/districts are the same, but I've found that the pay scale in WY is one of the best in the country, and no union dues.

There may not be a job right in Lander, but consider the reservation schools, though some are funded by the BIA not the state, so pay is lower. It helps if you know someone in district, but not always.

Sorry I cannot paint a more optimistic view. Good luck in your search.

[Wyoming_Medic]

Let me also be the voice of caution when it comes to finding teaching jobs in Wyoming. It is extremely difficult for someone local (as in, lived in state their whole lives and obtained their teaching education in state) to get into a full time teaching position, and darn near impossible for a recent transplant IMO. If you have a doctorate in some needed field, a college or university may be apt to pick you up, but anything at high school on down is quite competitive.

I can show you 30+ bachelor degree+ holding teachers working para-pro positions in my school district alone, just hoping to move into a full time slot.

My recommendation would be to secure the job BEFORE moving, then see if you can stand where the position actually is.

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by Lobo505

I'm a teacher but wish to semi-retire as a furniture refinisher. I need to get out of SoCal for so many reasons I can't tell you.


we visited WY this summer and am in love with the state. My wife and I are from NM, so no problem on small towns. Given this, we are looking for:


--a town over 10K


--has mountains nearby


--not over-priced like Jackson


--needs teachers (wife one, too)


All recommendations welcome. Thanks.

Lander is under 10k in population and Cody is a bit closer to that range. If you want a town of 10k or more you're looking at Cheyenne, Casper, Gillette, Riverton (right at 10k), Green River, Rock Springs, Evanston, Sheridan, and Laramie. That's it.

Not to sound negative, but Wyoming has a very strong tendency to only hire local candidates. Not to say you won't get in somewhere but it's an uphill battle.

[WyoNewk]

Originally Posted by NDak15

... Not to sound negative, but Wyoming has a very strong tendency to only hire local candidates. Not to say you won't get in somewhere but it's an uphill battle.

Wyoming's mineral industry in the past decade has placed the state's school districts in the enviable position of having one of the highest teacher salaries in the country. That makes it a very desirable spot to teach, and the last I heard from 'my' school district was that it normally had a hundred applicants for each opening.

Fifteen years ago Wyoming had about the lowest pay for teachers in the US. Legislators fixed that with the hope of attracting the best teachers money could buy. But it does make it more difficult to land a teaching job when you've got to finish in first place among 100 job seekers.

Most of the teachers I've known have come from out-of-state. I'm not sure whether or not in-state teachers have any kind of edge over out-of-staters (I'd hope so, actually), but I'm pretty sure that (if so) it's not a huge advantage.

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by WyoNewk

Wyoming's mineral industry in the past decade has placed the state's school districts in the enviable position of having one of the highest teacher salaries in the country. That makes it a very desirable spot to teach, and the last I heard from 'my' school district was that it normally had a hundred applicants for each opening.

Fifteen years ago Wyoming had about the lowest pay for teachers in the US. Legislators fixed that with the hope of attracting the best teachers money could buy. But it does make it more difficult to land a teaching job when you've got to finish in first place among 100 job seekers.

Most of the teachers I've known have come from out-of-state. I'm not sure whether or not in-state teachers have any kind of edge over out-of-staters (I'd hope so, actually), but I'm pretty sure that (if so) it's not a huge advantage.

This is pretty accurate, although I disagree with in state applicants getting preference. It should be the best candidate.

[rya700]

I've been wondering but not able to find many stats....

Have Wyoming schools seen decreases in enrollment numbers in the past year or two d/t decline in energy sector employment? If so to what extent?