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I am retiring this year -- in about four months -- and plan to move and rent in western Colorado. I will probably then buy or build something to live in long term. But I can't get Wyoming completely out of my mind . . .
From western Colorado, I can explore adjacent states for retirement locations. (Utah is out.) Here is what I would want (and don't want) -- it may be impossible, but compromises have to be made everywhere.
1) All the areas with extreme wind are out. That would drive me crazy. I take it that rules out much of the state (esp. eastern Wyoming).
2) I have to have terrain -- esp. mountains, some streams and forests, etc. (does this throw me into the western portion only?). BTW, I don't hunt.
3) My hobbies are hiking, canyoneering, rock climbing, and photography. [I don't think Wyoming is a big destination for canyoneering, but I know where to go in Utah (and, to a lesser extent, Arizona)].
4) Affordable and not likely to be overrun with people. I don't snow ski or snowboard, and Jackson Hole is ruled out for the same reasons that Telluride, CO would be (too expensive, also both tourist towns). By affordable, I am hoping to buy or build a small place (< 1000 sq. ft) w/ lot for 300,000 or (slightly) less.
5) The toughest part of retiring in Wyoming, to my mind, is the cold weather. I don't mind cold, but I am afraid much of Wyoming might be too cold for me. Yes, born and raised in TX, but I spent seven years in Chicago (1980-87) (and winters were worse back then).
I know there are gorgeous parks in Wyoming (Grand Teton, Yellowstone), but I would hate to build my outdoor pursuits around parks per se (and surely the surrounding areas are worthy as well). Parks so crowded in the summer that I prefer to stay away from them.
You might satisfy most of those criteria, but it would be nice to be less than a day's drive to Denver (where my son lives). It looks like Jackson Hole is about 8 hours from Denver (in decent weather).
Southwest Wyoming would place me closer to recreating in northern Utah and closer to CO. So all we need there is forest/mountain/streams as warm as feasible, with affordable housing that, for some reason, thousands of others don't flock to.
Yes, this may be an absurd "want list" for Wyoming. But hope springs eternal . . . Thanks for info.
hope springs eternal....but Spring doesn't come to a lot of Wyoming until June. (We had 8 inches of snow on May 15
where I live last year) You might want to check out some desired areas during winter to see if they are too cold for you.
In the mountain areas, the snow stays longer. Extreme wind can occur most parts of the state at some point. Certain
areas have consistent wind. I live in eastern Wyoming (but I'm originally from the western side) and we actually aren't equal to our reputation. When it blows, it blows hard, but that is only two-three days a week during the winter. No wind to speak of during the summer.
Lower wind areas-Star Valley (Alpine to Smoot), lower Bighorn Basin (Frannie to Kirby or Thermop), Wind River Basin
(Riverton, Lander, etc.) Low wind, not too much snow, close to canyon and rockclimbing-you might look at Ten Sleep.
Does size matter? Lander is close to outdoor areas (Sinks Canyon, Louis Lake) Pinedale has the Wind River Range and
Fremont, Half Moon, Green River Lakes-beautiful country, but Lander and Pinedale do pretty serious winters. Dubois is
another prospect close to outdoor opportunities. It's 70 miles to anywhere. Doesn't get a lot of snow. There can be 3
feet up on Togwotee a half-hour west of town, but bone dry in Dubois. Buffalo and Sheridan are close to the Bighorns.
You said Jackson Hole was out, but then mention how far from Jackson Hole to Denver. Well, 300k in Teton County is
only going to get you a 1975 Marlatt single-wide with orange shag carpet and a avocado green recliner with duct tape
on the arms, maybe a tool shed in the yard-your pickup will have to sleep outside. There are, however, quite a few
places in Wyoming where 300k will buy a nice house and large lot. To be less than a day's drive to Denver limits you
to more populated areas like Laramie (which has the Snowy Range, Vedauwoo, etc) maybe Saratoga and Encampment.
SW Wyoming as in Bridger Valley, Rock Springs, Evanston, Kemmerer, etc. is close to Utah mountain country but most
of a day's drive to Denver. Wyoming is rugged, durable, and in the boonies.
a number of things pop off your "wish list" which pretty much "rule out" Wyoming ...
"the toughest part" ...
1) Cold weather. With so much of Wyoming at higher elevations, it's not only a matter of the intensity of the cold (sustained low temp thermometer readings), but the DURATION of the winter clime months. IOW, most of Wyoming has a 5-6 month cold climate season, with pockets like Laramie having even longer "cold" weather ... even compared to Cheyenne (again, altitude is a primary factor).
So when you make comparisons to other "cold" areas at sea level, what misses the mark is that their cold/wintry season is a matter of months. Even the slight difference in altitude from SE Wyoming to Northern Colorado is significant in the number of "degree days" of heating. Another way of looking at the difference is in the length of the growing season. For example, in a typical year ... they're a week or so away from their first cutting of alfalfa while we here in SE Wyoming are just seeing springtime growth emergence. We read about "springtime" conditions in other parts of the country while we're still into our colder and snowier months.
2) Extreme Winds. The reality is that much of Wyoming has some of the highest annual wind energy density areas. Comparatively speaking, even when the wind is blowing to "extreme levels" ... such as when WYDOT is posting winds strong enough to adversely affect highway travel, even banning "lightweight high profile vehicles" ... the "normal" winds can still be quite strong. Even calm days here will present with strong gusts and higher average wind velocities than most of the USA ... and all the more so in the mountain areas of Wyoming. It's all about how the prevailing wind fronts (mostly) from the Pacific NW and Canada are funneled through the mountain ranges along with solar heat uptake on the moutainsides. Yes, there will be days and periods of calm, but not to the extent that you'll experience them at lower elevations.
3) Outdoor Activity. Understand that much of Wyoming's "back country" is public lands which don't have maintained access for much of the year. It would not be unusual for those "scenic" recreational lands to not be accessible from Oct/Nov time frame through to June each year. Forest Service HQ's will post the access to various places, and you'll not be getting too far, if at all, into many public lands where you'd like to hike, do your outdoor adventures, photography, etc..
This aspect isn't limited to Western Wyoming. For example, the "Black Hills" area of NE Wyoming has some spectacular terrain and vistas ... but access can be very limited for much of the year. To the extent that the "tourist" towns of the region have substantial shut-downs of the hospitality and tourist attraction industry; ie, restaurant and lodging facilities "close for the season".
To give you an idea of this shut-down and put it in perspective, most of the KOA Campgrounds in those areas of Wyoming shut down during the winter months. That's a lot of capital invested which has only overhead expense and no revenue for quite awhile each year. A few Wyoming KOA's stay open all year ... mostly in more populated areas where they can support themselves on long-term residents where those folks have jobs typically in the extractive industries biz for awhile.
4) The Biggest Zinger of them all: Affordable.
The simple reality is that the places in Wyoming that offer employment, recreation, entertainment, medical, and all the other amenities which attract folk for a year-round home are popular to the extent that housing costs near to your desired recreation areas here are quite strong. A key aspect of housing "affordability" is that there is a nearby economic center ... being out "in the boonies" also means high costs for materials, labor, utilities, water, and access.
It seems to me that a lot of folk from out of the area have this paradigm that because the population count is so low in Wyoming that it's comparable to "living out in the sticks" back home ... wherever that home may be, because there the remote location is less desirable, hence less expensive for land and housing while still having good access to water/utilities. Couldn't be further from the reality here ... having good year 'round access, water & utilities, an economic base large enough to retain entertainment, shopping, medical, restaurants, recreation, and all the other amenities that you associate with "needs" for your reasonable retirement lifestyle ... all come at a premium price here because they are so desirable.
Jackson certainly is the extreme example for Wyoming and the price leader, but it's merely the extreme example. Lander, Sheridan, Buffalo, Star Valley towns ... all of which have some of the "nicer" attributes you desire ... aren't bargain price places to live, either. By way of comparison, places like Rock Springs, Rawlins ... fail your wish list so badly that it's not even worth discussing, big fails just on the winds concern alone. Saratoga has some less expensive housing well within your budget, but it's still got long winters/winds/cold temps/limited access to the mountain recreational areas for much of the year ... and it's pretty limited for the amenities which you'd likely want. IOW, you'll have to travel for most of your shopping/medical/entertainment needs ... at least to Rawlins, if not Laramie or Rocksprings.
In all candor, I think you nailed it already ... "Yes, this may be an absurd "want list" for Wyoming." Good luck with your search.
Your list of conditions makes me think of the Ten Sleep area for backdoor access to excellent rock climbing and hiking, along with minimal winds and less human traffic. However, as the others have pointed out, the isolation, cold, and affordability factor would be huge compromises for you.
You might look at Saratoga area. it is cold by most people's standards but not as cold as some of WY, especially the southwest part. Lander-Riverton could be another option. Lander if you can take the snow, Riverton if you don't want to as much. Cody winters aren't usually that bad. Low snow. Sundance WY or Spearfish SD are other options but you'd have to gauge tolerance for the Black Hills summer traffic.
I am retiring this year -- in about four months -- and plan to move and rent in western Colorado. I will probably then buy or build something to live in long term. But I can't get Wyoming completely out of my mind . . .
From western Colorado, I can explore adjacent states for retirement locations. (Utah is out.) Here is what I would want (and don't want) -- it may be impossible, but compromises have to be made everywhere.
1) All the areas with extreme wind are out. That would drive me crazy. I take it that rules out much of the state (esp. eastern Wyoming).
2) I have to have terrain -- esp. mountains, some streams and forests, etc. (does this throw me into the western portion only?). BTW, I don't hunt.
3) My hobbies are hiking, canyoneering, rock climbing, and photography. [I don't think Wyoming is a big destination for canyoneering, but I know where to go in Utah (and, to a lesser extent, Arizona)].
4) Affordable and not likely to be overrun with people. I don't snow ski or snowboard, and Jackson Hole is ruled out for the same reasons that Telluride, CO would be (too expensive, also both tourist towns). By affordable, I am hoping to buy or build a small place (< 1000 sq. ft) w/ lot for 300,000 or (slightly) less.
5) The toughest part of retiring in Wyoming, to my mind, is the cold weather. I don't mind cold, but I am afraid much of Wyoming might be too cold for me. Yes, born and raised in TX, but I spent seven years in Chicago (1980-87) (and winters were worse back then).
I know there are gorgeous parks in Wyoming (Grand Teton, Yellowstone), but I would hate to build my outdoor pursuits around parks per se (and surely the surrounding areas are worthy as well). Parks so crowded in the summer that I prefer to stay away from them.
You might satisfy most of those criteria, but it would be nice to be less than a day's drive to Denver (where my son lives). It looks like Jackson Hole is about 8 hours from Denver (in decent weather).
Southwest Wyoming would place me closer to recreating in northern Utah and closer to CO. So all we need there is forest/mountain/streams as warm as feasible, with affordable housing that, for some reason, thousands of others don't flock to.
Yes, this may be an absurd "want list" for Wyoming. But hope springs eternal . . . Thanks for info.
Your only choice would be Uinta County in the far SW corner of the state. It's the least windy by a significant amount. I lived there for five years and I do miss the lack of wind. It's only an hour from Salt Lake. There's a fair amount of snow, but it is out of the blizzard belt. I'm originally from Chicago so I can assure you that winters are far easier.
Wyoming is the most conservative state in the country based on voting records.
Your only choice would be Uinta County in the far SW corner of the state. It's the least windy by a significant amount. I lived there for five years and I do miss the lack of wind. It's only an hour from Salt Lake. There's a fair amount of snow, but it is out of the blizzard belt. I'm originally from Chicago so I can assure you that winters are far easier.
Wyoming is the most conservative state in the country based on voting records.
Uinta County is most definitely Not the least windy area of Wyoming:
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