Smallish cities good (subjective, I know) for raising kids, ie family oriented (Cheyenne: sale, homes)

[Rujack]

I’m considering buying property in Wyoming. Primary reasons being low level of bureaucracy, cost of living, open space, natural beauty and strong sensibilities with regard to individual liberties including and especially gun rights.

Teton county is beautiful, but too expensive and I don’t want to be in a very touristy area and as far as Wyoming goes, in my experience this is as far as one can get from my criteria, along with Laramie.

Another caveat is that I’m a piano technician, so I’d have to be close to an area that has, well, pianos. Typically college towns, which roughly speaking aren’t known these days for being sympathetic to my criteria either. So I may have to come up with some other way to earn an income.

Am I being unrealistic?

[NW Crow]

There is supply and apparently demand.

https://www.google.com/search?client...QCYAQCgAQHAAQE

If you want "smallish", maybe Sheridan or Cody. Unless you define smallish differently.

Call a few and see if anybody is interested in an associate or will talk at all.

[Exwyocowboy]

Please define what you mean by city? The only two I am aware of are Casper 55,000 pop and Cheyenne 65,000; even Laramie is just a larger town 35,000 pop

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by Exwyocowboy

Please define what you mean by city? The only two I am aware of are Casper 55,000 pop and Cheyenne 65,000; even Laramie is just a larger town 35,000 pop

Those are some big numbers and population. How about Gillette or Powell

[StealthRabbit]

Try Powell - family friendly, cheaper than Teton county, cheaper than Cody.
Far better place to raise a family than Laramie or Casper (IMHO).

(U can service Cody and Lovell pianos from Powell with a monthly piano trip to Sheridan / Buffalo and another to Thermopolis / Lander / Riverton). Maybe even Billings?

How many clients do you need?
Other sources of income?

There is supply and apparently demand.

https://www.google.com/search?client...QCYAQCgAQHAAQE

Sheridan / Buffalo look available. Nice area, more expensive that Powell (Each has a CCollege). Lovell has a pretty substantial LDS population IIRC, they may have more pianos in their homes. Certainly have a family oriented community, and usually a pretty strong community support structure.

[Rujack]

Originally Posted by Exwyocowboy

Please define what you mean by city? The only two I am aware of are Casper 55,000 pop and Cheyenne 65,000; even Laramie is just a larger town 35,000 pop

I’m not so much concerned with population numbers as I am with density and congestion - probably not much to worry about in this regard in Wyoming, at least not in the near future. I probably could / should have said “cities other than Jackson”.

[Rujack]

Originally Posted by NW Crow

There is supply and apparently demand.

https://www.google.com/search?client...QCYAQCgAQHAAQE

If you want "smallish", maybe Sheridan or Cody. Unless you define smallish differently.

Call a few and see if anybody is interested in an associate or will talk at all.

Thanks, I should do that. I plan on moving my business of the past ten years along with me, but having something to land on would be smart.

[Rujack]

Originally Posted by StealthRabbit

Try Powell - family friendly, cheaper than Teton county, cheaper than Cody.
Far better place to raise a family than Laramie or Casper (IMHO).

(U can service Cody and Lovell pianos from Powell with a monthly piano trip to Sheridan / Buffalo and another to Thermopolis / Lander / Riverton). Maybe even Billings?

How many clients do you need?
Other sources of income?


Sheridan / Buffalo look available. Nice area, more expensive that Powell (Each has a CCollege). Lovell has a pretty substantial LDS population IIRC, they may have more pianos in their homes. Certainly have a family oriented community, and usually a pretty strong community support structure.

Can you tell me more about why you think Powell is better for raising a family?

Not sure how many clients I’d need at this point as I don’t know what the market dynamics are in various regions. But very good point on the LDS populations being a possible client base.

I’m pretty focused on Wyoming. Montana is just too far north and I think Wy is a better option culturally for my tastes.

[sunsprit]

Originally Posted by Rujack

But very good point on the LDS populations being a possible client base.

which is why you need to research your possible location marketplaces very carefully. IF you have a competitor in the piano biz who is an LDS member and you are not, you will not get their business. That's just the way it is, the members seek to support those of their group if at all possible. They will do so even if it's not as convenient or the quality of work product that you may provide might be better.

PS: I had a neighbor in the furniture refinishing biz who did a lot of piano cases for a number of people in the piano retail biz throughout Wyoming. It seemed to me that there was a lot of activity and a fair number of pro's established here already. I know of one company in Cheyenne that employs at least 4 people and they service piano's throughout Wyoming, with full service/repairs/tuning/moving, and restorations. From what I've seen, there's quite an active marketplace as well as a fair number of established tuners/piano service companies serving the area already.

While it's been a few years since the auction, I went to a ranch auction 25 miles West of Laramie for ranch/farm equipment of interest to me. In one of their barns, they'd had a sizable piano service business and retail sales. I hadn't paid attention to the sale bill, but there were over 30 piano's in various stages of restoration there. Apparently, she was the tuner/technician/piano teacher and her husband did all the moving work and restorations/refinishing. IOW, you'll likely find competitors here in some very unlikely, even remote, places who do this as a sideline to their primary business. Such is the nature of a lot of service type businesses throughout Wyoming ... pro's who don't necessarily have retail storefronts but expertise and facilities for their businesses.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by Rujack

Can you tell me more about why you think Powell is better for raising a family?

...

I have found that agriculture centric towns often have a very strong family support community, and people tend to work together for mutual goals. This seems to be the case in Powell. Tourist / trendy / energy towns do not have the long-term commitment and relationships of farmers (who are not likely to relocate often).

As SS mentioned, do understand the existing market and where you would be positioned if available / needs for more businesses in your expertise. Correct that if in an LDS community, they support their own. (Including bringing in that service from elsewhere if available from an LDS owned business.). Know your market!