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I have been reading City-Data for well over 6 months and have tried to read all 38 pages of information on Wyoming and find the information that relates to me. I have found a lot of good information such as wyomingatwork.com to name one.
I currently reside in South Florida and it is absolute hell. I grew up in New England and have lived in California, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland and Florida. Since being in Florida the one thing I miss is winter. I am baffled every time I hear a person down here say they have never seen snow. As much as a beach and a palm tree is nice; the greatest part of a childhood is playing in the snow!
We would be looking to move towards the end of the Summer into the fall. I finish my program in September and she would be starting around the same time. So we are looking at just about a year before anything happens, but thought that planning ahead is always a valuable asset.
My questions revolve around jobs, location, and from there I may have a few other questions. I am currently pursuing my MBA and my girlfriend is finishing her last year of undergrad course work and will be applying to Master's programs (Master of Accountancy with CPA). I am interested in Wyoming and she has done her research and a few schools "close" to the area include Colorado St., Wyoming, and Colorado. I guess is Cheyenne a good location to look at when looking at these schools? I know the winter driving will be tough but most of the programs are weekend (so we will be spending the weekend most times).
Next, are there a decent amount of professional jobs? I have been on Wyoming at work and found a lot, but was not sure exactly how many of these jobs get placed? And how many are more or less just head hunting and feelers? Also, would Cheyenne be the best location, regardless of school, for finding professional jobs? I have read about Casper and Cheyenne as the two main centers, but was not completely sure. Continuing with the theme of planning ahead how beneficial would say a January-February serious search for jobs and housing be?
Thank you in advance for all the information. I hope that I can find a lot of info and we will soon be residents of Wyoming!
A lot depends on what size town you want to live in. I'm sure that jobs pop up now & then in the small towns and are more likely to be found in places like Cheyenne or Casper, but getting an idea of what you are looking for outside of work would also help. Have you been to Wyoming to check out the entire state? There are vast differences as I'm sure you've found is you've been following the Wyoming threads here on CD. There are certain places in the state where things are "booming" (like where I recently moved to, Gillette) that have all kinds of jobs. Jobs here are mostly industrial, but of course the larger the town gets, the more of any kind of job we need. Someone has to take care of all that money that's being made around here!
To give you an idea of Gillette's growth, last year there were 7,800 students that started the school year in the district and this year there are over 8,200! This is a fairly small town by "city" standards, at approx. 25,000+ residents. Unfortunatley, for colleges, we only have an extension to Sheridan College here so not a lot of programs available. The closest big schools would be in Spearfish, SD (a couple fo hours drive) or Billings, MT (3 hours). I'm not trying to convince you to choose Gillette but just giving you an idea that there are parts of Wyoming that are not depressed like a lot of the country is.
Laramie, where UW is, is a nice town and UW is a great school. Living in Cheyenne wouldn't be out of line & most of the state jobs are in Cheyenne, of course. The drive is doable between the two towns. So that area may be a nice choice for you.
Back to my original thought....a lot depends on what you guys are looking for besides a job & school. The folks on this site are great & will answer any questions you have & help all they can!
A lot depends on what size town you want to live in. I'm sure that jobs pop up now & then in the small towns and are more likely to be found in places like Cheyenne or Casper, but getting an idea of what you are looking for outside of work would also help. Have you been to Wyoming to check out the entire state? There are vast differences as I'm sure you've found is you've been following the Wyoming threads here on CD. There are certain places in the state where things are "booming" (like where I recently moved to, Gillette) that have all kinds of jobs. Jobs here are mostly industrial, but of course the larger the town gets, the more of any kind of job we need. Someone has to take care of all that money that's being made around here!
To give you an idea of Gillette's growth, last year there were 7,800 students that started the school year in the district and this year there are over 8,200! This is a fairly small town by "city" standards, at approx. 25,000+ residents. Unfortunatley, for colleges, we only have an extension to Sheridan College here so not a lot of programs available. The closest big schools would be in Spearfish, SD (a couple fo hours drive) or Billings, MT (3 hours). I'm not trying to convince you to choose Gillette but just giving you an idea that there are parts of Wyoming that are not depressed like a lot of the country is.
Laramie, where UW is, is a nice town and UW is a great school. Living in Cheyenne wouldn't be out of line & most of the state jobs are in Cheyenne, of course. The drive is doable between the two towns. So that area may be a nice choice for you.
Back to my original thought....a lot depends on what you guys are looking for besides a job & school. The folks on this site are great & will answer any questions you have & help all they can!
Thanks for all the info, I looked into more jobs in Gillette and there are definitely a lot of opportunities and ones that fit what I am looking for. My major concern with being there is the closeness to the schools. I think MSU-Billings may be to much of a commute, especially during the winter. I will continue to explore this option. How is the area in general? I tried to find some more information/pictures and really couldn't find all that much.
Sorry I didn't answer your question sooner. I think Gillette is the kind of place that people either love or hate! I heard so many negatives about it before we moved here, but in checking things out thoroughly before we did we thought it was the place for us. So far it hasn't disappointed at all! We heard a lot of people say "it's so FLAT there". Gillette itself is not flat at all. There are lots of hills and trees and it has been changed into a rather beautiful town. The trips out of Gillette in any direction can seem pretty desolate, though. However, we are only a relatively short drive to the Big Horn Mountains to the West and to the Black Hills to the east, both beautiful in their own right. Gillette has changed so much since I remember it from about 20-30 years ago. It has grown and there is tons of new construction, both residential and commercial. The town has worked hard at planting lots of grass, trees, flowers along all the major streets. There are gobs of pretty parks. There is a nice big park with a little lake. Although the town has grown a lot there really aren't a lot of eating establishments. What makes it that way is the fact that it's difficult for proprietors to find help. Jobs here pay so well that most folks don't want to work in food service when they can get paid a lot more doing other things. Even the fast food places pay around $10/hr. and they still can't get enough help. Jobs are very plentiful here. Shopping is not bad. There's a new Super Walmart, a Kmart, new Walgreen's, a Home Depot, Office Depot, and several smaller "chain" stores as well as local stores. There really isn't a lot of selection, though, as for clothes for instance. Most people go to one of the larger towns for "mall" type shoppoing. Cost of living here is high for renters as rentals are hard to come by so the owners can get high prices. We had to do a lot of work to find a nice place for a good price. It is possible. Homes here are a bit higher than in some parts of the state, but in moving here from Billings they are pretty comparable to there, maybe a bit higher. We have found utilities to be much, much less here in Gillette. Gas is the lowest in the state, having hovered at about $3.50-something-ish until earlier this week when it went up, but is now today back down to as low as $3.59. It has been 50-60 cents/gallon cheaper here than some places in Wyoming and all of Montana since we moved here. Groceries are cheaper than in Billings for many things, but I think they are about average priced. There is no Costco, Sam's, etc. here. There is Walmart, Smith's, Albertson's and an independent grocery store. Schools here are outstanding. That's a whole another subject to go into detail about another time! There is a nice recreation center here with indoor pool, outdoor pool & small waterpark, outdoor space, etc., with a brand new larger one being built as we speak. There are two movie theaters, one with 2 screens, one with 8, I think. A lot of activities are brought here to the Cam-Plex, which is the county owned property with a large inside arena, outside arenas, fair buildings, racetrack, picnic area, etc. Things like concerts and other things are brought to this venue often. Not bad at all for a small town. Now, back to saying people either love it or hate it here. Yes, it is somewhat isolated. It is very much an industrial town with the coal mines, oil and methane gas fields making up the majority of Gillette's industry. For that reason, there are a lot of industrial buildings spread out about town. As in any industrial type boom town, there are some undesireable type people around, mostly those who are pretty transient in their work. Of course in this type of setting, there is a fair share of drugs and drinking among some circles of people. In following the local newspaper, there really isn't a lot of crime considering this. In general, the people are great. I think it's the friendliest town I've ever lived in. Universities, as we said before, aren't really close. I would look into the Rapid City area schools if you would be interested in this part of Wyoming. Also, I know that being rural states, there is quite a bit of online education available from schools in both Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota. I hope this helps you out and even if you don't come here maybe this info will enlighten others who might be interested in this part of the state. Best wishes to you guys!
dgthree, if you are both really Easterners, then I believe you would find the transition to the West easier if you finished your education in Colorado. But if you are committed to Wyoming, then for this stage of your life, Laramie would be your best bet. You could work, your partner could finish her education, and you could both enjoy this beautiful peaceful part of the country.
It would not be a good idea to commute from Cheyenne to Colorado because of the weather, or really to commute from Cheyenne to Laramie for the same reason. Spend a couple of years in Laramie or in Colorado and see what you prefer. Then after the schooling is complete, you can relocate to your preferred destination.
Gillette, Wyoming, would be a very difficult transition for an Easterner.
dgthree, if you are both really Easterners, then I believe you would find the transition to the West easier if you finished your education in Colorado. But if you are committed to Wyoming, then for this stage of your life, Laramie would be your best bet. You could work, your partner could finish her education, and you could both enjoy this beautiful peaceful part of the country.
It would not be a good idea to commute from Cheyenne to Colorado because of the weather, or really to commute from Cheyenne to Laramie for the same reason. Spend a couple of years in Laramie or in Colorado and see what you prefer. Then after the schooling is complete, you can relocate to your preferred destination.
Gillette, Wyoming, would be a very difficult transition for an Easterner.
My major concern is job availability and security. Looking through the numerous cities (Casper, Cheyenne, Gillette, Laramie) Laramie has the worst job market available. There is about a 15th of the amount of jobs in Laramie than there are in either Casper, Cheyenne or Gillette.
Also, thanks for the recommendation of Colorado, the two areas would be Boulder or Fort Collins and from reading they are both very young (liberal =/) towns, but they seem to be more moderate in climate and a lot closer to the northeastern feel.
Rural in New England is probably populated in parts of Wyoming, but I lived in a town most of my life of only 10,000 people with a lot of land, making the density about 40 people per sq. mile. All four seem to have a more dense population.
My major concern is job availability and security. Looking through the numerous cities (Casper, Cheyenne, Gillette, Laramie) Laramie has the worst job market available. There is about a 15th of the amount of jobs in Laramie than there are in either Casper, Cheyenne or Gillette.
Also, thanks for the recommendation of Colorado, the two areas would be Boulder or Fort Collins and from reading they are both very young (liberal =/) towns, but they seem to be more moderate in climate and a lot closer to the northeastern feel.
Rural in New England is probably populated in parts of Wyoming, but I lived in a town most of my life of only 10,000 people with a lot of land, making the density about 40 people per sq. mile. All four seem to have a more dense population.
Laramie has the lesser number of jobs available because it's not a "boom town" economy and it's a much more stable area.
There are very few "towns" in Wyoming with a 10,000 population. Only two places ... Cheyenne and Casper .... have 50,000. The rest of the state is predominantly "small towns" of less than 1,000 population, and many towns have populations numbered in the hundred or so residents, with a lot of space between them and the next town. There's simply no comparison to the population densities of most of the rest of the USA. Wyoming's total population is only around 500,000.
Laramie has the lesser number of jobs available because it's not a "boom town" economy and it's a much more stable area.
There are very few "towns" in Wyoming with a 10,000 population. Only two places ... Cheyenne and Casper .... have 50,000. The rest of the state is predominantly "small towns" of less than 1,000 population, and many towns have populations numbered in the hundred or so residents, with a lot of space between them and the next town. There's simply no comparison to the population densities of most of the rest of the USA. Wyoming's total population is only around 500,000.
Casper and Cheyenne are both established towns and they have many more jobs than Laramie. Gillette seems to be a boom town and they have jobs, but I really think it comes down to Casper or Cheyenne for us, and I think Cheyenne is really where we would most like to end up. We have almost a year to really finish our search.
I just hope by the time we reach January-February we are more than halfway done with the planning and are beginning to get prepared for the actual relocation.
I have been in contact with the Wyoming CPA association and that seems to a positive and good network so far.
I hope more people continue to read this and can give any info on deciding on Casper/Cheyenne and any more information on which might be a better place for professional jobs?
Thanks again everyone!
Last edited by Kristynwy; 03-05-2009 at 01:50 PM..
Reason: edited out "bump" cause it is not allowed
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