Information about Gillette (Cheyenne, Laramie, Basin: rentals, crime, home)

[Crazymomof3]

Good morning!

My husband is interviewing with Peabody in Gillette. We soooo badly want to get out of Houston (crime, humidity, allergies). I have heard that rentals are scarce...is that a true statement?

I've only been to Laramie and Cheyenne. I would love to be in Laramie, but there's not a lot of industry for my husband. So can anyone tell me about the landscape of Gillette? We like to be outdoors-fishing, playing softball, hiking, etc. How close is Gillette to mountain ranges? How about fishing?
Any other info folks can offer about climate (specifically allergy problems), culture (community sports, etc)...I would so greatly appreciate it.

I love the lovely state of WY and we sorely want to be there, but we want to make the right move for us and our children.

Thanks in advance!
Betsy

[eric#1]

Gillette has quite a bit going on with with the coal/gas/oil industries. It is located in between the Black Hills and the Bighorn Mountains. It is +- one hour to get to either where outdoor recreation is nearly limitless. The immediate landscape to Gillette is a bit barren and windy.

[georgiainwyo]

There are lots of posts about Gillette on this site. I would recommend that you do a search on Gillette, read all the posts, then if you have specific questions feel free to ask. A lot of your questions have been discussed several times here. We would be happy to help you with anything that isn't already answered! We moved to Gillette last year and have loved every minute of it!

[WyoNewk]

Hi Betsy!

Gillette is a great place for softball -- lots of city leagues and excellent facilities. I think most of it is slow-pitch, but there's also fast-pitch. Sports is very big in Gillette. The high school wins state championships as often as not in all sports and is often nationally ranked.

There's good lake fishing at Keyhole State Park about 45 miles east of Gillette, especially for walleyes. There are also a couple good sized lakes about 70 miles west of Gillette -- better for trout. A boat of some kind helps the fishing on any of these lakes.

Good stream trout fly-fishing is a bit further. I prefer the Bighorns, about 70 miles west -- then a little further to get to the streams and mountain lakes.

I think the closest Blue Ribbon trout stream is the Bighorn River, just across the Montana state line (Fort Smith). I'll guess it's 200 miles, but it's superb fishing -- lots of big brown trout and a fair number of rainbows. IIRC, the browns have to be 18" and the rainbows 20" to keep, and keepers aren't hard to find.

Hiking trails abound in the Bighorns and Black Hills. You have to be a little careful on some of those so you don't get lost for weeks on end. Devils Tower is only about an hour from Gillette, and if you continue 25 miles further northeast of the tower (mostly unpaved) you'll come to Cook Lake in the Northern Black Hills, which has a couple nice trails and some good fishing for kids -- small rustic campground too.

If you like just walking for exercise, Gillette has a great trail system inside the city limits. They're (mostly) paved and extend to all parts of town. There's one natural trail around a small, shallow lake that attracts water birds of all kinds -- Canadian geese and a wide variety of ducks call it home year around. Another natural trail is currently under construction (slowly) that follows our only creek bed in town. And there's the Camplex picnic area that's also nice for evening "hikes". It goes from fairly well-groomed areas to mostly a natural wooded area.

The climate is similar to that of Cheyenne and Laramie. Gillette's at a lower elevation than those cities, so it's a little warmer and not as windy. The city itself is not nearly as flat as either one. The terrain around Gillette is mostly rolling hills with a few buttes here and there. It's semi-arid country and in the center of the Thunder Basin National Grassland Link (http://www.events.wyomingtourism.org/overview/Thunder-Basin-National-Grassland/31314 - broken link) so there aren't many trees. I was showing someone around the county a few years ago, and as we drove past a clump of a half dozen trees I commented, "that's the county forest." She just nodded. I don't use that joke anymore; it's too believable.

Oh yeah, allergies. My wife has them pretty bad, but she considers this as good as it gets. She hasn't spent much time is the desert southwest, but compared to Oregon or the midwest, she loves this climate for her allergies. Still, she's been sniffling and coughing the past week, and that'll continue off and on until October -- when she starts complaining about the cold.

Rentals are still pretty scarce. If you can afford to buy a home, there's a decent selection on the market, but prices haven't fallen here much. Hopefully they won't. If I had a good job with Peabody, I wouldn't hesitate to buy. This is the closest Gillette's had to a "buyers' market" in nearly a decade, and interest rates are low now.

Good luck to your husband.

When I moved here in '71, I didn't like Gillette and planned to only stay for five years. The town grew on me as it blossomed. If you can handle the arid climate and the cold, windy winters, it's a great place to live.

[Crazymomof3]

Thank you to everyone! I have been perusing the forums, and have found some useful information.
As luck would have it a high school friend of mine has recently moved to Gillette, so she has given me some info. too.
Living in Houston, we are plagued by nasty humidity and allergies. I have a severe mold allergy (just found out) and my son has excema which is aggravated by allergies and heat and humidity. So staying healthy is a concern...most of the allergens here are pollen and mold. And with all the rains we have had (flooding, really) it is even worse.

Safety is a main concern of ours. Houston has a lot of crime and we don't feel safe here. As an active family, we enjoy sports (both girls play softball) and we have a gymnast in the family.

Gillette sounds like a good fit, with the activities, the weather, and the population. Shopping isn't that big of a deal...I prefer to shop locally, and I love to support small businesses.

Are there any children's shops/resale shops?

[georgiainwyo]

Yes, there is at least one shop that's exclusive to kids' clothes called Little Bugs, I believe. There are also 3 resale shops that I'm aware of. I have found the resale shop prices to be a bit higher than the ones I used to frequent in Billings, but still better than new prices. And don't forget the garage sales!!!! There are lots of those. I'm really looking forward to June 6, as that is "Sleepy Hollow Day", the day when the subdivision where we live now has tons of garage sales, people sell food, other stuff, etc. It is supposed to be quite the ordeal! Locals say that it's a crazy day out here!

[lj1983]

cool, I am moving out there soon to work for peabody in gillette, and we're having a baby soon so we're interested in children's shops and things too

[Crazymomof3]

lj1983,
Congrats on the baby!
What will you be doing at Peabody? My husband is interviewing for an Electrical position.
I'm hoping for a big change from the armpit known as Houston!

Good luck!

[georgiainwyo]

Originally Posted by lj1983

cool, I am moving out there soon to work for peabody in gillette, and we're having a baby soon so we're interested in children's shops and things too

Congratulations! Is this your first baby? I think you'll like Gillette. The school system is wonderful and there is a lot to offer for kids so it will be a great place to raise your family!

[lj1983]

first baby. we just found out today that the baby is a she!