Asking for a friend who is thinking of moving there, I don’t know why. Is it way above sea level and hard to breathe? Are there malls ? How much does it cost? (where can we find out this stuff?) . any information about what its really like is appreciated.
Wyoming is a pretty big place. Living in Jackson is very different than living in Cheyenne or Ten Sleep. Most of the state, especially the populated sections are very high in elevation, between 4,000 and 6,000 feet. Which is pretty easy to adapt to. Elevation typically doesn’t become a significant issue until you get above 8000.
Small towns in the west can be pretty isolated and isolating. But the larger towns are pretty similar to large towns anywhere. Cost of living also varies quite a bit, but except for the resort towns it will be lower than most other places. Where is your friend moving from and to?
Moving from GQ to IMHO.
He’s been living in the northeast U.S. , all his life, and he is tired of the crowding, the razing of the countryside to put up McMansions and strip malls, the snow, and the taxes. He thinks Wyoming sounds like a good place for a 50-ish man to live, and wants to take a trip out there to scout around. I thought I would ask, here, what it is like. That’s asking a lot, we know, he just wants to hear a couple of opinions on whether it would be a wise move. He has (IMO) a romantic vision of wide open spaces, but he is 50-ish and doubtful he can really live the kinda life he dreams about.
Living in a rural area is not without it’s downside. Urbanites rarely think about needs other than today or at most a few days. I know I may be here for days without a reason to drive 35mi. just to have that banana I crave. Gas in vehicles is something I have to think about. Maybe I got home but do I have enough to get back to the gas station? In my mind the pros outweigh the cons. I wouldn’t live anywhere but here. Not every one could live like that. He should take the trip and look about. Go to diners and strike up a conversation with a local. It can’t hurt to look into it.
I’m only Wyoming adjacent (Nebraska) so take this with as many grains of salt as you like.
Without really some kind of idea what your friend is looking for, it’s hard to really say if Wyoming might agree with him. Wide open skies are wonderful but what amenities is your friend willing to give up to get them? Does your friend like to drive? He better get used to it out here. It’s a four hour drive for me to reach anything resembling a major airport (Omaha). Does your friend like live entertainment such as might be provided by major sport and concert venues? How small of a town does your friend think would suit his needs? It wasn’t too many years ago that we got out first all-night convenience store.
If your friend is looking for something different, send him on out, we’ve got the space. We’re a simple folk but we take kindly to strangers as long as they don’t get all uppity. He better figure out what he’s hoping to find first though.
Then there’s employment. What is his trade or vocation? That may put the brakes right on.
My mom enjoys here retirement in Sundance. It’s a town of about 1000 people in the northeast portion of the state.
But I gotta admit, there ain’t a lot to do and driving to someplace where there IS stuff to do is a hike.
It’s very windy there.
There are large stretches that are so desolate that even the rabbits pack a lunch.
My folks (and sundry other relatives) live in Sundance, too. Small world.
Well, then I guarantee they’ve seen each other. No real way to avoid it.
Grew up in eastern Wyoming–live in SoCal now. There is a certain individualist ethos that Wyomingites say they ascribe to, which, in practice, allows for less deviation from the established norm than is said. It’s okay to do or be what you want as long as everybody else doesn’t find out about it. But the bit of eastern Wyoming I’m from was settled partially by north Europeans, so there is a bit of Jante Law in the culture there.
If your mom goes to the Senior Center chili feed, my mom will be one of the cooks/servers.
If the emphasized criterion is high on his list of things to avoid, Wyoming — and for that matter the entire northern Rocky Mountain area — should probably me marked with Mr Yuk stickers on his map.
(Credentials: 10+ years in Montana.)
Lived in northwestern Wyoming 26 years. Depending which part of the state your friend decides on:
Pros:
clean air
low crime
beautiful views
no traffic jams
friendly people (unless you diss Trump)
great skiing, hiking, climbing, fishing, hunting
lots of wildlife
Cons:
A long way to medical specialties, malls, airports, etc.
Dearth of cultural events**
Towns are usually 25 miles apart or more
VERY conservative (Maybe a plus?) except for Jackson, Laramie
Weather extremes: very windy. (up to 100 mph), frigid winters, etc.
Few good restauants
Risky winter driving: lots of snow, ice, black ice
Little ethnic diversity.
Some jobs; few careers
Honestly, your friend should visit in winter before deciding. We’d have tourists who loved it in summer, moved there, and barely lasted the winter.
*Four cars at the drive-through is as close as you get, unless you’re in Yellowstone during a buffalo jam.
LOL, I don’t know if he considered that; he lives in NYS where they often get 8 feet of snow per season!
How is he politically? Liberal? Conservative?
How much does he expect to make friends? Looking for a relationship at some time?
Is he retired? Is he looking for work?
What kind of hobbies does he have? Outdoors? The arts?
The more articulate he can be about what he expects, the easier it will be to say is it’s a good match.
I don’t live in WY, but I got stranded in Rock Springs for a week once when my car broke down. When I asked the waitress at the IHOP what the entertainment options were, she didn’t miss a beat with “get drunk and get tattooed, if you don’t have a car” thats where I saw my very first real live in the wild walmartian.
Tell your friend that story, just to give him some idea of some of what to expect
Let me channel my mother: wimp.
I was once out there in early August and it snowed. August.
Tell him that. Twelve feet of snow is nothing out there. Heck, that’s only one foot per month!
In my experience, there are always very good reasons why places are empty of human beings.
Some of Wyoming is extremely beautiful (the Rockies), some of it (mining areas) are some of the ugliest nastiest most barren places I’ve ever seen. All of it is very hard to live in. And if he’s unhappy about the weather in NYS he’ll REALLY be unhappy with Wyoming. The place has nothing but weather and all of it is more severe than anything you’d see in the northeast. But if he wants lonely, he will find it congenial in that respect. There’s less than 600,000 people in the whole state.