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Old 02-04-2011, 08:45 PM
 
28 posts, read 65,635 times
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Hello. We're in the education field and hope to make a move to the area. From what I've read so far, people who live here really seem to like (and prefer) this area for numerous reasons. What are the downsides? Looking forward to your input. Thanks, and wish us luck.
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Old 02-05-2011, 08:27 AM
 
Location: North Dakota
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The main downside I can think of would be that it is very rural. If you are from a small town you will enjoy it, if you are from a city it might be a bit of an adjustment. I personally get kind of a strange vibe from Riverton. I'm not sure what it is, there is something about that town that bothers me. Lander however, seems like a great town. Keep in mind I don't live there and this is based on traveling through the area. Both of these towns are fairly centrally located so you can get to lots of places throughout the state.
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Old 02-05-2011, 09:17 AM
 
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As WyoEagle said, the downside is the size and location (well, I guess that's the upside for some). You're looking at a 2~3 hour (one way) drive to hit up a Sams Club for stocking up those things that people tend to stock up on (paper products in my house, plus canned goods and some meats). You're 5~6 hours away from an Honest city (Billings, Salt Lake City, Denver). You pretty much have to know how to entertain yourself instead of relying on movies, shows, bars, clubs, galleries, etc... It's easy to be excluded in both communities if you're without child, or don't attend church. Life revolves around what's happening with the kids and what's going on at church. That was one major reason why my wife and I moved away (the other was that she couldn't find a good job locally and was tired of traveling).

As for the odd feeling from Riverton, it's decidedly a blue-collar town with roughnecks (oil patch workers) making up the majority of those people. Lander has a LOT of Government jobs, so it's more white-collar. Now, the difference is not Really noticeable as there are absolutely unsavory people/ares in Lander, and great people/areas in Riverton. I'm biased as I was raised in Lander, though I did go to college and work in Riverton.
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Old 02-05-2011, 11:10 AM
 
Location: Rock Springs WY
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We have a friend that lives in Riverton and we go up and spend weekends here and there. I like Riverton the people are friendly and it's a nice small town. Lander has a more quaint feel to it I guess. If I had to choose between the two I would pick Riverton. The down side as stated above is definately the distance to "real" shopping, but with the internet you can still get what you need. It's just not as convenient of course. Compared to other areas of Wyoming it gets very hot in the summer and has a somewhat humid feel for the area from the farmers irrigating crops. We avoid going up there during that time because of it.
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Old 02-05-2011, 01:47 PM
 
Location: Cabin Creek
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There are some very good Steak houses in the area
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Old 02-06-2011, 12:33 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
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There are lots of positives about Lander, but you asked for the downside, so this is what I came up with.

Lander tends to get more snow then most other communities in Wyoming. So much that it makes the list of "Snowiest places in the US", even if it is near the bottom of that list. On the plus side it gets little wind.

Snowiest Places in United States - Current Results

Recreation is pretty much limited to outdoor sports, which during long winters can be sparse. Snowmobiling is popular.

Although there are casinos on the indian reservation now that were not there when I attended high school in Lander. I don't know if that is a plus or a negative. I don't care for the places.

Fist fights at teen dances and rednecks picking fights with indians and kids with longhair used to be a problem back in 1969, I don't know if that has improved.

Very few places in Wyoming have banned smoking in public places, Lander is not one of them. This is problematic in winter when you can't even go out for a dinner without it being in a smoke filled room.
List of smoking bans in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Housing is hard to find and there is very little new construction going on. https://www.city-data.com/forum/wyomi...l#post12069410

Compared to the rest of the State:
Poverty level is higher
Median household income is lower
Property taxes are higher
Most of the housing stock is older
Educational attainment is lower in most categories
Numbers of children in schools is very high (could be some over crowding issues)

https://www.city-data.com/city/Lander-Wyoming.html

Last edited by CptnRn; 02-06-2011 at 01:08 PM..
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Old 02-06-2011, 12:46 PM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CptnRn View Post
Fist fights at teen dances and rednecks picking fights with indians and kids with longhair used to be a problem back in 1969, I don't know if that has improved.
Till 1993 (when I left the state to go to a 4-year university), this wasn't really an issue. Sure, there was still some fistfighting on occasion, but it was just as likely to be between 2 "townies", 2 cowboys, or one of the above and an Arapahoe (don't think I ever saw a Shoshoni fight). And it was never more than a fistfight, no knives, guns, or other "weapons".

Quote:
Originally Posted by CptnRn View Post
Very few places in Wyoming have banned smoking in public places, Lander is not one of them. This is problematic in winter when you can't even go out for a dinner without it being in a smoke filled room.
Coulda fooled me. I'm highly sensitive to smoke and Never had an issue while eating out ~ even as recently as 2005~2008. I think that most people in the US have moved away from smoking, or flock together (bars) at locations where they're the majority.

I just thought of another negative, Native Americans, on the whole, have addictive personalities. That manifests itself in a lot of alcoholism and a fair bit of drug abuse. You don't Generally find it in Lander (at least not in public), but you do on the Rez... not sure about Riverton as I was rarely there in the evenings.

It's hard to find negatives... they're not exactly hugely dominant. Do beware when home shopping, there's a fair bit of Bentonite in the soil that causes settling/cracked foundations.
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Old 02-06-2011, 01:00 PM
 
Location: Austin, TX
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian_M View Post
Till 1993 (when I left the state to go to a 4-year university), this wasn't really an issue. Sure, there was still some fistfighting on occasion, but it was just as likely to be between 2 "townies", 2 cowboys, or one of the above and an Arapahoe (don't think I ever saw a Shoshoni fight). And it was never more than a fistfight, no knives, guns, or other "weapons".



Coulda fooled me. I'm highly sensitive to smoke and Never had an issue while eating out ~ even as recently as 2005~2008. I think that most people in the US have moved away from smoking, or flock together (bars) at locations where they're the majority.

I just thought of another negative, Native Americans, on the whole, have addictive personalities. That manifests itself in a lot of alcoholism and a fair bit of drug abuse. You don't Generally find it in Lander (at least not in public), but you do on the Rez... not sure about Riverton as I was rarely there in the evenings.

It's hard to find negatives... they're not exactly hugely dominant. Do beware when home shopping, there's a fair bit of Bentonite in the soil that causes settling/cracked foundations.
I'm glad to hear things have improved in those areas. I lived there when the US Steel plant and all the Uranium mines were still in operation. They probably brought a rougher element into the community.
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Old 02-06-2011, 01:57 PM
 
Location: Spots Wyoming
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How are the two for Medical Clinics, Doctors, Hospitals, Dentists and such? I've been through, but never stopped and took a look.
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Old 02-06-2011, 02:40 PM
 
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I don't remember what it was like when US Steel closed other than the town was Very sparsely populated (I turned 10 in 1984) for a few years. Several empty homes on my street (Spriggs Dr).

Both hospitals are under one corp (there used to be some rivalry). There's a nationally accredited nursing program at CWC (that my mom headed up for 18 years), so lots of competition on that front Hopefully means quality people being retained. Several of the same Drs that fixed up my broken bones and were family friends are still working in the area. There's even a very nice PT/Rehab business in Lander now. Not "world class" medical care, but one could Certainly do worse. I don't feel the medical care is any better here in Denver (more impersonal for sure).

There are also several levels of elderly care (from a senior-only neighborhood with houses, to similar in apartments with nurse rounds, to similar in the Old hospital with cafeteria and 24/7 on-demand medical assistance to the traditional nursing home).

All in all, medical care wouldn't be something to cause one to strike Lander/Riverton off the list Unless it was a Very specific/specialized need that just couldn't be met there.
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