Surrounding towns of Rock Springs (Casper, Laramie: home, tech jobs, transfer)

[akfugatt]

Ok I have my choice to transfer between Rock Springs or Grand Junction, me and my wife are leaning towards WY due to the simple fact she is a 1st grade teacher and she would take a 9k a year pay cut from out current state to Colorado, if we choose WY she would get a increase of almost 10k, on top of my pay increase at least 12k more a year. I can live within a hour of the Rock Springs area, what city is the most scenic? Decent home/land prices? Better schools (for her and our two boys 10&11)? It doesnt have to be a mojor town, grew up in deep South Texas and use to isolation(2 plus hour bus ride to school one way & nearest neighbor almost 7 miles away, only locally owned grocery store).

[jody_wy]

other the Green River or Superior there is nothing close
Sweetwater County, WY - Official Website

[branDcalf]

I would choose Rock Springs, too. Not many surrounding towns. Green River just west. Farson a bit north (43 miles. Maybe 300 people or so). Major shopping is often done in Salt Lake City (just under 3 hours when the roads are good).

I think the schools are good. They generally are in WY. And there is a junior college in Rock Springs.

There are people who frequent this board with more knowledge of the area than me. I like that country around there.

[Poletop]

Within 1 hour of Rock Springs is Bridger Valley, (Lyman, Mountain View, Urie, Robbertson). I know quite a few people who live in the valley who commute to Rock Springs to work. Worth looking into!

[NDak15]

There isn't much close to Rock Springs. Green River is about 15 miles away. Other than that you have Farson which, as stated previously is around 300 people (about 35 miles away), Wamsutter (which might be slightly larger) at about 75 miles away, and the Bridger Valley areas with Lyman and Fort Bridger that are about 60 miles away. Keep in mind however, that although you may be used to long bus rides and commutes, the weather is going to be much different. In Wyoming if the roads are bed the Highway Patrol does not hesitate to close them and that does seem to happen at least once a year.

Schools are good in almost all of the towns. Wyoming takes education seriously.

[akfugatt]

Thanks for the info, any other ideas please keep them coming

WyoEagle, I am use to bad winter driving, worked in the artic circle so I know in the winter it will be slow going

The education in Wyoming is what attracts us the most, for my wife who is a teacher and our 2 boys

[georgiainwyo]

Teaching in Wyoming would be a wise choice for your wife. I am a Wyoming girl, but I taught in Montana for a few years before moving back "home" to Wyoming. I wish I had done it earlier! Yes, the salary is much better, and the money available for schools is more. However, there is some change going on in that arena so some cutbacks are expected. There is also some strife going on with the Wyoming Department of Education. Leadership there is pretty poor right now, but it isn't affecting us at our school. Districts are pretty much given leeway to do what they want as long as it is within the state and national standards, etc. So if you hear anything about the problems with WDE don't let it worry you too much. We do have great support from the folks in the Special Ed division of WDE. I am a special ed director now and am very pleased with that department. My brother teaches Special Ed in Rock Springs (after teaching 25 years in our home town he moved there 2.5 years ago so he could coach in a larger school). He feels that the district does a good job with the students. Another benefit for your wife would be the great benefits that the state has for teachers. There was no comparison with Montana. I don't know anything about Colorado's education so can't help you there. If you hear people say that Rock Springs is a dirty, nasty town with lots of drugs, etc. you have to take that with a grain of salt. I think it all depends on a person's attitude. You would have to go to R.S. yourselves to see for yourself what it is like. Best wishes to you in your endeavor!

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by akfugatt

Thanks for the info, any other ideas please keep them coming

WyoEagle, I am use to bad winter driving, worked in the artic circle so I know in the winter it will be slow going

The education in Wyoming is what attracts us the most, for my wife who is a teacher and our 2 boys

Check it out just to be sure, but if you can deal with winter driving then you'll probably do fine.

[Wardendresden]

Originally Posted by akfugatt

Ok I have my choice to transfer between Rock Springs or Grand Junction, me and my wife are leaning towards WY due to the simple fact she is a 1st grade teacher and she would take a 9k a year pay cut from out current state to Colorado, if we choose WY she would get a increase of almost 10k, on top of my pay increase at least 12k more a year. I can live within a hour of the Rock Springs area, what city is the most scenic? Decent home/land prices? Better schools (for her and our two boys 10&11)? It doesnt have to be a mojor town, grew up in deep South Texas and use to isolation(2 plus hour bus ride to school one way & nearest neighbor almost 7 miles away, only locally owned grocery store).

I'm gonna get beat up by some of the good Wyoming folks, but I like Grand Junction better than Rock Springs. I like the views, the nearness of the mountains, the ease to visit east Utah with the Canyonlands, etc. Rock Springs has Flaming Gorge to the south, but it doesn't strike my fancy as much as the territory around Grand Junction.

BUT, a cut of 9k vs an increase of 10k is a no brainer economically. And I'm simply amazed that there would be that big a difference between Colorado and Wyoming--with Wyoming having a more difficult time with high paying jobs, generally, than Colorado (mostly because of tech jobs on the front range).

I've been all over Wyoming and Colorado both and I can't really explain why Rock Springs has just never clicked with me like other small cities / towns in Wyoming such as Laramie, Rawlins, Wheatland, Casper, Cody, Sheridan, even Riverton / Themopolis. Liking different things is what makes the world go around.

But the economics of your move is what would drive me. Bank the extra money she makes in Wyoming and use it toward some really good personal goal!

Good luck

[sunsprit]

I'll second the above assessment, having spent a fair amount of time in both locales in my travels for work and play ....

if the decision is quality of life driven, I'd take GJ over RS any day of the week.

if the economic factor is paramount to the exclusion of all the other factors, then take the money.