looking for a friendly place in Wyoming (Casper, Laramie: cliquey, employment)

[sagebunny]

My husband and I are thinking about moving to Wyoming and are wondering what towns are the most welcoming. We have 3 children, and two will be still be in school. We visited Cody last summer (loved it), and found the people quite easy to talk to, but I don't know much of the schools or hospitals there. Not too worried about isolation, I love the wide open spaces, just need nearby necessities. Didn't mind the wind in Cody but have heard Clark gets stronger gusty winds which I'm not fond of. Other than that i don't know much of other towns in Wyoming, but most importantly do not wish to be in a community that is too closeknit to have open doors and at the same time not too nosy if you know what I mean.

[ElkHunter]

I can tell you about the schools. Wyoming does a terrific job of funding their schools and making sure they have top notch teachers. All schools are funded the same so you won't find one any better than the next, when it comes to basics. Also, the normal class load is 16 of less students to each teacher.

It would help if you give us a little information on what you are looking for. Jobs, distance to major shopping, mountains, trees, high prairie, desert, etc...

Welcome to the Wyoming Forum.

[Froggie Legs]

Take a look at the Wyoming map... are you wanting shopping relatively nearby or would a 2-4 hour drive be okay for big shopping? Will your kids be in HS or on the verge of college? Laramie has the only 4 year university ( I think) but there are community colleges here and there. How do you do with elevation?

What about size of city-town...when you say "not too close knit" do you mean a community of 10k and larger or less? Depends on what you can or cannot deal with.

Wind is a factor, though there are a few "less" windy spots (it's a relative term...since all of Wyoming is windy )

Personally I loved Lander and Riverton was close for shopping. (No Target, but Walmart and Kmart work). But I wouldn't move there without a job lined up. Well I wouldn't move anywhere in WY without a job lined up, unless I was independently wealthy.

Cody's a nice town but keep in mind it's a tourist spot, which not everyone can deal with.

Your post doesn't say where you are moving from... have winter living/driving experience?

Wyoming does have the "friendly factor" going for it in all the places I've been in that state...so my objective opinion is seek a job, then look at the area it is located...and visit. Good luck.. (also searching this forum on various spots will give you a wealth of info!)

[georgiainwyo]

From my experience Cody schools are excellent. My daughter's kids attend there and she is very happy. As for the tourist aspect, it is hardly noticeable. Of course there are more people shopping in the little shops, mostly downtown, and the restaurants are busier in the summer. Otherwise, tourists don't have any affect on us, personally. We are 1.5 hours from Billings, so bigger shopping is an easy drive. The hospital and medical services in Cody are growing by leaps & bounds with lots of specialists in town now. I have liked almost everywhere I've lived in Wyoming, but Cody is my favorite. We plan to stay!

[NDak15]

Originally Posted by sagebunny

My husband and I are thinking about moving to Wyoming and are wondering what towns are the most welcoming. We have 3 children, and two will be still be in school. We visited Cody last summer (loved it), and found the people quite easy to talk to, but I don't know much of the schools or hospitals there. Not too worried about isolation, I love the wide open spaces, just need nearby necessities. Didn't mind the wind in Cody but have heard Clark gets stronger gusty winds which I'm not fond of. Other than that i don't know much of other towns in Wyoming, but most importantly do not wish to be in a community that is too closeknit to have open doors and at the same time not too nosy if you know what I mean.

I think Park County residents are the friendliest in Wyoming. Every time I've been there I have met people who were very friendly. In general Wyoming people are friendly and live and let live type people. As far as schools, Wyoming does a great job educating their students. Education is taken seriously in this state. I've heard the hospital in Cody is good, but (luckily) I haven't had to visit any there. As far as wind goes, there is plenty of that in Cody and much of Wyoming. It's a sacrifice.

[RattleSnakeHeaven]

Cody is a great area.

As far as friendly vs. nosy... best advice I can give after 20 years of living and working in Wyoming is that it works best if you are up front with people and set boundaries. I've seen more people come and go from our community because they don't communicate their preferences very well. If you don't want to be a part of the gossipy drama queen scene, then don't be a part of it. It's much easier if you start right from the get-go establishing your boundaries.

Before we retired, my spouse and I were very busy in high profile careers in the health care field. It became very difficult to go to the local Walmart without spending an extra hour or more with people wanting to stop and chat. However, we are very introverted and moved to Wyoming specifically so we could live in a place where we could be left alone to enjoy the tranquility of being away from masses of humanity. When we retired, we were blunt with people that we value our privacy and wouldn't be enmeshing in the "social scene".

For the most part, people have been very respectful and given us our space. I would say the most important quality to thriving here is honesty. If you are friendly, respectful and honest with others about your boundaries, most people will respect them.

Good luck and best wishes!

[Butch in rapid city]

Cody, Powell, Lovell, Dayton, BUFFALO, STORY, SHERIDAN, Jackson Hole, and any town but Casper is okay by me.
Buffalo is hard to beat, maybe Jackson is better in some ways, but Buffalo is the cats ass if you ask me.

[StealthRabbit]

Cody / Park County is a good choice. While you are in the area, consider nearby Powell (has Jr college for your kids at home, maybe they can attend during High School and get a head start... many states offer that program so kids don't have to waste time in High School if they can pass entrance examine for College). In WA tuition is FREE (under age 18 / still in HS), but must pay for books. Saved my kids 2 yrs of college expenses + added 2 yrs of employment earnings / experience.

Powell fits me better, as I am Ag person and value community relationships, and I'm plenty tired of tourists (having grown up in Estes Park, CO). Cody has plenty of tourists.

Both will work, but I hear Lovell is 'cliquey' tho never tried to integrate there.

[JButlin]

Apologies for hijacking this thread, but the question I might have asked has already been asked by sagebunny!

Does anyone have any input on the Rock Springs area? My wife is planning on going back to the US to gain some teaching experience (as it is extremely difficult to get into it here in the UK if you aren't an EU citizen), and she has her eye on Rock Springs.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by JButlin

...
Does anyone have any input on the Rock Springs area? .....

looking for a friendly place in Wyoming

I would advise to keep looking, there are many challenges with Rock Springs. WY life is challenging enough to NOT add Rock Springs to the recipe.

JMHO.