One year later, living in and loving Wyoming (home, job transfer)

[Crazy4Chickens]

Cat1020,
My girls were almost ten and thirteen when we moved here, fourth and seventh grade. The initial transition went smoothly for my fourth grader. She made friends quickly and everyone was very friendly to her from the adults at the school, down to the kids.

My seventh grader had a bit of a rougher adjustment, but I wonder if it would have been hard anywhere just because middle school is a tough age period? The kids would make rude comments about her being from California. Now your children won't have that same issue because there is a sort of stigma attached to being from California and they are coming from Arkansas.

My daughter did make a couple of really good friends within a few months, and this year both girls have good friends and are both loving it here.

My advice is to move here before your oldest is in highschool. That way those four years of school they are settled, the friendships are in place, and they can focus on getting prepared for higher education after high school is over. Moving mid-highschool is really rough on a kid IMO.

[allsvns]

ThAnks for this post. My wife and I are considering a move to SV. We need to find jobs primarily. I am a peace officer not in but near Napa, Ca. My wife is a nurse. Can you give us more information on how difficult it is to find day care for children? We would both work. Our girls are 8 and 6. Anything else you can share about the moving with children experience? Thanks.

[EH466]

Allsvns,

Patrol positions with the SO or PDs in SV are going to be hard to come by. Your best bet would be with the Highway Patrol. They have openings in the area and a few Troopers live in SV. Jackson PD and Teton Co are options but they likely have some kind of policy restricting how far from Jackson you can live.

PM me if you need more info, I don't work over there but it's a small state.

[WyoNewk]

It seems I've read recently that the Jackson PD had lost some officers and that the majority of them lived outside of Jackson. I think. At least look into it.

[GoshWyo]

Originally Posted by EH466

Allsvns,

Patrol positions with the SO or PDs in SV are going to be hard to come by. Your best bet would be with the Highway Patrol. They have openings in the area and a few Troopers live in SV. Jackson PD and Teton Co are options but they likely have some kind of policy restricting how far from Jackson you can live.

PM me if you need more info, I don't work over there but it's a small state.

They did away with the mileage restrictions years ago as the cost of housing spiraled out of control.

Where are you, EH?

[WyoNewk]

Originally Posted by allsvns

...I am a peace officer not in but near Napa, Ca. My wife is a nurse....

This answer your question, GoshWyo?

[GoshWyo]

Originally Posted by WyoNewk

This answer your question, GoshWyo?

Haha, no. I was quoting and addressing EH466.

[Crazy4Chickens]

Your wife shouldn't have an issue finding a job in SV at Star Valley Medical Center, or if not there, I know the hospital in Jackson was looking for nurses recently. Your wife getting a nursing job shouldn't be an issue.

I also seem to recall Jackson needing police officers, they are borrowing some of our Lincoln county ones temporarily, until they can hire more. Housing is an issue, but if you are hired by Teton county I know you'll get priority for county housing, or temporary housing until you can find something in SV or up in Jackson on your own. Both my husband and my brother work for Teton county and they gave my husband temporary housing for six months, and my brother has a year lease on a cabin in Hoback owned by the county.

As for daycare I know there is Adventure kids daycare in Etna and in Afton. I don't know the ages they provide for though If you end up in Star Valley Ranch or Thayne my neighbor does an in-home daycare and she's awesome, the bus drops off at our street and the daycare kids walk to her house down the street. Pick up is by 6. If you end up working in Jackson and living up there you may want to look into daycares and/or after school care up there. I know that back in California they had after school care from the time that school got out, until six, but they don't offer that down here in SV at any of the schools.

Your kids are young enough that this move should be easier on them. Your youngest especially should have no issues making new friends. At that age they make friends with anyone their age really. Your older child should be o.k. also. The kids here are friendly and curious.

My biggest advice is to come and visit the area for a solid week if you can, before you move here, and if you can come see it in winter that will really give you an insight into the area.

It's one thing to come here in summer when everything is green, beautiful, great weather,and and lots of restaurants are open, but the valley sort of shuts down in the winter months, and we have a lot of months of winter here.

Come and See what amenities we have, and don't have. Theres no big box stores, we have Shopko. Costco is a two hour drive away,you longer in the winter. Wal Mart is over an hour and a half away. Realize that nearly everything in SV is closed on Sunday. So no you can't run to the grocery store on a Sunday if you forgot something for dinner. There's a whole different kind of slower lifestyle here than in CA. I'm not saying this to discourage you, people told us the same thing before we moved and I understand why. The more information you have, the better an informed decision you can make for your family. Moving is expensive, and a really big stressful change, you want to make sure you're making the right decision before you upheave everything.

I can't give you much help about living in Jackson, since we don't live there. It is totally different from living in SV, they are like two totally different worlds. You just will need to find out which world you want to live in.

I wish you all the best in your decision to possibly move here.

[rya700]

Working in rural healthcare facilities can be a very different cup of tea.... especially coming from CA where there are staffing mandates for nurses. I'd definitely be giving it a trial run before making long term commitment. And finding childcare as shift workers....yep rocking in that boat also. The reason I live where I do is I have relatives in the area who help me out

[EH466]

Originally Posted by GoshWyo

They did away with the mileage restrictions years ago as the cost of housing spiraled out of control.

Where are you, EH?

I'm up in NE Wyoming.