New Mexico to Wyoming (Cheyenne, Casper: house, tornadoes, live)

[jody_wy]

Originally Posted by Suzee8

Thank you, nm9stheham, for your kind wishes; and thank you, jody_wy, for the wide halls and ramps suggestion. We really are looking at all possibilities. I’m of the mindset that if mobility shifts, it’s not the end of the world. Just adjust your thinking and it will work out.

remember big bathroom and showers

[Land_Girl]

I know of a house in Buffalo on 2 acres with wide halls and wheel chair wide doorways into the bedrooms and bathrooms. It's on a slab so no stairs throughout the house. Stickbuilt in a good neighborhood. I believe the sellers want about $250,000 for it. It's not currently listed as they have a renter in there but their lease is up at the end of March and then the house goes back on the market.

[Suzee8]

Good morning! Been busy out here in NM. New doc says spine is holding well.

I have posted in the Maine forum. This is an ongoing discussion between my husband and myself. We are not trying to be misleading in our wants and concerns for ME or WY. We own our house in NM. I own the house in ME. We have lived in CA, NV and now here. The original concerns stand.

3 acres +/-; HAM tower coverage (he’s doing more research now); gun laws and shooting ranges (more acreage for property if ranges not accessible); ability to have a small garden & greenhouse; medical care within a reasonable distance (thinking of winter); walkability of town; a LOT less stress.

We like to get to know people, but consider ourselves pretty private nowadays, and enjoy peace and quiet...when we can get it.

Any new suggestions or ideas would be appreciated. We’re both going back over the previous posts. He is still attracted to Sundance and Sheridan. Casper seems like a good option. Again...open to pointers and fresh facts.

Thank you!

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by WyoNewk

I don't think you'll run into any problems finding a shooting range nearby, especially not if you end up in a town of 10-20K. Also, most of Wyoming is federal land, and I think if you can find an isolated piece of BLM land you can put up a target and shoot away. Just be careful where you're shooting, i.e., shoot into a hill without people, livestock or wild game. But shooting ranges are popular in Wyoming, and I think no matter where you go, you'll find a place where you can shoot.

I keep seeing that 40' antenna in your wants, and I feel like you might need to be in a rural subdivision. Help HAM people!

Jackson/Jackson Hole is expensive. Your $250K wouldn't go far there, so you can likely cross it off your list. The rest of Wyoming is more reasonable, for the most part.

The front range of the Bighorns from Buffalo to Dayton/Ranchester is all pretty nice with reasonable prices. Some of that area will have inflated prices, such as Story and Big Horn, but even they aren't too expensive. Sheridan has a good hospital, as does Gillette an hour east of Buffalo, and if your medical needs go beyond what they offer, Casper (two hours south of Buffalo) or Billings (a couple hours north) offer more. Otherwise, it's Denver. Some might check their insurance and make sure medical ambulances are covered. It's not unusual to fly patients out to Casper or Denver. Gillette's hospital wanted to fly my late wife to Casper when she was in need of more care than they could offer. Wouldn't you know, it was one of the rare times weather was so bad that not even a helicopter could land. (It wouldn't have helped anyway, but it does make you think.)

So that would be high on my list of areas for you to check: Buffalo, Story, Big Horn, Sheridan, Ranchester and Dayton. Sheridan is the only one with a population over 5,000, but the others might be worth a look. Buffalo is the only one of those more than 15-20 minutes out of Sheridan. (It's about 30 minutes out.)

Sundance is tiny in comparison, as is Newcastle and anything else east of Gillette but still in Wyoming. And Casper is 55K or so, way bigger than you were looking for, and it has nothing in particular in its favor.

You did mention Lander. To me, it's one of the nicest little towns in Wyoming. But it's remote -- two hours from civilization.

Others will have more suggestions, but I'd urge you to investigate Sheridan and the other smaller towns along the front range of the Bighorns that I mentioned.

You might also want to take a look at Gillette. It's bigger than you want at 32K, but it doesn't seem that big. What I like most about it is its proximity to both the Big Horns (an hour west) and the Black Hills (an hour east). That and it's a nice town, and it's experiencing somewhat of a buyer's market with its homes.

Good luck!

Is any type of permit required to have a 100 ft tower should one want to go higher?

[WyoNewk]

Originally Posted by nowhereman427

Is any type of permit required to have a 100 ft tower should one want to go higher?

I don't know the first thing about HAM radios nor antennas, but I'd think they would be governed by city code if not county nor the FAA. Would local city/county planners have your answers?

If I had to guess, I'd think a permit would be required for a tower, but that's simply an uneducated guess. I need a city building permit to ad a room in my basement or build a storage shed in my backyard, so I'd think one would also be needed to erect a tower of any size.

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by WyoNewk

I don't know the first thing about HAM radios nor antennas, but I'd think they would be governed by city code if not county nor the FAA. Would local city/county planners have your answers?

If I had to guess, I'd think a permit would be required for a tower, but that's simply an uneducated guess. I need a city building permit to ad a room in my basement or build a storage shed in my backyard, so I'd think one would also be needed to erect a tower of any size.

You are probably right.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Have you considered Coeur d'Alene, North Idaho? A nice, walkable downtown with a beautiful lake front, and a lake park 5 minutes' walk from downtown; 30 minutes from a major city, Spokane, with excellent medical facilities; beautiful backcountry; long winters, yes, but not of the deep-freeze variety. A greenhouse is definitely an option, and the wind is usually not a problem. Not a consistently windy area. On the downside, the property values have been going up, so it may be hard to find a suitable property for $250K. Building codes in Kootenai County are somewhat restrictive for Idaho, but in a rural setting right outside of CdA a HAM tower might be possible. If you're in any way intrigued, you could ask in the Idaho forum.

Edited:
Shooting ranges: yes!
3+ acres: most rural properties are minimum 5 acres in North Idaho.

[sunsprit]

per the FAA and ARRL, rural amateur radio towers below 200' are now under the following rules:

" Section 576 of the large 2018 FAA reauthorization now requires that the only towers less than 200 feet tall that have to be painted and lighted are meteorological aids and those within the glide slope of an airport or heliport. The remainder of such towers in rural or agricultural areas lower than 200 feet need to only be included in an FAA-maintained database, which will be updated by the owners of such towers."

Be aware that many HOA subdivisions regulate such structures, usually banning them as unsightly.

[nm9stheham]

Municipal codes typically don't deal with ham antennas in any major way (i.e., permits), and especially in rural areas. Federal law allowing and encouraging amateur radio communications preempts much of what local law can do; local laws can be aimed at safety of structures, etc., and in some cases, limit tower heights in high population areas. This ruling was made by the FCC in 1985 and is summarized as follows: "[L]ocal regulations which involve placement, screening, or height of antennas based on health, safety, or aesthetic considerations must be crafted to accommodate reasonably amateur communications, and to represent the minimum practicable regulation to accomplish the local authority’s legitimate purpose." Per another legal discussion "Absent a full federal preemption in this area, localities have the power to restrict antennas to heights below that desired by radio licensees, provided that they strive to strike a balance between the federal interest in amateur radio communications and local zoning concerns."

HOA's are the main source of obstacles. At this time, just look carefully where you buy and ask about HOA's and covenants on the property. You could even seek an agreement with an HOA for a property in which you are interested, and make reaching a satisfactory agreement a condition of the sale in any offer you make.

Bills have passed the US House to limit what HOA's can do, but Sen Bill Nelson of FL has blocked these bills at the US Senate committee level. It is up for consideration again.

The citation listed by Sunsprit needs to be kept in mind, but since airports in WY are far and few between, it is likely not going to be any issue.

[nowhereman427]

Originally Posted by Clark Fork Fantast

Have you considered Coeur d'Alene, North Idaho? A nice, walkable downtown with a beautiful lake front, and a lake park 5 minutes' walk from downtown; 30 minutes from a major city, Spokane, with excellent medical facilities; beautiful backcountry; long winters, yes, but not of the deep-freeze variety. A greenhouse is definitely an option, and the wind is usually not a problem. Not a consistently windy area. On the downside, the property values have been going up, so it may be hard to find a suitable property for $250K. Building codes in Kootenai County are somewhat restrictive for Idaho, but in a rural setting right outside of CdA a HAM tower might be possible. If you're in any way intrigued, you could ask in the Idaho forum.

Edited:
Shooting ranges: yes!
3+ acres: most rural properties are minimum 5 acres in North Idaho.

Yes I would consider this area for its beauty and away from big city life. Isolation.