Tell me why I shouldn't move to wyoming...

[StuckInTheEast]

I'm fully ready and anticipating the smart-ass comments...so those are fine too...but I'm hoping to gather at least some valid information though.
**For the record: I can PROMISE you locals...my beliefs, values and voting habbits are in line with how you'd like to keep your state...and I dont want to build new, rather buy existing...you leave me alone, I'll leave you alone...unless you need help, then by all means just ask**

Here is the back story:
My wife, myself and our 10 and 12 year old boys currently reside in southwest Ohio. Both born and raise within 30 miles of where we are now. Not in a bad spot by any means. Rural area, but 15-20 minuted from anything you might need...but things aren't what they once seemed here.

We have made every excuse we can to hit rocky mountain states a few times a years the last 3 years, it's harder to come back to Ohio every time we leave. We all enjoy the outdoors above pretty much everything else...hiking, hunting, fishing camping and just exploring in general...the lack of public lands and crowding around here aren't conducive to our desires.

We came to the conclusion about a year ago that staying here is not in line with our long-term goals/happiness. After numerous trips exploring Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Utah we have narrowed it to Wyoming and Montana to seriously focus on. Having just gotten back from a Billings to Kalispell 9 day tour we found about the only place that checks the boxes in Montana so far is Helena area or possibly Butte. Things are beautiful further north and west, but too expensive and quite honestly chaotic around missoula/kalispell.

I keep going back to Wyoming myself. We still have a couple trips to take to look more in depth at the Big Horn area and towns between the big horns and Cody which we will be checking out a few on our cow elk hunt in October.

What I'm hoping for is some input on areas on East side of the big horns(Buffalo, Sheridan not any further east than that) as well as areas such as Greybull, Powell, Cody, Duboise, Pinedale...
By input I mean the following:
-How accessible and the quality of the necessary services? Groceries, building materials, medical care, Dentists etc...the stuff we all need.

-How are the schools? We have a good, albeit not financially responsible school district presently but our kids are on the higher end of the spectrum intelligence wise, but not raising astrophysicists ...so we just need a solid school system to get them through high-school...and gotta have a football team or our youngest will not cope.

-Work...I need a job...my wife is full remote as well as holds he realestate license(which should have reciprocity in Wyoming) so she can bring her job along as long as we have reliable internet...I on the other hand have been an auto/diesel tech for over 20 years and built up and been general manager of independent shop for last 4 years...Im done with it. Have built a great business up from just 2 of us to 7 employees and just broke ground on new 16 bay shop to be done by years end...and I'm over it. I've simply lost all love for the trade and dealing with people in a retail aspect every day. I'll go back to school if need be no problem...but whats out there for an organized, determined and very technically skilled former auto tech? I'm entertaining finishing a biology degree and trying to get on with fishing and game...I think I'd enjoy the work ...I just don't know if I could swallow the pay.

-Cost of living? We noted Groceries are a bit higher in WY, MT...but not drastically so. Fuel about on par, Initial housing costs are higher for sure which we have WELL educated ourselves on...but how about property taxes? What does Wyoming hit you for on a 2500 sq.ft house on 20-60 acres?($800k-1.3mil range) tax wise?
How steep are electric rates?

-Finances: Just for clarity...we are in a good financial position presently...If I didn't work for a year or so to go back to school for training/degree finishing we would be fine so long as we don't take on a huge mortgage...currently dept free other than a small mortgage...simply because the rate is to low to bother paying off... plenty of savings/retirement/investments...but if anyone classified us as "rich or wealthy"...Id tell them they need to reevaluate their expectations in life...we are financially secure, not meaning that as any sort of boast, but it certainly plays into the information I'm searching for.

We have no romanticized notions of utopia in the mountains...We know the winters are longer and colder, we know it's windy...all the time, we know it takes longer to get places and winter weathercan strand you at times if not careful, we know there are fires and smoke to deal with at times, we know it's drier and water access/rights must be thoroughly investigated before making any realestate moves, we know we have 15-20 years of work ahead of us still...we have been doing and continue our homework everyday.
We are HIGHLY self sufficient people, raise/grow much of our own food, I've built or rebuilt a few houses and am yet to find much I cant fix, operate or salvage so we can deal with alot of hurdles that would cripple most folks around here...a big part of the reason for the move, we just don't fit in here too well. Fine dining, urban entertainment or nite life entertainment is of no concern to us.

Tell me the bad stuff as well...if you lived there and bailed after few years or even after spending most of your life there...Why? What draws/keeps you there or what sent you another direction?

I'll stop there for the time being and revisit here in a bit...I know I'm putting alot out there and I know we'll haven't answer alot of this for ourselves. I'm just fishing for any info/input to add to the database.
Thanks for anything you have to offer...constructive or not

 

[Marble]

Well said!

I hope you get the answers you're looking for. Follow your dreams and if you want it bad enough, you'll find a way to make it what you want.

Good luck!

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

The vast majority of folks who lived here (I’m at our Wyoming cabin right now) for 3-7 years and then bailed was because of the weather and lack of solid, high enough paying jobs.

Everyone says they don’t mind the cold and the wind and then they spend 3+ winters here and bail. Or they snowbird like my mother in law who lives on our property in Arizona for 3 week stretches in Nov, Dec, Jan, Feb, and March. Yes. It’s 5 month Winters just about every year in Wyoming.

 

[Hnthrdr]

Born and raised in Co, I love Wyoming, maybe some day I’ll move there with the family. Here are the issues:
The Wind. It is no joke. Weather can be absolutely brutal. Winters are nasty and drag on a long time. Gotta have stuff for your kids to do especially if they aren’t into the outdoors as much as you. The nicer parts of the state are very expensive ie you will pay for better weather. Access to healthcare/ activities for family can be tough. If you are used to having things close by it might be a few hour drive to certain things.

Along with the being so rural there is the drinking and drugs that can capture your kids if they aren’t on the straight narrow/ involved in things.

Work opportunities will most likely not pay as well or be as plentiful as other places.

Sounds like you have a realistic view of what you are getting into, so I would say go for it, maybe visit some towns you want to potential live in in late Jan/feb to get an idea of what it could potentially be like?

 

[justin davis]

The wind

 

[HvyBeams]

I don't live around Sheridan, but I visit a few times a year on day trips for work. If choosing Buffalo/Sheridan I would think any serious medical needs you would be looking at going to Billings or Casper, but I am sure they are some qualified people around Sheridan for your other needs. Property taxes are calculated pretty spot on from Zillow. State legislators are trying to come up with some sort of a fix on property taxes, but I wouldn't hold your breath that they will get it done. I am sure the schools are fine around here Sheridan area as well. Best of luck! Also, thank goodness for the wind or we would have millions of people here and my draw odds would suck. lol

 

[cnelk]

Not all of Wyoming is windy. The best places in Wyoming are away from the interstate

 

[TaperPin]

I know a number of Realtors, and one myself in Cheyenne for a short time years ago. Someone in real estate moving in cold, with no understanding of the area, no history with the community, and competing against lifelong residents that grew up together with half the town and watched each other’s children grow up, is at a huge disadvantage. If she’s good and you’re active in the community it will show eventually, but all of Wyoming is a small town and everyone knows everyone and she won’t be anyone’s first choice.

Blue collar jobs aren’t easy to get, aren’t easy to gain seniority in, and until you’ve been in state a few years people will assume you won’t last. Look closely at the mines for maintenance work, but I don’t know if they hire people without a connection to the area - nobody knows you. In many places you have to outlive everyone in front of you to get to the top.

Visiting during nice weather doesn’t really count - if it was an accurate gauge of Wyoming, there would be 10 million people here.

Good luck where ever you end up.

 

[FAAFO]

Life is too short to live back east. Just do it.

 

[bow_dozer]

Sounds like you will fit in good. Good luck, make the jump.

 

[Marshfly]

The money thing is the most important part of your puzzle. Solve that problem and have a solid plan before even thinking about jumping. Having moved to Missoula 3 years ago now, if my wife and I had to depend on local jobs to live the life we want, it would be impossible. My guess is anywhere Wyoming is even worse.

 

[bpeay4]

Be prepared that even though you align politically and/or culturally in Wyoming. people will still not welcome you with open arms. Many locals believe that people like yourself moving to Wyoming, Montana etc. prepared to buy a house with acreage for close to a mil is driving the prices up and making it unobtainable for them to afford housing.

It's not necessarily a shift in politics people are worried about rather than a shift in the economy/housing market and other BS that comes with excess people.

If it sounds like I am one of those petty locals who hates outsiders, trust that I am not. I did almost exactly what you are planning to do and if it was soley up to me I would of landed in Wyoming.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

Not all of Wyoming is windy. The best places in Wyoming are away from the interstate

Yep, our cabin of course has occasional wind, but it’s amazing when we drop down into Gillette, Belle Fourche, or Sundance just how much windier it is.

Edit to say: @cnelk based on your WY cabin thread from a while back I don’t think we are very far away from each other.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

The money thing is the most important part of your puzzle. Solve that problem and have a solid plan before even thinking about jumping. Having moved to Missoula 3 years ago now, if my wife and I had to depend on local jobs to live the life we want, it would be impossible. My guess is anywhere Wyoming is even worse.

Absolutely spot on. Do not head to Wyoming without having your finances lined up ahead of time. You will be “moving due to work” within 2-3 years like everyone.

 

[Rich M]

good luck.

There was a post around here about how crowded the bighorns had gotten.

We hunted in the shadow of the bighorns and fished in the bighorns this past fall. Pretty country.

With the increase in population, everywhere is gonna be crowded before too long.
Make the jump and make the best out of it so you can enjoy the resources before they are overrun.
I moved to FL 25 yrs ago and had a taste of that then, now it is crazy.

We plan on visiting again in 5-10 years - will be interesting to see.

 

[StuckInTheEast]

I know a number of Realtors, and one myself in Cheyenne for a short time years ago. Someone in real estate moving in cold, with no understanding of the area, no history with the community, and competing against lifelong residents that grew up together with half the town and watched each other’s children grow up, is at a huge disadvantage. If she’s good and you’re active in the community it will show eventually, but all of Wyoming is a small town and everyone knows everyone and she won’t be anyone’s first choice.

Blue collar jobs aren’t easy to get, aren’t easy to gain seniority in, and until you’ve been in state a few years people will assume you won’t last. Look closely at the mines for maintenance work, but I don’t know if they hire people without a connection to the area - nobody knows you. In many places you have to outlive everyone in front of you to get to the top.

Visiting during nice weather doesn’t really count - if it was an accurate gauge of Wyoming, there would be 10 million people here.

Good luck where ever you end up.

Just to clarify as I see I failed on this detail...my wife has a good paying IT/Marketing job that is full time remote ALSO having her real estate license as a hobby and to help us in building a real estate portfolio and with flipping houses... She is also heavily involved in our schools and community which she would continue wherever we land...Im not worried about her...Im the slightly under educated idiot that decided to work on cars instead of finishing engineering school...Im going to have to retool/re educate a bit most likely and I'm aware of that hard truth. I'm 40, have a fair bit of college credit, 2 associates degrees and strong technical background...I can do alot of stuff and could finish a bachelor's in various different focuses in a short time.
I just have figure out what I really want to be/do when I grow up. Believe me, it's a bit of an inner battle I've been waging for awhile now and also part of what's pushing me towards this move.

I appreciate you input. We have been in the same semi rural, everyone knows everyone town for our whole lives, so I get the "Who the hell are these new people thing?"...and I'm sure it's an even stronger sentiment out there. Assimilation shouldn't be too much of a challenge though.

We do plan to take a trip out in the winter, like January/February once we narrow things down a touch more. I keep track of weather for most of the places we are considering. One thing we cannot take anymore is the humidity here. Hot/cold tolerance is not so much of an issue. Having just come back from high 90s in MT with low humidity to low to mid 80s with extremely high humidity...90-100 out there is more comfortable than 75-80 here...and I'll suffer the winters just for that.

 

[StuckInTheEast]

The money thing is the most important part of your puzzle. Solve that problem and have a solid plan before even thinking about jumping. Having moved to Missoula 3 years ago now, if my wife and I had to depend on local jobs to live the life we want, it would be impossible. My guess is anywhere Wyoming is even worse.

I get this 100%...and its the biggest piece of the puzzle. We are fortunate enough to be secure now with nothing over our heads which helps. However we certainly don't want to backtrack in that regard. We have strong equity in our home and solid savings plan, hoping and working towards having a couple hundred grand or more to put ontop of our equity to get into a preferred area and type of home/lot we want. We currently have a huge home...over 5000sq ft. but only 3 acres. Wanting half that or less house but 20+acres...and boarding or near good chunks of public. I'm well aware that won't be cheap and we'll still likely have to mortgage a couple hundred thousand to get there... but thats manageable even on just my wife's salary if need be for couple years.

But long of it short...my work situation is likely our biggest hurdle presently...so if someone could just offer me a job or beat a new career path through my thick skull it would be much appreciated ...Part of why I'm here throwing this out in writing...trying to think through things and get some input along the way.

 

[5MilesBack]

I love the people that move to WY, then move away a year or two later, and then tell everyone they know and run into for the next ten years how bad it is there.

I love WY. It's been a second home to me for decades. But I also know my limitations. I can handle some cold for a little while........but generally not for 5+ months straight. I "could" handle it, I just choose not to have to. Colorado is bad enough, and our winters aren't even bad.

 

[StuckInTheEast]

Be prepared that even though you align politically and/or culturally in Wyoming. people will still not welcome you with open arms. Many locals believe that people like yourself moving to Wyoming, Montana etc. prepared to buy a house with acreage for close to a mil is driving the prices up and making it unobtainable for them to afford housing.

It's not necessarily a shift in politics people are worried about rather than a shift in the economy/housing market and other BS that comes with excess people.

If it sounds like I am one of those petty locals who hates outsiders, trust that I am not. I did almost exactly what you are planning to do and if it was soley up to me I would of landed in Wyoming.

I totally understand this sentiment. Unfortunately this is the case realestate wise all around the country. We've been watching the market in various areas of Wyoming, MT and Idaho a couple years now.
Things were more expensive there to begin with before the crazy inflation hit the real estate market nation wide. We live in a very high demand area, mostly due to our schools(which are good...but not as good as people seem to think from the outside) and our rural feel but close proximity to about everything most folks think they need...it'll makes me sick seeing what homes here have been selling for, and we don't even have the views...

It's brutal trying find "affordable" housing anywhere these days and I empathize with that situation. Hell, we've passed on making offers on a few flip homes lately simply because we don't want to kick tenants out and put that burden on struggling folks just to make a buck.
However most of the stuff in the prices we are looking at hasn't gone up as drastically as the under $500k market has since 2020...If what we are looking at was ever "affordable" housing then I need to seriously re-evaluate thoughts on our finacial situation.

 

[stv117]

with all you just said i dont see a reason why you shouldn't. its all comes down to choice and how it benefits you buddy.