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

[go_deep]

What if you were single, no kids. Maybe a dog.

Already have tons of back pain and don’t really care about medical facilities because you welcome the thought of dying young because you can’t stand thinking about living like this forever.

Have about $500 k or so in equity to bring.

Wouldn’t mind some dirt but plan to build a shop with and apartment.

Travel for work so it absolutely does not affect where I live at all. Literally all I would do is change my address online.

Would most likely head to AZ or some other warmer state often the last tag was punched.
And Elk hunting and shed antler hunting were the most important things to life?

Do you like snow and cold, or mild winters?

 

[BRTreedogs]

Do you like snow and cold, or mild winters?

The older I get the more I hate snow. I’ll hunt in it.
But that’s the thing.
I’ll just buy a patch in AZ and toss on a 5th wheel, middle of no where AZ can still be had pretty cheap.

I simply don’t need amenities. I can just shop on my work week and bring it home.

I would just frequent WY enough in winter to meet whatever residency requirements and to check on the place.

I would also build a big shop in Wyoming with an apartment I only want like 1000sq ft of living quarters.
Heated floors and walk ways. Long enough I can shoot my bow in doors.
Just pay someone to cut my firewood.
All I’d really have to do is plow the driveway.

I work, hunt and lay around like a lazy ass.
I’m not going to be doing anything outside in the winter that’s not an emergency that needs taken care of.

 

[Plainsman79]

I know a bunch of people who moved there from sodak and they all love it a couple been there over 20 years but only real difference is they have mountains we don’t and you can hunt elk every year there.

We moved to Wyoming from Nebraska. It’s pretty much just as you said, minus humidity and bugs.

 

[StuckInTheEast]

The older I get the more I hate snow. I’ll hunt in it.
But that’s the thing.
I’ll just buy a patch in AZ and toss on a 5th wheel, middle of no where AZ can still be had pretty cheap.

I simply don’t need amenities. I can just shop on my work week and bring it home.

I would just frequent WY enough in winter to meet whatever residency requirements and to check on the place.

I would also build a big shop in Wyoming with an apartment I only want like 1000sq ft of living quarters.
Heated floors and walk ways. Long enough I can shoot my bow in doors.
Just pay someone to cut my firewood.
All I’d really have to do is plow the driveway.

I work, hunt and lay around like a lazy ass.
I’m not going to be doing anything outside in the winter that’s not an emergency that needs taken care of.

Sounds like about anywhere you wanted to be could be made to work in that scenario.

 

[BRTreedogs]

Sounds like about anywhere you wanted to be could be made to work in that scenario.

Has to have fairly easy to get elk tags
That’s why AZ isn’t and option per say for full time.

 

[Mojave]

It's too bad it didn't look like this.

View attachment 797884

That would suck for Wyoming.

 

[Mojave]

Has to have fairly easy to get elk tags
That’s why AZ isn’t and option per say for full time.

Idaho, Wyoming and Montana are the only ones worth considering.

New Mexico is a fair but hard lottery. I had one elk tag in 5 years, and that was a blessing. Hell I only had 2 deer tags. Drew cranes once, and nothing else.

 

[mxgsfmdpx]

The older I get the more I hate snow. I’ll hunt in it.
But that’s the thing.
I’ll just buy a patch in AZ and toss on a 5th wheel, middle of no where AZ can still be had pretty cheap.

I simply don’t need amenities. I can just shop on my work week and bring it home.

I would just frequent WY enough in winter to meet whatever residency requirements and to check on the place.

I would also build a big shop in Wyoming with an apartment I only want like 1000sq ft of living quarters.
Heated floors and walk ways. Long enough I can shoot my bow in doors.
Just pay someone to cut my firewood.
All I’d really have to do is plow the driveway.

I work, hunt and lay around like a lazy ass.
I’m not going to be doing anything outside in the winter that’s not an emergency that needs taken care of.

Just keep an eye on zoning laws and county to county specifics in Arizona. Some areas do not allow for living in an RV or trailer on your property without a main dwelling. Not sure how common or where this is enforced but I’ve heard of some folks having issues with this.

 

[Mojave]

One of the best options is to build a shop with an apartment.

We will build our dream home after building a shop with an apartment to live in for while. No loans.

 

[Shepherd]

The older I get the more I hate snow. I’ll hunt in it.
But that’s the thing.
I’ll just buy a patch in AZ and toss on a 5th wheel, middle of no where AZ can still be had pretty cheap.

I simply don’t need amenities. I can just shop on my work week and bring it home.

I would just frequent WY enough in winter to meet whatever residency requirements and to check on the place.

I would also build a big shop in Wyoming with an apartment I only want like 1000sq ft of living quarters.
Heated floors and walk ways. Long enough I can shoot my bow in doors.
Just pay someone to cut my firewood.
All I’d really have to do is plow the driveway.

I work, hunt and lay around like a lazy ass.
I’m not going to be doing anything outside in the winter that’s not an emergency that needs taken care of.

Residency requirements for Wyoming...

Can I apply for a Resident License?​

To qualify for any resident game and fish license, preference point, permit or tag, a person shall be domiciled and shall physically reside in Wyoming for one (1) full year (365 consecutive days) immediately preceding the date the person applies for or purchases the license, preference point, permit or tag and the person shall not have claimed residency elsewhere for any other purpose (including, but not limited to, voting, payment of income taxes, purchase of resident hunting, fishing or trapping licenses, etc.) during that one (1) year period.
Any active duty member of the armed forces of the United States who has been stationed in Wyoming for ninety (90) days shall qualify for resident licenses so long as the member remains stationed in Wyoming.

Also you'll need to live In Wyoming at least 180 days per year to keep residency.

 

[Shadow14]

This has been such a fascinating and helpful thread

 

[MTHunt]

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

Sounds like you're dialed into WY and I'm sure this is already in the comments, but SW MT is crazy expensive COL-wise. Housing can be higher than Manhattan and Palo Alto, groceries are consistently much higher as well. Reality is that very few people NEED to move here so mostly vacation home owners driving prices up.