Think and Re-think Wyoming

**Wyody** · 01-14-2007, 10:10 AM

Howdy Y'all. If you're thinking about moving to Wyoming - you need to know the good and the bad.
The good is, there's only a half-million people in a state as large as Colorado - that's 1 Ohio, 1 Indiana and part of Illinois.
The bad is, there's only a half-million people - that limits services, decreases the types of people you may meet and the types of places you can go to shop, work, unwind, etc.
The good is, there are vistas where you can see 60/70 miles in all directions.
The bad is, there's nothing there!
The good is, there are beautiful alpine (high-mountain) settings right off of the postcard.
The bad is, you can't really live there. Too cold. No work. Too much snow.
The good is, you can get a sense of serenity that only isolation offers.
The bad is, isolation offers many other things.
I was fixing a busted water pipe the other day. It was 32 below windchill - 12 below with no wind.
The good news is, we got some cowboys & girls, some ranchers, some rednecks, some liberals, some educated folks, some ignorant folks.
The bad is, you ain't escaping nobody by moving here - everyone you want to run from is already here too.
That's enough about Wyoming for now - I'll wait and see if I can answer questions honestly based on what I know and also, on what I am.

**the dufferz** · 01-14-2007, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wyody

Howdy Y'all. If you're thinking about moving to Wyoming - you need to know the good and the bad.
The good is, there's only a half-million people in a state as large as Colorado - that's 1 Ohio, 1 Indiana and part of Illinois.
The bad is, there's only a half-million people - that limits services, decreases the types of people you may meet and the types of places you can go to shop, work, unwind, etc.
The good is, there are vistas where you can see 60/70 miles in all directions.
The bad is, there's nothing there!
The good is, there are beautiful alpine (high-mountain) settings right off of the postcard.
The bad is, you can't really live there. Too cold. No work. Too much snow.
The good is, you can get a sense of serenity that only isolation offers.
The bad is, isolation offers many other things.
I was fixing a busted water pipe the other day. It was 32 below windchill - 12 below with no wind.
The good news is, we got some cowboys & girls, some ranchers, some rednecks, some liberals, some educated folks, some ignorant folks.
The bad is, you ain't escaping nobody by moving here - everyone you want to run from is already here too.
That's enough about Wyoming for now - I'll wait and see if I can answer questions honestly based on what I know and also, on what I am.

For all of the lack of population, what is the housing market like there. If I sold my home in Washington, I would get $400,000 for a 1500 sq. ft. home on a 120X90 sized lot.

What would $400K buy me there?

**Wyody** · 01-14-2007, 11:41 AM

First, go to www.trib.com - this is the Casper Star Tribune - the only paper distributed all over the state. Check into the classififeds to view houses for sale. Also, an MLS (RE Multiple Listing Service) link would help you too - I don't have one.
Kinda tongue-in-cheek but 400K will buy you a large portion of Wyoming!
There are housing shortages all over the state and areas that are "land-locked" by families that have been here for generations. In my little town on I-80 near the Utah border (west), I don't know if we have any homes priced so high - even the newest construction. My mudda-in-law bought a 2Br log-cabin 25 miles from here for 10G with 2/3 acre. The cash you're talking would buy you a fairly large ranch. Sorry I can't be more help with the numbers - I run rental properties - but check out the link to the Tribune and check each small town you're interested in for a newspaper online.

**the dufferz** · 01-14-2007, 10:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wyody

First, go to www.trib.com - this is the Casper Star Tribune - the only paper distributed all over the state. Check into the classififeds to view houses for sale. Also, an MLS (RE Multiple Listing Service) link would help you too - I don't have one.
Kinda tongue-in-cheek but 400K will buy you a large portion of Wyoming!
There are housing shortages all over the state and areas that are "land-locked" by families that have been here for generations. In my little town on I-80 near the Utah border (west), I don't know if we have any homes priced so high - even the newest construction. My mudda-in-law bought a 2Br log-cabin 25 miles from here for 10G with 2/3 acre. The cash you're talking would buy you a fairly large ranch. Sorry I can't be more help with the numbers - I run rental properties - but check out the link to the Tribune and check each small town you're interested in for a newspaper online.

It would be a great deal coming there, but if you had to get back out, you would certainly find it hard to find a home in my area for that cost.

Hearing that many properties are land locked is a concern, but I guess speaks of families who live close, and stay close. This is something that is missing from my area on the west coast. I think I would like that... unless my fodder in law lived there. Yuck!

**Wyody** · 01-14-2007, 11:07 PM

Well, the land-lock thing is nothing new. As the early settlers fought in the early war (Rev/F&I) some received large parcels of land as rewards and you've probably seen this system, i.e., Dad gets land, kids grow and one-by-one they get a little piece 'til dad & mom are gone - then the cycle repeats on a fractionary scale and they all buy another piece of land and the process repeats. Some of that disappeared when the American traditional farmer was brought down - but out here, largely due to and near the Mormon area of influence, the process continues and has since the mid-1800's as they are totally family-oriented - and large families too - just like the old days. It's not so much that they don't like outsiders ... they just don't want any and so, for example, Woodruff Utah is 25 miles north. There are about 35 houses in the town. About 15 stand empty and have for years. They aren't for sale - they're for family ... at some point. Some come for 2 weeks a year to hunt or visit. There is little new construction in these smaller towns - unless it's "family" buying and building a new place. In my town, there's always construction going on - but there's a large portion of the pop. that is transient, i.e., transferred in--transferred out, move-in but can't earn the wage and move-out, etc. Plenty of realtors and plenty for sale. Now, up in Jackson it's hard to find a decent place for less than 2mil. Powell and Lovell might be similar as there's a large retirement-age trend that's been around there for years - with large properties. There's a boom/bust cycle out here too associated with fossil-fuels so, a boom comes, there's a big shortage, a lot of shoddily built but good-looking homes go up, sell for big $$, the boom stops-the bust hits, the house stands foreclosed and empty for a long time and sells at a loss. There's not much viable farm-land around and what there is doesn't get sectioned and sold off. Same with ranches - lots of cows - not much water or grazing growth so, need a lot of land for just a few cows - it doesn't get sectioned and sold either so, a lot of older homes keep changing hands. Didn't mean to ramble so - but there's a lot to everything here that isn't normal anywhere else.

swamp07 · 01-15-2007, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wyody

Well, the land-lock thing is nothing new. ...Some of that disappeared when the American traditional farmer was brought down - but out here, largely due to and near the Mormon area of influence, the process continues and has since the mid-1800's as they are totally family-oriented - and large families too - just like the old days. It's not so much that they don't like outsiders ... they just don't want any and so, ... Powell and Lovell might be similar as there's a large retirement-age trend that's been around there for years - with large properties. There's a boom/bust cycle out here too associated with fossil-fuels so, a boom comes, there's a big shortage, a lot of shoddily built but good-looking homes go up, sell for big $$, the boom stops-the bust hits, the house stands foreclosed and empty for a long time and sells at a loss. There's not much viable farm-land around and what there is doesn't get sectioned and sold off. Same with ranches - lots of cows - not much water or grazing growth so, need a lot of land for just a few cows - it doesn't get sectioned and sold either so, a lot of older homes keep changing hands. Didn't mean to ramble so - but there's a lot to everything here that isn't normal anywhere else.

pretty good snapshot of WYO...I did the 'double house payment thing' when moving from Nor Colo > WA in early 80's. Couldn't give my home away (well I'm sure I could have done that!!!) but lost plenty, and hadn't really over bought. (got from estate sale). It recently sold for 7x what I sold for in '85, so while up a bunch, would have only been ~ 8-9% annualized gain.

I'm keeping an eye on relocating to WY, basically due to being taxed out of WA (Property taxes) and now 'retired' (downsized at age 50). Powell, and Sheridan are my top pics, tho I really like Afton area, a tad too close to Mormon land. Nice folks but tough to do business if you are not LDS. (they watch after their own!)

dufferz - you might want to leave some $$$ invested in WA real estate to protect equity. hint... buy a commercial prop with home equity, and finance to defer income, and use cash to buy replacement residence. You can also finace your new home and use that cash to buy WA prop, and still deduct the interest from WA prop income, if ...you can show that the loan proceeds are being used on the investment prop.

keep in touch... I'm also looking at Eastern WA (lower tax areas) and ID and MT. even OR is better if you have no income, but they have a very low thresh-hold and will tax your SS if you get any.

**Wyody** · 01-17-2007, 12:17 AM

[quote=swamp07;1555]
Powell, and Sheridan are my top pics, tho I really like Afton area,

In Afton, there are a few weeks where you don't see the sun - it's behind the Grayback all day - adds to the winter-blues. Powell and Sheridan are great choices - I'd prefer Sheridan as it's on a road to somewhere while in Powell, you kinda get locked-in between mountain-ranges in winter with nowhere to really go. Lot of retirement $$ already over there, though. If you choose Sheridan, there's a really grand but small steakhouse/lounge with a beautiful fireplace down at Story (only about 10 miles south) - it's a common "get-away" for folks in the area.

**Wyoming53** · 01-21-2007, 01:17 PM

Last year, a 640 acre farm/ranch, with house and buildings and the equipment sold for $34,000. here in Sheridan. Course, it had 18 miles of unencombered road. Meaning, state doesn't take care of it. When you drive home sometime in October, you'd better be prepared to stay there until April.

Years ago I talked an old Navy buddy into coming up here fishing. He said, make reservations for me the last two weeks of August and the first week of September. I said, "You got chains?" He just laughed at me. Well, I had to head out to South Carolina for a project and wasn't here but we talked every day. I would tell him about a new place to fish each day. Next night he'd call me and say, that was a really nice place, but you didn't tell me about the moose. Long story short, when he left on the 6th of September, he called me that night and chewed me out. I said, what's wrong? He says, I drove 20 miles an hour all day because it was snowing so hard I couldn't see. I said, "I asked you if you had chains." Now he comes up every year and fishes.

**Wyody** · 01-21-2007, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wyoming53

Long story short, when he left on the 6th of September, he called me that night and chewed me out. I said, what's wrong? He says, I drove 20 miles an hour all day because it was snowing so hard I couldn't see. I said, "I asked you if you had chains." Now he comes up every year and fishes.

So true. It should be noted that it doesn't do this every single year or, it might blizzard in Sept but stay mild until Christmas or even later. That's how it was this year - luckily, we didn't arrive until Oct so missed the first blizzard. Snow has been relatively light but have had one real cold period of just over ten days down here in Evanston. Roads have now been ice-covered for a couple of weeks.

**Wyoming53** · 01-21-2007, 01:52 PM

I just got done shoveling 8 inches of partly cloudy off my deck and walk.

**NHYRNUT** · 02-11-2007, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wyoming53

I just got done shoveling 8 inches of partly cloudy off my deck and walk.

Well they didn't lie. Isn't snow part of a cloud. lol

**Wyoming53** · 02-19-2007, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NHYRNUT

Well they didn't lie. Isn't snow part of a cloud. lol

Yeah, it usually is. hahaha Tonight, I'm in heaven. 30 degrees, a few wispy clouds, a nice fire in the fire place. I'm good.

Now, what did I do with my teddy bear. I know that sumbitch is around here some where.

01-14-2007, 10:10 AM	#1 (permalink)
Wyody arrgh, me buckoes Join Date: Jan 14th, 2007 Posts: 2,146	Think and Re-think Wyoming Howdy Y'all. If you're thinking about moving to Wyoming - you need to know the good and the bad. The good is, there's only a half-million people in a state as large as Colorado - that's 1 Ohio, 1 Indiana and part of Illinois. The bad is, there's only a half-million people - that limits services, decreases the types of people you may meet and the types of places you can go to shop, work, unwind, etc. The good is, there are vistas where you can see 60/70 miles in all directions. The bad is, there's nothing there! The good is, there are beautiful alpine (high-mountain) settings right off of the postcard. The bad is, you can't really live there. Too cold. No work. Too much snow. The good is, you can get a sense of serenity that only isolation offers. The bad is, isolation offers many other things. I was fixing a busted water pipe the other day. It was 32 below windchill - 12 below with no wind. The good news is, we got some cowboys & girls, some ranchers, some rednecks, some liberals, some educated folks, some ignorant folks. The bad is, you ain't escaping nobody by moving here - everyone you want to run from is already here too. That's enough about Wyoming for now - I'll wait and see if I can answer questions honestly based on what I know and also, on what I am.

01-14-2007, 11:41 AM	#3 (permalink)
Wyody arrgh, me buckoes Join Date: Jan 14th, 2007 Posts: 2,146	Re: Think and Re-think Wyoming First, go to www.trib.com - this is the Casper Star Tribune - the only paper distributed all over the state. Check into the classififeds to view houses for sale. Also, an MLS (RE Multiple Listing Service) link would help you too - I don't have one. Kinda tongue-in-cheek but 400K will buy you a large portion of Wyoming! There are housing shortages all over the state and areas that are "land-locked" by families that have been here for generations. In my little town on I-80 near the Utah border (west), I don't know if we have any homes priced so high - even the newest construction. My mudda-in-law bought a 2Br log-cabin 25 miles from here for 10G with 2/3 acre. The cash you're talking would buy you a fairly large ranch. Sorry I can't be more help with the numbers - I run rental properties - but check out the link to the Tribune and check each small town you're interested in for a newspaper online.

01-14-2007, 11:07 PM	#5 (permalink)
Wyody arrgh, me buckoes Join Date: Jan 14th, 2007 Posts: 2,146	Re: Think and Re-think Wyoming Well, the land-lock thing is nothing new. As the early settlers fought in the early war (Rev/F&I) some received large parcels of land as rewards and you've probably seen this system, i.e., Dad gets land, kids grow and one-by-one they get a little piece 'til dad & mom are gone - then the cycle repeats on a fractionary scale and they all buy another piece of land and the process repeats. Some of that disappeared when the American traditional farmer was brought down - but out here, largely due to and near the Mormon area of influence, the process continues and has since the mid-1800's as they are totally family-oriented - and large families too - just like the old days. It's not so much that they don't like outsiders ... they just don't want any and so, for example, Woodruff Utah is 25 miles north. There are about 35 houses in the town. About 15 stand empty and have for years. They aren't for sale - they're for family ... at some point. Some come for 2 weeks a year to hunt or visit. There is little new construction in these smaller towns - unless it's "family" buying and building a new place. In my town, there's always construction going on - but there's a large portion of the pop. that is transient, i.e., transferred in--transferred out, move-in but can't earn the wage and move-out, etc. Plenty of realtors and plenty for sale. Now, up in Jackson it's hard to find a decent place for less than 2mil. Powell and Lovell might be similar as there's a large retirement-age trend that's been around there for years - with large properties. There's a boom/bust cycle out here too associated with fossil-fuels so, a boom comes, there's a big shortage, a lot of shoddily built but good-looking homes go up, sell for big $$, the boom stops-the bust hits, the house stands foreclosed and empty for a long time and sells at a loss. There's not much viable farm-land around and what there is doesn't get sectioned and sold off. Same with ranches - lots of cows - not much water or grazing growth so, need a lot of land for just a few cows - it doesn't get sectioned and sold either so, a lot of older homes keep changing hands. Didn't mean to ramble so - but there's a lot to everything here that isn't normal anywhere else.

01-17-2007, 12:17 AM	#7 (permalink)
Wyody arrgh, me buckoes Join Date: Jan 14th, 2007 Posts: 2,146	Re: Think and Re-think Wyoming [quote=swamp07;1555] Powell, and Sheridan are my top pics, tho I really like Afton area, In Afton, there are a few weeks where you don't see the sun - it's behind the Grayback all day - adds to the winter-blues. Powell and Sheridan are great choices - I'd prefer Sheridan as it's on a road to somewhere while in Powell, you kinda get locked-in between mountain-ranges in winter with nowhere to really go. Lot of retirement $$ already over there, though. If you choose Sheridan, there's a really grand but small steakhouse/lounge with a beautiful fireplace down at Story (only about 10 miles south) - it's a common "get-away" for folks in the area.

01-21-2007, 01:17 PM	#8 (permalink)
Wyoming53 Hermit Join Date: Jan 21st, 2007 Location: Sheridan, Wy. Posts: 1,522	Re: Think and Re-think Wyoming Last year, a 640 acre farm/ranch, with house and buildings and the equipment sold for $34,000. here in Sheridan. Course, it had 18 miles of unencombered road. Meaning, state doesn't take care of it. When you drive home sometime in October, you'd better be prepared to stay there until April. Years ago I talked an old Navy buddy into coming up here fishing. He said, make reservations for me the last two weeks of August and the first week of September. I said, "You got chains?" He just laughed at me. Well, I had to head out to South Carolina for a project and wasn't here but we talked every day. I would tell him about a new place to fish each day. Next night he'd call me and say, that was a really nice place, but you didn't tell me about the moose. Long story short, when he left on the 6th of September, he called me that night and chewed me out. I said, what's wrong? He says, I drove 20 miles an hour all day because it was snowing so hard I couldn't see. I said, "I asked you if you had chains." Now he comes up every year and fishes.

01-21-2007, 01:52 PM	#10 (permalink)
Wyoming53 Hermit Join Date: Jan 21st, 2007 Location: Sheridan, Wy. Posts: 1,522	Re: Think and Re-think Wyoming I just got done shoveling 8 inches of partly cloudy off my deck and walk.