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Great advice!There is probably more variation within each of those three states than there is between their "average". I've lived in Missoula, Helena, Harlowton, Bozeman, the back of a Chevy in the Missouri Breaks for a summer, and Bondurant WY. I travel WY a lot for work, and feel I have a decent idea what WY and MT have to offer. I have spent time in N and SE Idaho, though not enough to know them well compared to WY and MT.
There are reasons that people settled certain places, and those legacy effects influence the lifestyle there. Often that's either farming, ranching, mining/extraction, religion, tourism, or some combination of those. Some people hate places with diverse people groups and tourism (Bozeman/paradise valley, Cody, Jackson, Driggs, etc.), some people thrive on it. I think it has a way of reminding you how fortunate you are to live in a place that people choose to go on vacation. It's not like the hordes are in the mountains, not hard to get away.
Case study: When I moved to WY in 2012 after grad school to work in Pinedale it was still expensive due to a previous gas boom. We ended up renting a house between Jackson and Pinedale, in a town of 100 people (in the summer) with nothing but a gas station that's never open. We soon learned why rent was cheap. It is consistently brutally cold and we don't see the ground from October to the last week of April. For instance, this morning it was -20* in Jackson. Here it was -36*. Both cold, but my car will start at -20. Some years the snow has been high enough that we can't see out of any windows in our house. Avalanches close the highway to Jackson a few times every year. Either way we drive from our house is a major migration corridor for deer, antelope, and elk...cool to see, except they're always on the road in spring and fall.
This is our 5th winter here and we've come to love it. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into but thankfully it worked out. Most people who move here get mentally defeated by the fact that everything is inconvenient. Plow the road, it blows in. Power goes out, you're low on the list. Plant a garden, it freezes every month of the year. Granted the list of pros is amazingly long.
All that to say, if I were on the hunt for a new spot I'd start by looking at the town/city culture I was interested in. Next I'd look at distance to the activities I want to do. If I wanted to spend most of my hunting season doing day hunts from my house, I'd look at a much different landscape than if I wanted pack stock and week long trips. Floating in the summer? Downhill skiing? By the time you get to that point, the level of amenities you desire and cost of living will narrow it down to a handful of spots within WY/MT/ID. Then as you've noted, dig into local knowledge. Long time locals of any location rarely have a good sense of what it's like to move there. Seems obvious, but I'd look for input from folks who've lived a few places and then been in the community you're looking at for a few years up to maybe a decade or two.
Making your own path is rewarding, though usually not easy. That risk is the cost of doing business, and the upside is high.
Good luck with your choice, feel free to send a PM.
I think Salmon, Idaho would be my dream location. Steelhead, chukars, elk, deer, waterfowl not too far away, wilderness, skiing, mountain biking, and it wouldn't be too far to drive to pick up some Cold Smoke.
Interesting I've been researching places to check out and Salmon, ID stuck out. I like visiting a bunch of different places with the idea that I'll fall in love with one and get a vacation property there one day. What is the closest skiing to Salmon?
What is the closest skiing to Salmon?
-17 this morning in the high desert of Wyoming.
I do not think that you could go wrong with either of the 3.
I would look at the cost of living in each area. Rock Springs / Green River is a lot like Elko, Nevada in that it is a mining town and people make good money. So, the price of everything is higher - except gasoline.
With Coal going the way of the Dodo bird parts of Wyoming may be an uncomfortable place to live.
If you move to Wyoming, I would suggest Laramie or Cheyenne.
In Idaho, if you can make it in Salmon it would be a great place to live. Idaho falls does not have a high cost of living and may be a great option with great fishing close by.
Why do you suggest Laramie or Cheyenne over Casper?
Wow you folks work fast! Thanks for the replies!
I'm in my mid thirties with wife and 1.5 kids, currently living in the northern plains working in agriculture. This would be a fresh start, very likely would be working in transportation, wife is an educator. I never minded harsh weather conditions of any kind (within reason of course). My preference would be to live within sight of the mountains but not up in them. The tricky thing is finding an area/city to live in that balances cost of living/services/taxes/opportunities etc without actually living there first. Of course google helps I've been doing research.
Thanks again for the replies, keep em coming!
Nailed it!I think Salmon, Idaho would be my dream location. Steelhead, chukars, elk, deer, waterfowl not too far away, wilderness, skiing, mountain biking, and it wouldn't be too far to drive to pick up some Cold Smoke.
Wow you folks work fast! Thanks for the replies!
I'm in my mid thirties with wife and 1.5 kids, currently living in the northern plains working in agriculture. This would be a fresh start, very likely would be working in transportation, wife is an educator. I never minded harsh weather conditions of any kind (within reason of course). My preference would be to live within sight of the mountains but not up in them. The tricky thing is finding an area/city to live in that balances cost of living/services/taxes/opportunities etc without actually living there first. Of course google helps I've been doing research.
Thanks again for the replies, keep em coming!