Moving to Wyoming (Looking for advice).

[mannmicj]

My wife and I have decided to move to Wyoming. The plan would be to move in the next 18 months. While we don't want to rush into anything, we know that Wyoming is where we want to retire and raise our 8 year old daughter.

Right now I'm looking very hard at Sheridan. I know there is a lot of great hunting in Wyoming. Is Sheridan a good place to set up a home that will give me ample opportunities at Deer, Elk and Antelope. Or will I have to travel to have better luck at some of those animals. I have no problem traveling some, I just want to get a feel for the opportunities in the general area.

Also, if anyone knows how the housing market is and job market that would be great as well. My wife is in education and I have a Forestry background.

Any tips or suggestions would be much appreciated. This is a huge decision for our family, but we know it's the right thing. Other areas we are considering are: Casper, Cody, and Worland. Thank you in advance.

 

[MTLabrador]

I’ve lived in Sheridan, and it’s a pretty great town. Housing is very expensive and getting even more so. Lots of private land in the valley, but quick access to the Bighorns. There’s better general deer and elk opportunities in other parts of the state, but still plenty to keep you busy. There’s great fishing.

 

[antlerradar]

Sheridan could become the next Bozeman.

 

[mannmicj]

I’ve lived in Sheridan, and it’s a pretty great town. Housing is very expensive and getting even more so. Lots of private land in the valley, but quick access to the Bighorns. There’s better general deer and elk opportunities in other parts of the state, but still plenty to keep you busy. There’s great fishing.

Thank you. Where do you live now?

 

[MTLabrador]

Thank you. Where do you live now?

Rawlins. Not what you’re looking for...

 

[antlerradar]

Rawlins. Not what you’re looking for...

That is a down grade.

 

[MTLabrador]

That is a down grade.

Correct.

 

[mannmicj]

Out of curiosity. If one could pick the best town for overall access to great big game hunting, what town would that be?

 

[MTLabrador]

Out of curiosity. If one could pick the best town for overall access to great big game hunting, what town would that be?

Depends on what you want to hunt, but Rawlins is actually pretty great for that. So are Pinedale, Dubois, Afton, Jackson, Saratoga, there’s really no best.

 

[mannmicj]

Depends on what you want to hunt, but Rawlins is actually pretty great for that. So are Pinedale, Dubois, Afton, Jackson, Saratoga, there’s really no best.

Nice, thank you. My hunting priority would be in order: Elk, Mule Deer, Whitetail, Pronghorn.

 

[MTLabrador]

Nice, thank you. My hunting priority would be in order: Elk, Mule Deer, Whitetail, Pronghorn.

There’s more places that would work than places that won’t. It’s much bigger, but I actually like Casper as well. As a general rule, if there’s a place with a really low population, there’s usually a reason for that. Western, central, and southern Wyoming is no joke in the winter.

 

[mannmicj]

There’s more places that would work than places that won’t. It’s much bigger, but I actually like Casper as well. As a general rule, if there’s a place with a really low population, there’s usually a reason for that. Western, central, and southern Wyoming is no joke in the winter.

Yes, I have been researching the Winters and Wind. That is where Cody would come into play. It's not as bad as Casper as far as annual snow fall, nor is it as windy. Sheridan seemed like a good compromise and less wind

I'd loved to have at least a few great hunting opportunities not too far a way. So I could travel for some species, but could be close for others. Does that make sense?

We truly want this to be our last move and our retirement location as well. We are 44 right now.

 

[MTLabrador]

Yes, I have been researching the Winters and Wind. That is where Cody would come into play. It's not as bad as Casper as far as annual snow fall, nor is it as windy. Sheridan seemed like a good compromise and less wind

I'd loved to have at least a few great hunting opportunities not too far a way. So I could travel for some species, but could be close for others. Does that make sense?

We truly want this to be our last move and our retirement location as well. We are 44 right now.

Sheridan and Cody are both great. Anywhere in Wyoming you’ll have good hunting opportunities close by.

 

[mannmicj]

Sheridan and Cody are both great. Anywhere in Wyoming you’ll have good hunting opportunities close by.

Thank you so much the info. I really appreciate you taking the time. Since our move is still a ways out, we a ton of time to visit and gather information. One way or the other it will be Wyoming.

 

[manitou1]

We found Sheridan home prices to be higher than Cody, Casper, or Worland by a good measure (thanks Cali ). My wife is from WY and we have frequented the state for 24 years. Am currently building our retirement house out there right now. It sounds as if you are unfamiliar with WY. You really should do a few vacations out there and it will answer your questions. There is a lot of data online as far as avg income, schools, crime rates, weather averages, demographics. That is a good start, but boots on the ground cannot be beat... especially when picking a forever home base. You can find hunting within a few minutes of home in most of the state, but some areas are a lot better than others. The Eastern side of the state gets a LOT of hunting pressure on public lands, with limited access. Considerations.

 

[Ruttybull]

My wife and I have decided to move to Wyoming. The plan would be to move in the next 18 months. While we don't want to rush into anything, we know that Wyoming is where we want to retire and raise our 8 year old daughter.

Right now I'm looking very hard at Sheridan. I know there is a lot of great hunting in Wyoming. Is Sheridan a good place to set up a home that will give me ample opportunities at Deer, Elk and Antelope. Or will I have to travel to have better luck at some of those animals. I have no problem traveling some, I just want to get a feel for the opportunities in the general area.

Also, if anyone knows how the housing market is and job market that would be great as well. My wife is in education and I have a Forestry background.

Any tips or suggestions would be much appreciated. This is a huge decision for our family, but we know it's the right thing. Other areas we are considering are: Casper, Cody, and Worland. Thank you in advance.

I made the move and have never looked back. I moved to the Alpine/Thayne/Afton area. I like being right on the Idaho border for other hunting options. Also have access to all the bigger town needs about 1.5 hours away in Pocatello or Idaho Falls.

The housing market has been pretty crazy, it took us almost 6 months to find a nice place to buy and it was definitely on the higher end of our budget. But I have elk, deer and moose in my yard almost daily.

The job market is pretty steady, good paying jobs are a bit rare. If your willing to commute, Jackson, Idaho Falls, and Pocatello have higher paying options.

Crime is almost non existent. Winters are long and you will want to take up skiing or snowmobiling. I haven’t been to Sheridan yet, but am loving the west side of the state.

 

[rwc101]

You're going to be driving a lot to hunt in Wyoming no matter what. I would make the move based on the town where you're going to spend 99.99% of your time.

 

[mannmicj]

We found Sheridan home prices to be higher than Cody, Casper, or Worland by a good measure (thanks Cali ). My wife is from WY and we have frequented the state for 24 years. Am currently building our retirement house out there right now. It sounds as if you are unfamiliar with WY. You really should do a few vacations out there and it will answer your questions. There is a lot of data online as far as avg income, schools, crime rates, weather averages, demographics. That is a good start, but boots on the ground cannot be beat... especially when picking a forever home base. You can find hunting within a few minutes of home in most of the state, but some areas are a lot better than others. The Eastern side of the state gets a LOT of hunting pressure on public lands, with limited access. Considerations.

Thanks for the suggestions. We have been researching online like crazy We are planning multiple trips out over the next 18 months. Our goal is to see several areas prior to moving/buying. We are also trying to network and make contacts with folks from all walks of life as well. That is why I appreciate any feedback you guys have provided. Because we have so much time, we don't have to rush anything and hope to the most educated decision possible. Thanks again.

 

[Bob-WY]

Where are you coming from? Matters for weather and things like "good hunting", everything is relative.

What do you need for career? that will steer you to/from many WY places

Wife and I have been here for 18 months, after moving from NH there are some VERY different things that we hadn't realized to consider. Don't get me wrong, we love it here, but it's different!

 

[mannmicj]

I made the move and have never looked back. I moved to the Alpine/Thayne/Afton area. I like being right on the Idaho border for other hunting options. Also have access to all the bigger town needs about 1.5 hours away in Pocatello or Idaho Falls.

The housing market has been pretty crazy, it took us almost 6 months to find a nice place to buy and it was definitely on the higher end of our budget. But I have elk, deer and moose in my yard almost daily.

The job market is pretty steady, good paying jobs are a bit rare. If your willing to commute, Jackson, Idaho Falls, and Pocatello have higher paying options.

Crime is almost non existent. Winters are long and you will want to take up skiing or snowmobiling. I haven’t been to Sheridan yet, but am loving the west side of the state.

Thank you for the reply. Elk, Deer and Moose in your yards is pretty awesome. I've commuted a ton of over the years so I'm not really looking to do much of that for work. Financial we don't need much for our budget and we should be able to buy our new home outright up to about 300K. We tend to live well below our budget, so chasing a few extra dollars for work is just not something we are going to do. Winter sports should be fun and we are taking the winter serious, but believe the pros of moving to Wyoming outweigh the negatives (long winter/wind). Thanks again for the information.