Interesting news on the tech front, but back to the topic:
Reading through the other testimonials here, I find that my outlook is a bit different from many folks in this group. What I mean is, I don't long for the rustic life, so much. While I can appreciate the beauty of the great outdoors I'm perfectly happy living in a tract home on a quarter-acre lot with a convenience store within walking distance and a variety of shops and services located within a short distance.
What I do crave, however, is the maximum amount of liberty I can get, primarily, and secondarily, a reasonable cost of living. I hate taxes with a passion, and I hate restrictions on my right to keep and bear arms with just as much passion. I love the freedom to live my own life and raise my own kids as I see fit, limited only by the equal right of my neighbors to do the same.
So being an unrepentant city-boy who craves liberty, I chose Cheyenne as my new home. Casper might have worked just as well, but I have friends and relatives, and a business associate, in northern Colorado I also wanted to be near. (As it happens I was born in Fort Collins but hadn't lived there since I was six months old.)
The transition was fairly easy economically -- selling our SoCal home we had a nice fat down payment for a much nicer home in Cheyenne costing less than half as much as we sold the old place for. Groceries are a bit pricier than we were used to but most other things cost slightly less, our power bill is much lower, and lower sales taxes and property taxes plus no state income tax really helps the bottom line.
But it was difficult for my sons leaving their friends, and the supervisor at the post office here, where my wife transferred to for this move, is such an incredibly abusive s.o.b. that she had to take an early retirement to preserve her sanity. Now she manages the food court at the local Target and even though she makes half as much money as her 20-year postal service job paid, they treat her very well there.
(Although frankly, as a libertarian I was always a bit embarrassed having a wife working in the public sector, even though it's mostly user-fee rather than tax-supported, and I'm glad she's out of it now.)
After two years I'm satisfied that despite the problems this was a good move for us. I like the cooler climate (and lack of bugs), the more relaxed pace of life, and the financial benefits of living here, but I haven't had to give up much at all in the way of urban amenities. What I can't get in Cheyenne I can get by driving 50 miles down the Interstate to Fort Collins. Or via mail-order.
Cheyenne has numerous restaurants (we're getting an Olive Garden soon!), department stores, supermarkets, liquor stores, office-supply stores, computer stores, bookstores, cinemas, a small theatre, entertainment venues (most of them but not all "country" type), museums, a respectable library, a brew-pub, nice parks with an indoor swimming pool and a botanical garden. For armed-forces people, there are both American Legion and VFW posts.
So, I want everyone to know that you don't have to be and iron-thewed Mountain Man to live in Wyoming.
It would be nice, though, to get some more libertarians here in town, so I don't feel so much like the Lone Ranger.
