I have a question.

[MichiganMan]

Hello,

I am interested in moving to an area where people are liberty-minded (such as yourselves). I live in suburban Michigan, and I feel slightly out of place. I am sure that most of you have felt the same way.

My question is regarding the more populated parts of the state - specifically, the cities of Laramie and Cheyenne. Are these cities politically similar to the rest of the state? I get the impression from other posts on this forum that the rural areas are certainly liberty-friendly, but it seems like this part of the state is not heavily considered.

The reason I ask this question is because I have my eye on U. of Wyoming for some type of graduate studies, and it is located in Laramie. I would like to move to Wyoming in a few years, and I believe that attending school in the state would be better than if I attended school in Michigan and moved after graduation (in terms of finding a job). I would also assume that my employment would be in a city such as Laramie, Cheyenne, or Casper.

Thank you for your help.

[alexspartan]

I'm in my last year of college, myself, and I've often thought about the logistics of moving out to WY.  Basically, I'm going to have to move to one of cities and get a job, or start my own business in some smaller town.  I'd probably be better off moving to a city.  Some searching in these forums will reveal that the cities in WY are less freedom-friendly than rural areas.  But, one thing that I'm guessing is that the cities in WY are still probably better than most other places, even rural ones.  For instance, you'd be better off moving to anywhere in WY than living in CA.  Even rural Minnesota can get pretty bad, as most people here are typical neocons (I'm sure the farm subsidies have plenty to do with it.)

[Micah_6:8]

Absolutely! The cities in Wyoming are nothing similar to cities elsewhere. Remember that Casper only has 55,000 people - nowhere near what a "big city" has. Also, remember that while liberals are moving in, they are still outnumbered.

Seriously, Casper is hiring tons of people - they can not get enough help- but you could work there and live 20 miles away in a liberty minded city like Glenrock - where the Sheriff is in favor of open carry and 100% behind liberty. Twenty miles out here is nothing. Some children ride the school bus 40 miles every day.

Cheyenne, please forgive me anyone who lives there, is a cess pool. Too many have moved up from Denver and Colorado Springs to get away from the big cities and brought all the problems with them. They have a gang problem and crime is the worst in the state. I, personally, would not consider Cheyenne.

Laramie has a huge LDS population that are very friendly. You could easily move outside the city limits and find like minded individuals, but I, again -speaking personally, would not consider living in the city.

If you plan homeschool, I also would not consider Rock Springs. They have instituted a daytime curfew for "school students" meaning that anyone who looks less than 18 is not free to walk around town during the day without constant hassles.

I live 20 miles from Casper and you could easily find many, many like minded individuals within that distance (or more) from the city while finding a job in Casper. Be prepared to take your time and prove yourself - many around us wait until they know what a person is made of before they share their thoughts. Once you have proven you are not just a city person wanting to move to the country but have a convenience store on every corner and no farm smells or noises, you will be welcomed with open arms and invited to shooting-fests and barbecues.

[craigercj]

If you plan homeschool, I also would not consider Rock Springs. They have instituted a daytime curfew for "school students" meaning that anyone who looks less than 18 is not free to walk around town during the day without constant hassles.

I'm moving to that area in December and was planning on Rock Springs. Sounds like the local government may be a downside? Any thoughts on Rock Springs vs Green River? I lived in GR for a summer and liked it, especially that range in FMC park. The longer commute to work and distance to shopping and some semblance of night life makes me think twice about GR.

[wyomiles]

MichiganMan, If Laramie has a program for you I would take a close look at it. Again the "cities" in Wyoming are small towns compared to most other places. So I doubt that Laramie would be a problem for you. Of coarse there are students from all over the country there so you just have to pick you friends, just like anywhere else.  If you don't mind saying , what degree are you going after ?  I ask cuz it might be that after graduation you may be able to stay out of the bigger cities?

craigercj, I have lived in both RS and GR they each have thier pro's and con's. I liked GR better as it is smaller, the drive to RS is only about 15 minutes so the distance isn't a real problem. I never had any trouble with local government in either town but the recent boom cycle may have them reacting to all of the new folks in the area who may be bringing problems with them as they did in the last boom. When things settle down I would hope that the gov would settle down also, we will see.

[biathlon]

I live in Laramie Michigan man and would LOVE it if more folks of a liberty oriented mind moved here. The town is absolutely FULL of "Obama '08" stickers but that's cause we have so many academic types that don't have to work for a living, they vote for their stolen subsidies. They are not the real majority here however as we have a serious ranching/shooting community surrounding town. The place is absolutely gorgeous with abundant outdoor recreation opportunities. We are 7,200 feet above sea level and have real winter up here. Look me up if'n ya want. Welcome to FSW.

[Paul Bonneau]

I have to laugh at all you guys who think "liberals" and people with Obama stickers are the problem. 

My view is that Wyoming is schizophrenic.

On one hand, Wyomingites pride themselves on independence and self-reliance. On the other hand, Wyoming has more government employees per capita than any state but Alaska. Cody, a supposedly conservative place, just passed a tax hike for a new government library (no new books though), and has what I call "garbage socialism" (city owns the garbage collection). The state government is rolling in cash and spend it on new socialist programs like free college for nearly everyone and new day care regulations. Vehicle licence fees are very high. The wildlife bureaucracy is unreal here, the ranchers and farmers are on welfare (ain't no Obama supporters among them either), etc., etc. And folks, it wasn't just Cheyenne legislators voting for all that stuff. The votes came from legislators all over the state. Wyomingites support the war more than most states.

On the other hand, average Wyomingites are pretty damn independent and self-reliant. Bureaucrats, while there are a lot of them (per capita), they are nice rather than nasty (that's small-town life for you - your reputation gets around). Or you can simply ignore them; people here tend to mind their own business. There's no income tax, which is something, and the sales tax is lower than a lot of states, and so is the property tax. The anti-smoking campaign has stalled here more than most places. There's open carry everywhere. The cops are even nicer here (small town life again). If you want to have nothing to do with government, that is more possible here than most places.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about living in or near Laramie. Why, not that long ago the city newspaper had a front page article celebrating the shooting sports. They did pass a smoking ban, but the opponents of it put up a hell of a fight (and that's another regulation that is probably ignored a lot). Just because some idiots pass a law, does not mean you have to obey it. You still have free will.

[maxxoccupancy]

I've found that it's a mistake to simply reduce the political views of everyone of the government cheese as only voting to keep that check coming.  I talk to these folks a lot, and many have some legitimate (meaning libertarian) positions.  After hearing quite a few mention that they are really voting for someone because of some grant, subsidy, or check, I quickly explain how they would be better off living in a freer society with almost no taxation; that anything they're getting from Uncle Sam must be eaten up pretty quickly by high taxes, higher interest rates, utilities, consumer costs, market volatility, and all manner of economic problems caused by government intervention.  Showing students, poor folk, seniors, farmers, and others that government subsidies just lead to excess production and higher prices changes their mind that they're better off.

What good is that union pay or government job if you lose half your pay to taxes?  Housing, health care, medicine, and college all cost much more than they did because government regulates, mandates, litigates, and subsidizes these activities to death.

[jubal]

Its in the mind. You either move or you don't. Conditions notta. Things will fall into place once moved. You won't necessarily be alone, there are those here of like mind who would help. a lot is in the hustle of the individual.

[celeste]

I grew up in Laramie, my father was born there, - it's really not a bad place overall.  If you are going to college that's the place in Wyoming to go.  Housing gets a bit sticky, but they have dorms for students.  But as with any college, and graduate programs especially, you should find out what the professors are doing and if you want to work with any of them.  The University is the reason the town has the political issues it has (IMO), so the town aside, you may not want to be part of THAT institution.  There are very few graduate schools in the country that are not this way though.

[guernseyrifleman]

Laramie has a beautiful 1000 yard rifle range. Membership is only $50 a year.  There are many covered firing points and even a building with a stove you can shoot 100 yards out of.

[sclibertytree]

I am actually looking into attending the University of Wyoming starting next fall.  I would be majoring in rangeland ecology and watershed management.  I'm assuming with a major like that, it wouldn't be too hard to find work in Wyoming after college.  If I do get the chance to move out there next fall, I would love to meet up with some liberty-minded individuals who, like me, believe that freedom is worth fighting for.

[wyomiles]

Well howdy sclibertytree ! How did you hear about FSW?

[sclibertytree]

I visited Wyoming this past summer to participate in a project called ArrowCorps5 in the Bridger-Teton National Forest.  As I drove through the small towns across Wyoming, I grew to love the state and decided that this was were I would like to live.  Ever since I have returned to South Carolina, I have been researching Wyoming and I stumbled across FSW by fate it seems.  I'm tired of my neighbors giving me evil stares from across the street everytime I take my rifle out to my car to go hunting.  The Greenville-Spartanburg area of South Carolina is not what it was 10 years ago.  I used to be able to ride my bike down the middle of my road without having to worry about cars.  Now, I sit in my driveway anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes everyday just waiting for a break in the traffic.  Free State Wyoming seems like the perfect fit for a guy who loves hard work, freedom, and the country way of life.

[Danl]

Free State Wyoming seems like the perfect fit for a guy who loves hard work, freedom, and the country way of life.

Yep! I would agree.

Regards, Danl