Casper WY?

[mongoose]

Maybe this is the correct place, maybe not....

Any words of wisdom out there regarding life in Casper, WY? I'm being transfered there and have only driven through; haven't spent much time in the AO.

I've seen the realstate market and know rentals are over priced but hwat should i be prepared for?

Thanks

 

[silvertip-co]

they got the best WM in the world, most guns reloadin supplies and ammo of any WM i was ever in. Ever. Anywhere. Antelope in town walking around. I love the place. I;d move there for a job no prob. Good luck.

 

[SBruce]

Spent about 16 years there. Good public land to hunt to the west, Northwest and Southwest too.

You'll learn to shoot in the wind, because it hardly ever stops in Casper. Lots of days with High Winds. Lots of times, it's just windy there though. Get out of town an hour drive or so and it'll be calm. If the forecast is showing high winds state wide, then it's usually very very high winds in town. The wind isn't necessarily all bad though, because IMO it helps keep some of the subzero temps out of there in the winter.

5 major lakes (by Wyoming standards anyway) within a couple hours drive if you like to fish.

The Stuckenhoff Sport Shooters Complex is a 300 yd range (or used to be.?) and there also used to be a 1000 yd range out on Poison Spider Rd. I don't recall the name of it though. There's some sort of trap/skeet range also out North East of town.

Rocky Mountain Discount Sports, Sportsmans Warehouse.

 

[mongoose]

Thanks for the input guys.
Casper sounds like typical high-desert with the luxury of a "real" river. I've dealt with winds before, lived in SW Texas once upon a time and I'm sure my wife will enjoy the warmer weather; live in Montana at the moment.

Glad to hear about the locality of lakes too.

 

[Alaska_Seth]

I mostly grew up in Casper, I have lived there about 9 times at varrying intervals and my parents still live there, or live there again as it were.

Casper Mountain has a small ski area called Hogadon, and a wonderful snowmobile area in Bear Trap Meadow if you like to play in the snow.

The North Platte River in Casper is Blue Ribbon, and there are several outstanding flyfishing shops in town, the lower section of the river has a million dollar whitewater park improvement on it, and the upper section is set up for drift boats.

Pronghorns and mule deer are all over town, with a few whitetails and wild turkeys.

Casper Events Center host the 2nd or 3rd last pro NFR Rodeo qualifier in November for a week, and the College National Finals Rodeo is also held in Casper.

While Casper mountain is short on public land and elk, the mountain behind it is **** near all BLM/Forest Service Muddy Mountain and has a lot of elk.

Houses are expensive compared to most other parts of the state (excepting Jackson). But you will have lots of choices.

My parents live on the West side of town right before the Canyon narrows. They have 5 acres, barn, shop, and a new manufactured home and I think they have about a $280,000 property. It was just dirt and sage brush when they got there. They probably spent $170,000 on it.

As far as shooting goes there are a lot of choices. Poison Spider 1000 yard range, an indoor pistol range, a Blackpowder range in Glenrock, the City Range at Stuckenhoffs, and lots of BLM areas that people have turned into ranges. There are more but I can't remember all of them.

Rocky Mountain Sports is always worth a visit, nice selection of everything and often some good high end stuff. Sportsman's Warehouse, lots of pawn shops, and some good gunsmiths.

Dale Story is probably the best gunsmith in town, and if you drive out to Glenrock you have A-Square, Glenrock Blue, and Glenrock Reloading. So lots of choices.

Both Alcova and Pathfinder lakes have really good walleye fishing if you have a boat.

Alcova lake is canoeable. Pathfinder is very nasty with the winds. Sometimes Pathfinder isn't safe even on a big center console Alaska type boat.

Denver is about 5 hours, and Billings is about 3 or 4, Salt Lake is about 6 or 7 hours, and Reno is another 5 beyond Salt Lake.

 

[mongoose]

Thanks for input Seth.

I've been here about three weeks and must say its a pretty interesting place. Looking forward to doing some range time too.

And you aren't kidding about housing being $$$$ its insane but the jobs are here to support it.

 

[Alaska_Seth]

Your welcome it is a good place.

 

[backwoods83]

Alaska-Seth, I'm from the east coast, really I need of some change! Do you have any info on job and rental housing availability. I've been searching and is says on average Casper is about 13% cheaper to live than where I am now, but was wanting some firsthand info instead of "statistics". Thanks.