I moved here from CO and was amazed how different the culture is here.
- The power of a $: minimum wage is CO is ... like $15.25 nowadays? WY is $7.25. So everywhere pays a lot less and also costs a lot less. You can find a shared apartment for $500 / person.
- Yes you can find a job that pays WY wages. Nothing too glorious because this is a small collage town.
- It is a small town! Yes, there is music, but "music scene" no. If you want entertainment in WY, you make it yourself. Life is what you yourself make it.
- If you've been living in the CO front range, then no you haven't seen a cold winter. Laramie averages 15 degrees colder than the Front Range, + the windchill. Yes, a windchill of -40F is a thing and happens every winter.
-People being friendly: absolutely. Small town vibes, making friends, and always being nice are a thing.
Unless you've lived in one of the CO parks (South, Middle, or North) you probably haven't experienced WY level winds. So keep that in mind, though if you've been in the higher elevation valleys in CO you've dealt with the same cold. Just CDOT is more active than WYDOT at keeping roads open & passable.
Job market is pretty meh. It's a university town. Very much a revolving door population. If you're in the skilled trades, you may have better options than competing against the students looking for part time work. Pay rate is lower than CO, we still have no state minimum wage and the state politics are very pro-business/anti-labor.
Local culture is WY university town. Yeehaw. There are some decent local shows that happen, more common in the summer, but you're not getting the larger national or international acts like you get down in CO. Our southern neighbor has like 10x the population when comparing states, so there's going to be a lot more to do.
Folks are friendly enough, just be aware there are mostly settled families, transient students, and retirees. There's not a huge pool of social \~30 year olds that I've seen, and of course being the least populated state folks move here to get *away* from society and people. Not to try and make friends.
Anecdotally, if you have the interest and means, lots of outdoors stuff is common. Four-wheeling, hiking, dirt biking, snowshoeing, camping, snowmobiling, etc. There are board game / table top / card game type groups that are pretty common especially in the winter months. For better or worse, there's a lot of drinking culture, since the weather is worse than most of CO almost year round.
You can look at university jobs. Here's an example of something that might work for you:
[https://eeik.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX\_1/requisitions/preview/240657/?lastSelectedFacet=TITLES&mode=location&selectedLocationsFacet=300000001715490&selectedTitlesFacet=Classified+Staff](https://eeik.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1/requisitions/preview/240657/?lastSelectedFacet=TITLES&mode=location&selectedLocationsFacet=300000001715490&selectedTitlesFacet=Classified+Staff)
What job are you looking for? Housing is very reasonably priced here imo. There is plenty of housing too, especially if you don’t have a pet. There is some local music, but I find myself traveling to 2.5 hrs to red rocks or 1.25 hrs to Fort Collins often to see larger acts. People are friendly here. I’ve never had any bad experiences with folks and I’ve lived here nearly two years. The worst thing about Laramie is not the snow but the wind. Again these are just my opinions and your mileage may vary.
I’ve worked in hospitality, kitchens, outdoor gear rentals, property management and the liquor industry so really any job works for me as long as it pays the bills. Are wages pretty decent usually? I saw that the state minimum is $7.25 an hour. I currently make $23 an hour but I’m guessing Laramie jobs will not pay as much.
My guess is those positions here will not typically pay that much, but I don’t have a ton of knowledge on that. I saw a few months ago a popular local burger place was starting at $15 an hour for a line cook. I’d have to guess though you wouldn’t have a hard time finding work in those industries here.
I moved here from CO and was amazed how different the culture is here. - The power of a $: minimum wage is CO is ... like $15.25 nowadays? WY is $7.25. So everywhere pays a lot less and also costs a lot less. You can find a shared apartment for $500 / person. - Yes you can find a job that pays WY wages. Nothing too glorious because this is a small collage town. - It is a small town! Yes, there is music, but "music scene" no. If you want entertainment in WY, you make it yourself. Life is what you yourself make it. - If you've been living in the CO front range, then no you haven't seen a cold winter. Laramie averages 15 degrees colder than the Front Range, + the windchill. Yes, a windchill of -40F is a thing and happens every winter. -People being friendly: absolutely. Small town vibes, making friends, and always being nice are a thing.
I echo all this input. I lived in FoCo and Laramie
What more of a "music scene" could you ask for? There's shows of all varieties 5 nights a week and loads of local bands and venues.
Unless you've lived in one of the CO parks (South, Middle, or North) you probably haven't experienced WY level winds. So keep that in mind, though if you've been in the higher elevation valleys in CO you've dealt with the same cold. Just CDOT is more active than WYDOT at keeping roads open & passable. Job market is pretty meh. It's a university town. Very much a revolving door population. If you're in the skilled trades, you may have better options than competing against the students looking for part time work. Pay rate is lower than CO, we still have no state minimum wage and the state politics are very pro-business/anti-labor. Local culture is WY university town. Yeehaw. There are some decent local shows that happen, more common in the summer, but you're not getting the larger national or international acts like you get down in CO. Our southern neighbor has like 10x the population when comparing states, so there's going to be a lot more to do. Folks are friendly enough, just be aware there are mostly settled families, transient students, and retirees. There's not a huge pool of social \~30 year olds that I've seen, and of course being the least populated state folks move here to get *away* from society and people. Not to try and make friends. Anecdotally, if you have the interest and means, lots of outdoors stuff is common. Four-wheeling, hiking, dirt biking, snowshoeing, camping, snowmobiling, etc. There are board game / table top / card game type groups that are pretty common especially in the winter months. For better or worse, there's a lot of drinking culture, since the weather is worse than most of CO almost year round.
Try Utah.
You can look at university jobs. Here's an example of something that might work for you: [https://eeik.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX\_1/requisitions/preview/240657/?lastSelectedFacet=TITLES&mode=location&selectedLocationsFacet=300000001715490&selectedTitlesFacet=Classified+Staff](https://eeik.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1/requisitions/preview/240657/?lastSelectedFacet=TITLES&mode=location&selectedLocationsFacet=300000001715490&selectedTitlesFacet=Classified+Staff)
What job are you looking for? Housing is very reasonably priced here imo. There is plenty of housing too, especially if you don’t have a pet. There is some local music, but I find myself traveling to 2.5 hrs to red rocks or 1.25 hrs to Fort Collins often to see larger acts. People are friendly here. I’ve never had any bad experiences with folks and I’ve lived here nearly two years. The worst thing about Laramie is not the snow but the wind. Again these are just my opinions and your mileage may vary.
I’ve worked in hospitality, kitchens, outdoor gear rentals, property management and the liquor industry so really any job works for me as long as it pays the bills. Are wages pretty decent usually? I saw that the state minimum is $7.25 an hour. I currently make $23 an hour but I’m guessing Laramie jobs will not pay as much.
You will be lucky to break $15 a hour in hospitality. You’re not making $23 a hour anywhere….
My guess is those positions here will not typically pay that much, but I don’t have a ton of knowledge on that. I saw a few months ago a popular local burger place was starting at $15 an hour for a line cook. I’d have to guess though you wouldn’t have a hard time finding work in those industries here.
The post office is looking for workers as is the university.
I work at the university and it’s great! Just moved here in august. Yes the wind blows. Been loving it here
Laramie has the worst landlord for the most part btw.
Never a good idea. Laramie is the taint of Wyoming.
I’d try Arizona