My days and evenings fighting sand gnats are numbered....

Job is now taking me to Lander, WY from Savannah, GA.

What can I expect? Good town, nice to raise a family in? What should I look out for/best neighborhoods etc.?

I'll probably make the move this summer. Might have to upgrade to a .308

Best town to live in in Fremont County. I don't live there, but I'm there often. You'll find anything in Lander from granola-crunching NOLS types, cowboys, rock-climbing hippies, hunters, bunny-huggers, rednecks, rich folks, Indians and unaffiliated normal people....and any of them will be happy to have a beer with you in the Lander Bar where they all seem to hang out together.

Lander is a great place to raise a family. Small, clean (mostly), friendly. Lots of year round outdoor activities. You'll be right next door to the Rez and you'll have to learn the fine art of DUI-dodging.....but you'll get used to it. Most folks I know down there live either south of town or west of town where some of the nicer 'out of town' areas are.

Forget the .308 and start looking at .338. Lander is about the southern limit of griz country. They don't have the problems we have up north of there, but they're around. The Winds are great country. If you've ever wanted to learn to fly fish you'll be in a great area for fishing opportunities.

Not a lot of great restaurants, but Jackson is just a hop, skip and a jump away (by Wyoming standards).

Lander Bar does have some pretty diverse patrons........  The Burgers are pretty good.

The Mexican place next to ACE Hardware is pretty good and Svilars in Hudson does a nice PrimeRib and Steaks.

Thanks!

Can you elaborate on the DUI-dodging bit? I get that Indian reservations have the reputation of being ghettos of despair, addiction and suicide (I've some experience of them from time spent in northern MN) but do they drive outside of the reservation a lot while plastered or it that to get from one side of the reservation to the next they have to pass through Lander?

On wild critters.... I'm looking forward to taking the whole family up into the mountains for day hikes. Is it customary to pack serious firepower or do folks just go up for the day and bring bear spray/a mean attitude?

What's the right move if we see Moose? In MN I've only ever seen them from a distance across lakes. I hear up front they can be unpredictable and dangerous but I've never had the chance to see one that close.

thanks again for any tips.

Just pay attention to your driving when on/near the rez. Unemployment there is over 70%, and there is a high rate of alcoholism and drug use. The rez is dry, so they go to either Riverton or Lander to pick up booze. I think Riverton is a bigger draw to the Natives than Lander simply because Riverton has the only Walmart in the County. With 70+% not working there are many DUI arrest throughout the day.

Everyone has an opinion on bear defense (especially on the internet, with most arguing not even living in bear country), so figure out what works for you. I carry a Ruger 45 Colt revolver with 325 grain WFN bullets in a crossdraw holster. I'm comfortable with it. Griz's have been killed with 10mm, 41 mag, 44 mag, 45 Colt, 357 mag as far as handguns are considered, and there's plenty of occasions where bear spray has been effective too. The only thing I'll say is if you carry a big bore handgun, make sure your practiced with it. Best way to avoid bear encounters is to not walk around with your head up your butt, pay attention to the sign around you, and make a little noise when the terrain gets tight, and don't forget to look over your shoulder occasionally.

Moose...lol! Some of the funniest stories from the mountains are moose stories. 9.9/10 times it'll be a cow with a calf getting pissy and running someone up, or around, a tree. I'm sure it's happened, but I've not heard of anyone seriously injured or killed by one. There are wayyyy less moose around (at least up in Park County) since the wolves were introduced. I don't know about the populations in Fremont County.

When you get here folks will give you both good advice and bullshit advice about recreating in the mountains. You'll sort it out.

I have never been to Lander

but I grew up in Savannah & have a place in Cody.

Riverton is a dump thrmopolis is a littel better the road between the two is too beautiful to describe.

good restraunts  are few & far between. you will be near the green river basin if you enjoy fossil hunting.

We just had the worst winter in about 20 years so I expect this one to be far milder since the la'nina is now gone & pacific surface temps are Neutral.

you are moving to what is basically a desert. a high cold desert.  you are not far from "hell's half acre, "- the setting for Klendathu in star ship troopers

there is no humidity bring lots of lip balm. most native Wyoming-ans keep to themselves & do not like to drive or pay to shoot.

It'll take some time to make friends unless you are Mormon.

I doubt you'll miss Savannah unless you constantly eat out.

Go enjoy theTeatons before October they close the parks around mid October. Attached File


BEARS LOOK LIKE THIS

I live in MT, but spend a lot of time in WY as well and for the most part, bears are not that big of a problem, but I carry bear spray with me and spent many years teaching about bear spray and bear safety for the government agencies.  I have only had to use it twice in 20+ years of living in bear country and it worked.

I did carry a pistol for a number of years during bow season and never had to use it and have not shot it for a few years now, but I weapon of choice was a .454 Casull, but I am going to sell it, it packs a punch, but the older I get the less I shoot the big bore stuff anymore.

That said, I am much more aware of Moose, them suckers are mean and when you are facing a pissed off mother moose with a fawn, watch out!  

So practice situational awareness every single time you are out and teach the family that paying attention is your best defense and you will do just fine.

Got an aunt that lives in Hudson and she works there on the weekends, still pretty dam good....

Lander is a nice area.
enjoy.

Do you have job prospects?

I lived in Lander before I moved up to Teton County. I still have a lot of friends there.
I worked for NOLS for part of the year, and ran my own business.
Weather is good. Being on the east side of the range, they get warmer weather, chinooks, and more sunny winter days.
You can grow tomatoes there.
Lander has less windy weather than places farther east.
My wife has some real estate dealings down there: there are reasonable deals to be had, and the market there has softened in the last couple of years.
It is the place in Wyoming I am planning to move to if I leave Teton County.
Proximity to the Reservation is not much of a drawback.