What Is The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Of Living In The Cowboy State?

As with any place, there are upsides and downsides to living in a particular city or state. Wyoming is no different. But what are the good and no-so-good points about Wyoming?

Wyoming is a really unique place to live. There are many benefits to living in a state that has wide open spaces, lots of place to raise a family, and cattle if you want, but it has it's downsides also.

Let's take a look at the good, bad and ugly of living in in Wyoming.

Let's look at the good reasons, first.

• Lots of Sunshine - This isn't the Northwest, and thank God for that. Who wants to feel like a head of lettuce in the produce section of the supermarket, getting sprayed on every 10 minutes? Not me.
• Anne, Get Yer Gun - Another great reason to live in the Cowboy State is that residents can pack a side arm, without a permit. That's concealed and open carry. Just like it was in the old west. We take the 2nd Amendment serious around here and we recognize that an armed society, is a polite one. In most places, anyway.
• Close to the Land - Whether you like to fish, hunt, boat, rock climb, dirt or mountain bike, ranch or farm, Wyoming is the right place to do all of that and more.
• Lots of Elbow Room - We have a lot of room to roam where the deer and the buffalo play. How about 5.8 people per square mile in the Cowboy State? That lets us know, when you want to see your neighbors, you can. When you don't want to see them, then you don't have too.
• You can Blow Stuff Up - If you're a pyro or an amateur demolition guy, no need to worry, there are plenty of places to blow stuff up out here. No one will ever know. You could be out in the middle of Bo Diddly Hong Kong, Wyoming and you could blow up an old car, cans or anything else for grins and giggles, and no one would probably ever find out. Except may a tourist that broke down on the side of some God-forsaken highway, and just happens to pass by it when their looking for the nearest town (that probably doesn't exist).

Let's look at the bad reasons.

• Wind - Need I say more?
• Lost your Signal? - In Wyoming, it's real easy to lose a phone signal as you go from place to place. A real bummer. Especially, since people don't pack a map anymore. So, if you go to 'Google' your next stop, and your outta range, while cruising the 'Home on the Range', fugetaboutit! It ain't happening.
• Divorce Is High - A survey showed that Wyoming's divorce rate is right around 14th in the U.S.. So if you're happily married, and plan to move here, be aware. You may not be 'happily' married for long. Right about 30% of marriages end in divorce, which works out to be about 1 in 3 marriages ending that way.
• Low Wages & High Cost of Living - This is a problem unless you work for the government, are a professional or in the oil field. What one gets for a house these days in Wyoming, is pretty much a joke. You spend anywhere from 160,000 - 180,000 for a 'box' in a low class neighborhood, while making $10 an hour? I would not say that's a balanced deal. When I first moved here I thought, "Is everyone desperate for a buck?" Meaning, that people were charging outrageous amounts of money for goods and services. I made over $20 an hour in St. Louis, Missouri and the cost of living was about the same, or close to it. At any rate, it's still America, or shall we say Wyoming? Therefore, you can increase your skill set and make more money, if you really want to.

Again, as with any place in America, there are pros and cons in any state you live in, but I would say, for the most part, we have it really good here in Wyoming. What do you like or dislike about Wyoming? Feel free to share your thoughts and observations in the comments section below.