You know what amazes me about UFO's? They never land at the White House. They always land at laramie, Wyoming. Thiry miles out, where they're seen by one farmer.
-Larry King
Most people can imagine that Laramie is a beautiful city/town surrounded by some of the country’s greatest skiing, fly-fishing, camping and hiking. What may surprise you though is how much the University of Wyoming trickles down from the U through high school, elementary school and Kindergarten and creates a great academic environment throughout the city. Not unusual for a college town but when you mix in the Laramie Mountains, the Rocky Mountains, and the nearby Vedauwoo recreation area, this is an unbeatable combination.
Here's a summary from a local about Laramie:
Gorgeous landscape with mountains & high prairie. Nonetheless, we grow vegetables, including tomatoes. University provides many amenities, such as an outstanding symphony orchestra, theatre productions, art exhibits. Population of 30,000 plus 13,000 college students. City life in Denver is just a few hours drive away. No state income tax, no sales tax on groceries. Red state with conservatives in charge of politics, but Laramie is eclectic, somewhat progressive, cosmopolitan with many foreign students attending UW. We’ve been here for over 20years & enjoy being here.
So it snows from September through May -- and it sometimes also falls in June, July, or August. If that doesn’t bug you then you’ll do just fine here. A bright side to all this snow though is sunshine. It’s sunny nearly every day here so perhaps even if you do hate the cold and snow you’ll enjoy all the vitamin D.
Climate counsel from a local:
The climate will be a shock and a danger, heightened by the sparseness of humans. You will need to rely on a sense of caution and your intelligence. Laramie’s weather is likely the worst in the state or region. Its altitude of 7,200 feet brings vicious winters. But winter has no temporal definition; snow can fall in any month of the year, including stray flakes during during the Independence Day fireworks. School is held in subzero temperatures with a foot of snow on the ground. (People of my age recall the -50, two-foot drift day with kindergartners walking to school.
Top Three Things To Do In Laramie:
You are close to two mountain ranges, one of which is among the most beautiful places in the American Rockies. Skiing, hiking, mountain biking, etc. are all within a 45 minute drive. World class trout fishing is nearby, and you can fish in the Laramie River as it flows through the town’s greenway.
The bars are great if you like no nonsense, fun bars full of college aged coeds. The beer is cheap and the mixed drinks are strong. There is never a line to get into a bar.
The University of Wyoming offers learning, entertainment and cultural opportunities with solid performers coming through town. Mix that with a local scene of music and arts and for a small city there’s a fair bit to do here.
Check out the Laramie calendar of events if you want to see what locals get up to: https://www.visitlaramie.org/
The University is really the only major professional game in town. Once you get beyond the U you’re either in the service sector or in one of the small engineering/environmental consulting groups. Since a lot of the newcomers to Laramie are presumably remote workforce refugees this probably won’t matter much to those considering a move here.
If you watch the show Yellowstone or have heard about all the western towns that have been overrun with Californians over the last few years then you know the populations and housing prices have already exploded in towns from Boulder to Boise. Laramie feels way on the early side of any of that kind of movement. In Laramie you get the Dutton family (again, see Yellowstone) western vibe combined with college town energy but without the heavy influx of Californians. What’s not to like?
Laramie is a tale of two cities. In the summer the city is quiet as the college students have all bolted for home. Come fall things pick up and get more energized but without too much of the ballyhoo of some college towns. Another thing to know about Laramie is that approximately 50% of the people here rent their homes. Some of that is a byproduct of the college residents and some of that is the blue collar working community that can’t afford the somewhat expensive housing prices by Wyoming standards.
The city is primarily made up of bedroom neighborhoods with 3 and 4 bedroom homes dominant and apartment complexes throughout, available for college and other renters.
Laramie has a small young professional population that in many cases works at the U. In many cases they also live in the historic district south of campus which has both apartment and housing options. Rentals abound in Laramie so relatively easy for a young professional to afford living here.
Much of the University population lives on campus but surrounding apartment complexes in the City Center and Historic District south of campus also hold some of them as well. Given the high percentage of rentals in Laramie it is a pretty inexpensive place for college kids off-campus with plenty of low-priced apartment complexes for rentals.
Most of the neighborhoods outside of Downtown and the Historic District have suburban vibes with multiple-bedrooms and yards galore. The school district is excellent so this is a great place to get your start and have enough to raise the little ones or maintain the lifestyle of the bigger ones.
