Living conditions in Cheyenne/Laramie

I am currently in the process of interviewing for a job that will be in Laramie or Cheyenne WY. I am not sure if I have any say in the matter, but I was hoping to learn more about the difference between these two cities.

I know both towns are close to Vedauwoo and close to some very good mountain biking. I currently live in a part of NY that is ~2 hrs to the nearest climbing so anything under a hour for climbing is going to be a huge change for me! I have heard some negative things about Cheyenne and mostly positive things about Laramie but I can't remember any specifics as it was a couple of months ago when I met someone who lived in Laramie for a couple of years.

Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Laramie is a college town, it has a tighter downtown and a few nice eateries that aren't chains. It's small, I don't know how old you are but if you're too old for college women (or too impatient) you will burn through the available ladies in a few weeks. It's closer to Vedauwoo and has more of a climbing scene.

Cheyenne socially is very spread out, most of the eateries are chains, the downtown is only active 10 days a year. The rest of the year it's Dell Range, a big stupid strip mall with a real mall and bunch of chains. There are more ladies there but they are often quite large and have several kids.

Property values are reasonable for both.

Laramie has a decent bouldering gym, or did. Cheyenne doesn't have anything unless something new has come in.

Both towns get extremely windy and throw in blizzard conditions. On a 55 degree January day where people are climbing in T-shirts in Denver or Boulder, it's likely to be cold, gray, and super windy in Vedauwoo.

Cheyenne is easier to access the front range by, but just barely.

Wyoming does not have income tax.

I would be comfortable raising children there and moving my hot wife there. I would not want to move there single.

I agree with the previous comments. I have a friend who lives in chey and really has a hard time finding climbing partners. It is easier to find a partner in Laramie but they will probably move after they graduate.

(sheep comment)

Thanks everyone for your input! Couldn't find a specific supertopo thread but found enough information about what it'd be like to live in that area of Wyoming.

You could easily commute to Cheyenne from Ft. Collins. Totally different community.

Adam B wrote:You could easily commute to Cheyenne from Ft. Collins. Totally different community.

I lived in Laramie from 1995 thru 2001. Back then, there was a cool outdoors culture and I never had problems finding a climbing partner. Vedauwoo is a quick trip up the interstate and i spent lots of time there. It was also nice to head west sometimes and spend time in the snowy range as well.

The biggest nuisance that SE Wyoming has is the wind. It will drive you mad at times. I remember once when the winds never dropped below about 40mph for a week straight. Even the longtime locals were complaining.

Laramie was a cool experience I'm glad i got to experience but I would never move back..