Cheyenne is the capital of Wyoming, and while being the capital it is still a smaller city with just 65,051 residents. Despite being smaller there is still plenty for residents and visitors to enjoy throughout the city.
1. You Are Surrounded By Nature
Cheyenne is located in a beautiful area. The average view in the morning in Cheyenne is a site that you will want to just stop and enjoy as it is a gorgeous and amazing look. As you stare towards the nearby Laramie Mountains, you can see it in vivid detail with the sun rising nearby, along with that the valley separating you from the mountain has filled with fog obscuring the valley’s forest, with some of the evergreens reaching through the fog and enjoying the sun. This is a view that isn’t just a once-in-a-lifetime view, but rather a view that is very common, especially in late fall and early winter.
2. It Is A Very Happy City
This is one of the largest factors that help give the city its small-town feel. While in many larger cities people will tend to be very cold and avoid interactions at all costs, people in Cheyenne tend to be very nice and often are trying to help each other. This includes locals performing all sorts of services to keep the city looking nice, which often includes keeping the many parks clean and well-maintained so that both locals and visitors can enjoy their time there. Along with this, most interactions I have had with residents there left me with a smile and feeling a bit better as people just do nice things and seem to care about each other.
3. You Are Close To Everything You Need
Along with being close to a variety of different fun activities that you are going to be able to enjoy, you are also going to be close to just about anything you need. There are plenty of supermarkets throughout the city, lots of schools, churches, and even parks for locals to enjoy. But besides just local essentials, you are also close enough to Fort Collins and other major cities to be able to work wherever if you have to without much of a commute, and you are just 20 minutes from the airport, meaning you won’t have to worry about driving that much in order to do anything you need to do. This is extra nice as gas prices continue to rise reaching $4.70 per gallon of gas.
4. You Don’t Have To Deal With Traffic
While you are going even to have to be worrying about driving too much each day, even if you are driving into Cheyenne to work, you are also fortunate that you aren’t going to have to worry about dealing with traffic until you actually get into the city. The streets in and highways near Cheyenne as wide enough so that you don’t have to traffic. Along with that, Wyoming is home to safer drivers, ranking at 5 as the home to the safest drivers. So, you aren’t going to have to worry about accidents causing traffic either, so when you have to drive, you won’t have to worry about any traffic.
5. Low Rates Of Poverty
Along with the already talked about low rates of unemployment and a great job market, the overall rates of poverty are lower than the national average. This is interesting since both the average price of homes and nearly every aspect of Cheyenne’s cost of living are far above the national average, yet still the poverty rate of the city is just 9.1% of the city. This is just below the United States average of 14%, but when you are looking at many of the aspects that should make this far higher, it is very impressive that the city is just under that national average for its poverty rate.
6. Citizenship Rates Are High
Another positive that likely won’t affect you too much is the fact that the citizenship rates are extremely high. The national average citizenship rate comes in at 93.4% of the population, however, in the city of 65,000 people, Cheyenne has an outstanding percentage of the population being citizens with 98.5% of the population being United States citizens. This means that there are just 900 people who aren’t a citizen. It has also been shown that the number of people in Cheyenne who are citizens has been steady at 98.5% for the past several years.
7. Income Growth Is High As Well
Another great feature that you are going to get to enjoy when it comes to working in Cheyenne is the growth of the average income. I have already covered how Cheyenne has less poverty than many other cities in the United States, however, along with this the average wage is going to grow quickly. The wage growth over the past few years has averaged out to 6.21% growth each year.
8. Home Ownership Rates Are Great
Another positive that likely won’t affect you too much is the fact that the homeownership rates are extremely high. The state average ownership rate comes in at 67.5% of the population, however, in the city of 65,000 people, Cheyenne has an outstanding percentage of the population being homeowners with 69.5% of the population being fully owning their homes. It has also been shown that the number of people in Cheyenne who are owning their homes has been steady at 69% for the past several years.
9. Your Commute Will Be Quick
While you are able to drive to just about anywhere you want, the average commute time that most people are having to make each morning is just 15 minutes. This will be great as it means you are going to have more time before you have to leave for work and more time to enjoy doing whatever you want afterward. Along with that, a shorter commute also means less gas you have to purchase. And the majority of the commutes are throughout Cheyenne, and other small surrounding cities, which are easy drives down a typically non-traffic-jammed highway. Along with that, you can always use public transportation instead of driving yourself, however, public transportation did not make this list.
10. The Cost Of Homes Are Low
When it comes to getting a house in Cheyenne, you are going to be looking at houses that are a fair bit below the national average. The current average price of a home within the city is $369,121, a whopping $125,600 under the national average. One of the major reasons for this is due to the natural beauty of the area surrounding you and you can get an amazing home with a great location for far beneath the national average. Although with this the price of homes in Cheyenne is also quickly getting more expensive. In just the past year the average price of homes has increased by 12% and shows little sign of slowing down.
11. So Is The Cost Of Living
While the costs of homes are above the national average, you, fortunately, aren’t going to have to worry about the cost of either health services or utilities as these are both below the national average. The cost of health services comes in at just 98.5, meaning that visits to the hospital or the cost of products like medication are going to cost far less than most places in the nation. Along with that, utilities cost just 96.9 meaning that things like electricity, water, and power are going to be costing you less. This can help make up for the extra you had to pay for the home by paying less for the utilities. You also will be able to save some of the money for the much higher price of homes that you are going to have to deal with in Cheyenne.
12. The Weather Is Nice
That’s right, despite most of the Northwest being known for constant rain and cold weather, in Cheyenne you are going to have plenty of beautiful days to get outside and enjoy the nature you are surrounded by. The winters in Cheyenne can get cold dropping to below freezing, however, from late May to early October, the vast majority of the days are going to be sunny and will be around 70 degrees. You also aren’t going to have to worry about snow as this isn’t very common. During these same summer months, rainfall will drop from about 32% each day to just 5% meaning there will be plenty of sun for you to enjoy.
13. Taxes Are Low
Let’s be honest, taxes suck and most of us would prefer if we were able to keep all of our money and didn’t have to pay for taxes. Fortunately, in Cheyenne, you aren’t going to have to worry about any sales tax or income taxes as they are both low here. The average sales tax in Cheyenne is just 6%, far below the national average. And to make the whole tax situation that you are going to have to be dealing with while in Cheyenne, the state has no income tax so you are going to save a ton of money from the lower taxes.
14. Violent Crime Rates Are Low
Another big positive that many are going to be very happy to hear about is the fact that the amount of violent crime within the city is one of the lowest for a city with a population of over 100,000 people. The number of violent crimes, which included murder, robbery, rape, assault, and more, is just 3.75 per 1,000 people. This is far below both state and national averages with Wyoming’s rate being 3.93 and the United States Average being slightly higher at 4 violent crimes per every 1,000 people. Assault was the most common violent crime, however even then the odds of being assaulted in the city of Cheyenne are just under 0.65%, or in other words, extremely low and unlikely.
15. The Schools Are Getting a Passing Grade
If you are a parent, then this is going to be some very good news as the public schools both in Wyoming and in Cheyenne are great and are above average in their proficiency in math and reading. Wyoming schools come in with an average proficiency of 47%, with a high proficiency in reading at 50% and proficiency in math at just 43%. Meanwhile, Cheyenne’s schools perform just as well if not better, coming in at a total proficiency of 54%, with 52% in math and a great average of 56% in reading. When it comes to school spending, the schools are already spending higher than both the national and state average per student, and it is this willingness to spend more that has helped Cheyenne Schools to be so successful in recent years.
16. There Is Lots For You To Do
Along with having a great environment and views all around you, you have a variety of different options of activities for you to be able to do. You have options for a variety of different options for activities for you to enjoy if you decide to move here. You can make the quick drive out of the city to enjoy a hike, and even do some swimming at one of the many surrounding rivers, or you can instead go for a hike at one of the many different mountains which are located throughout the state. Both of these are very fun, and along with these, you have a variety of other options for activities in the surrounding area as there is much to explore and do.
17. You Don’t Have To Worry About Disasters
Throughout all of the United States, there are many different natural disasters that you are going to have to worry about. From earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes in the west, hurricanes or blizzards in the east, droughts in the south, and tornadoes in the midwest, almost anywhere you are going to go you are going to have to deal with some sort of natural disaster. The only thing you are ever going to have to deal with in Cheyenne is the rare and occasional tornado, however, everything from earthquakes to tornadoes occurs far below the national average. So, if you do move here you aren’t going to have to worry much about any sort of disaster.
