Meet Casper, the Friendly City
Thinking about making a move to Casper? Here, you'll enjoy the best of both mountain moods and city convenience.
Thanks to its world-class fly fishing and location at the foot of the Laramie Mountains, Casper is well-known as one of the most desirable cities in the Mountain West for hunters, hikers and other outdoorsy pursuits. And while residents can be in the mountains in mere minutes, they also have access to a growing community with friendly folks, career opportunities, a revitalized downtown and an affordable cost of living. If you are thinking about making the move to Casper, here’s what you need to know.
Enjoy The Outdoor Lifestyle
“I moved to Casper three years ago, just because I could,” says Sam Seeton, a relative newcomer to the area. His employer at the time had offered him a remote job, and the Colorado native decided he needed to make a change.
“Colorado has gotten so crazy with its influx of people, and I’m a big outdoorsman,” he says. “I was figuring out what the best place would be in my eyes in terms of proximity to hunting, fishing and biking.”
Wonderful Waterfall
Garden Creek Falls is located a quick drive from Casper’s downtown in Rotary Park, which also offers miles of trails that provide scenic views of the city.
Seeton was familiar with Casper – he’d been visiting for years by that point – so he bought a home on 40 acres outside of the city. While the property was a big step up in terms of size (he’d previously resided in Aurora, Colorado, a suburb of Denver), it wasn’t much of a stretch on his finances.
“When I was working in Aurora, I was living in a 1,500-square-foot house in a neighborhood in the outskirts of Aurora,” he says. “My mortgage was $26 cheaper than my mortgage now on a 2,900-square-foot house with two barns and water rights.”
While Seeton enjoys everything outdoorsy, he says his all-time favorite pastime is fly-fishing. “In my opinion, this area has the best trout fishing outside of Alaska,” he says.
He can reel off a list of nearby spots he particularly enjoys: Alcova Reservoir, Miracle Mile and Grey Reef. But he admits he doesn’t even have to leave downtown Casper to bring in a catch.
“I can walk outside our office in the middle of town to catch world-class trout or drive 30 minutes,” he says.
Copper Mack, a longtime Casper resident, moved here when she was just 18, and has had years to discover local hiking trails.
“Personally, I love visiting the waterfall and exploring the beautiful outdoors that Casper and its surroundings offer,” she says.
Participate in the Buzzing Business Scene
As the social media marketer for the Bourgeois Pig, a coffee shop and art gallery in downtown Casper, Mack has seen plenty of change come to the business district.
“Downtown Casper has indeed been evolving. The city has been actively working to rejuvenate the downtown area, and we’ve seen some fantastic additions that have revitalized the community,” she says. “There’s a thriving music scene and a growing number of culturally relevant events.”
The Pig itself hosts live music and dance parties, banned book club meetings, and other fun ways to gather together.
Mack is also a big fan of local museums, and the city has plenty: the Nicolaysen Art Museum, Tate Geological Museum and historic Bishop House, among them.
“Just since I’ve been visiting for the better part of a decade, a ton has changed recently, specifically downtown,” Seeton says.
“I’m in the office looking out the window at Three Crowns golf course, which used to be an oil refinery. … Recently I was driving through town with my wife, and it was totally different than it used to be. It wasn’t that oil city with a rough downtown. It’s changed a lot, and all for the better. A lot of remote tech people have started moving in, so there is more diversity; it’s not just oil and gas businesses.”
Part of that draw is because Wyoming doesn’t levy a state income tax. That’s beneficial to businesses like the Pig, Mack adds.
Seeton agrees; thanks to Casper’s lower cost of living, he was able to quit his day job and become the full-time CEO of the company he co-founded, Infinite Outdoors. “My pay decreased,” he says, “but my quality of life increased.”
He also shouts out Casper’s thriving breweries and shopping.
“The brewery scene is really, really good,” Seeton says. “And Casper is one of the only places in Wyoming that you’ll also find big chain stores, if you want any of those big-city feels.”
Save on Housing Costs
The city of 58,000+ residents offers enough big-city amenities but maintains midsize community conveniences, such as easy commutes and lots of open spaces.
People who move to Casper will enjoy a little more cash in their wallet. The cost of living in Casper is 94.8% of the U.S. average, and median home values ($276,000 in November 2023, Zillow) are less than 80% of the national average and significantly less than cities including Denver, Colorado, and Billings, Montana.
Casper residents have a number of options for beautiful neighborhoods. In the Wolcott Historic District, the majority of homes were built between 1910 and 1924 and feature several architectural styles. Most homes have price tags under $300,000.
Another part of the city with reasonable housing costs is Centennial Hills, known for being family friendly, safe and well maintained. Yet another highly regarded and affordable neighborhood is the tree-lined Valley Hills, which is billed as clean and quiet.
– Staff Writer Kevin Litwin contributed to this article.
Get to Know Casper
Want to learn more about living and working in Casper, WY? Check out the latest edition of Livability Casper, Wyoming.
