JACKSON, Wyo. — On this 307 Day, Buckrail wanted to know what Wyomingites most treasure about living in the Cowboy State. Thank you to all of the readers who answered the call!
This reader response beautifully encapsulated the overall sentiment of the survey results.
“The best part about living in Wyoming is the wide open spaces, beautiful mountains and forests,” the reader said. “The gorgeous wild animals: bears, moose, mountain lions, elk and so many more beautiful wild animals. And you know what, the people aren’t half bad either.”
One respondent from Dubois celebrated the ease of small-town life.
“Sparse population, wildlife, being able to do a U-turn on Main Street most of the year.”
“When you need a break you can just drive out on a nearby dirt road and be blissfully alone,” another reader said. “No cars, people or distractions. Just breathing in the smell of sagebrush and freedom.”
Freedom was a common refrain in survey responses. Another reader responded, “The freedom to go all day and not see any people, just animals.” Others referred to “the governing freedom the state provides,” with a few mentioning freedom from certain taxes.
“Fresh mountain air! No traffic! No income tax and good schools!” one said.
One reader even extolled the lifestyle in Freedom, Wyoming.
“I am fifth generation from Western Wyoming,” he said. “I am proud that my ancestors had true grit and were able to settle a land that many people looked at as too harsh to settle. My ancestors settled that land with homesteads on the Freedom, Idaho and Freedom, Wyoming side.”
The state’s abundance of wildlife was cited in most responses.
“Having a moose run through my back yard and looking up to see a bald eagle or a swan fly over,” one reader said.
“Living alongside moose, elk, pronghorn, bears, wolves, bison, eagles…sharing our beautiful land with the wildlife that was here long before we were,” another responded.
As is common in public forums, a jokester felt the need to weigh in: “Unfortunately, I live and work in Jackson, so I don’t get to spend much time in Wyoming.”
The comments were rounded out by a sweet anecdote about the friendliness of Wyoming’s residents.
“When I moved to a small town in Wyoming from Atlanta many years ago, I stopped in a store that had a lunch counter,” one reader shared. “After eating lunch, I was given a bill and asked to pay it at the cashier on the way out of the store. I was dumbfounded, and asked the server if people ever just walked out of the store without paying for lunch. He looked at me like I was crazy and said, ‘Of course not.'”
