Community Review
Now that we have a regular visitor to our blog sites, perhaps it would be a good time to learn a little about the communities outside of our own paradise of Alaska.
Wamsutter, Wyoming is located adjacent to Interstate 80 at Exit 173. It is a small community, the latest census reports indicates a population of 750 people residing in the immediate area.
Recently, Wamsutter came to the national attention with the "boom" of the development of gas wells in the area, the predominant industry. Currently, the local labor force is not strong enough to provide enough employees, consequently they are being recruited nation wide to move to Wamsutter.
Prior to the upheaval of your family and you go dashing off to Wamsutter to build your assets, you may want to consider the assets that are availalble in the area. Mayor Hippe, which should tell you something did an extensive interview pertaining to the community. Wamsutter is approximately 130 years old, first being founded by the railroad in 1886. Prior to the development of the oil and gas fields, the area was predominantly ranching and the capture of the wild horses that inhabited the area. In your planning stages, you may want to consider that there is a current housing shortage. Approximately 98% of the population of Wamsutter lives in mobile homes. Shopping and other services that the majority of us take for granted, really do not exist. The truck stop appears to be the focal point of the community along with one bar. In Wamsutter, there is no grocery store, no bank, no high school, no doctor, and no cemetery. I assume once they get a doctor, they will then need to locate a cemetery. If you are planning on dying, don't move to Wamsutter. Like our smaller communities in Alaska, you can find these services by traveling to Rawlins (40 miles) or to Rock Springs (70 miles).
After a review of Wamsutter, Wyoming I do not want to hear any additional snide comments about Anchor Point, Alaska. We also have no doctor, but we do have a cemetery, a professional golf course and most importantly we have trees and water.