Top 10 Common Misconceptions About Living in Wyoming | What It’s Really Like to Live Here! Do people in Wyoming ride horses to work? Do we all live in log cabins with no Wi-Fi? Think again! In this video, I’m breaking down the 10 most ridiculous (but super common) myths about living in Wyoming — and setting the record straight. I’m Alisha Collins, your go-to Wyoming real estate expert with over 20 years of experience helping buyers and sellers navigate the Cowboy State. Whether you’re curious about life in Wyoming, thinking of moving here, or just want to laugh at the wild misconceptions outsiders have, you’ll love this episode! ✅ What You’ll Learn in This Video: • Do all Wyomingites own horses? 🐎 • Does Wyoming have fast internet? 💻 • Is it just cowboys, ranchers, and prairie land? 🌾 • What’s the weather really like? ❄️☀️ • Is Yellowstone the only attraction? 🏞️ • Are outsiders truly unwelcome? 🚫 (Spoiler: nope!) We’ll cover life in Casper, Cheyenne, Jackson, Sheridan, Laramie, and beyond — plus, I’ll share what makes Wyoming a hidden gem for community, outdoor adventure, and building a life on your own terms. 💬 Drop a comment below and tell me: Which myth surprised you the most? Where are you watching from? I love hearing from you!
Do y’all ride horses to work? Does everyone live in a log cabin? Do you even have Wi-Fi? Yeah, I’ve heard it all, and these are just a taste of some of the questions I’ve been asked about living in Wyoming. Wyoming’s got a reputation that’s straight out of a Western movie, so let’s clear the air. Here are the top 10 most ridiculous and honestly super common misconceptions about living in Wyoming. Grab some popcorn, sit back and relax, because I’m about to set the record straight. If you’re new here, I’m Alisha Collins, your go-to Wyoming realtor with over 20 years of experience helping find dream homes right here in the equality state.
I’m kicking off with a big one. People swear every Wyomingite has a horse ready to trot to the grocery store like it’s 1880 and we’re all in spurs. Wyoming’s got some serious Western pride, and we know how to pack rodeo arenas. We love our Western roots. Four-H and FFA is huge here, and the state’s got about 10,000 horses, but let’s be real. Most of us are cruising in trucks or four-wheel SUVs, not hoofing it, pun intended. In Casper, you’re more likely to see a Subaru in the driveway than a stallion. Horse owners are out there, like me, but horseback is not our primary way to commute. Wyoming is modern, and our boots are functional for work and even stylish, but we don’t rely on them for survival. People act like Wyoming’s stuck in 1995, waiting for the dial-up to screech. If you know, you know. No, we are not sending smoke signals, carrier pigeons, or telegrams instead of emails. Some people imagine us huddled up around a single landline. The reality is Wyoming streams, zooms, and scrolls just like anywhere else. In Cheyenne and Casper, the top two biggest towns in Wyoming, the internet is fast, plenty for video calls and late-night Netflix. About 78% of the state has broadband, and even smaller spots like Laramie keep up with online classes or TikTok trends. Now, deep in the state, in remote towns like Cokeville or Pinedale, Starlink might be your best friend, and storms can slow things, but we’re never offline, just like wherever you are. Speaking of wherever you are, let me know in the comments where you’re watching from.
Then there’s the myth that Wyoming is only cowboys and ranchers, roping steers under a big hat. Ranching is alive and well. Here, there are roughly 11,000 ranches and farms that stretch across 30 million acres, but that’s not the whole story. Casper’s got nurses filling shifts at Banner Hospital, oil workers keeping pumps humming, and teachers shaping futures. Cheyenne buzzes with government staff, Laramie’s packed with university brains, and Jackson’s got artists sketching mountain scenes. From engineers to baristas, Wyoming is a melting pot of careers. We’re not all just tossing hay bales. Rodeo champions exist, but they’re sharing the state with poets, coders, and so much more.
People picture Wyoming as a frozen tundra like we’re shoveling snow year round. February is definitely the snowiest, with Casper averaging 12 inches, but Wyoming has four real seasons, sometimes all in one day. Summers climb to 85 or 90 degrees in places like Cheyenne and Casper, perfect for hiking or patio barbecues. Fall’s a riot of gold and red, especially in the Bighorns. Spring mud is for sure a thing here, and if you wanna know all about springtime in Wyoming, you can check out the video I made about springtime here. Some folks think it’s just tumbleweeds and crickets here, like we’re all hiding or something, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Towns here are bursting with heart and sense of community. Wyoming’s residents, and even residents from surrounding states, fill festival seats like Cheyenne Frontier Days, the College National Finals Rodeo here in Casper, and our other state fairs and rodeos. Casper keeps breweries hopping, local restaurants busy, and our hiking trails packed. Even teeny Wheatland throws county fairs that draws crowds for pie contests and tractor pulls.
Growth is happening here too. Casper’s population is up 2% since 2020, and Wyoming’s population as a whole has grown about 0.8% since the 2020 census, which is about 4,500 people, according to public media. These aren’t just empty plains. They’re communities knitting scarves for neighbors and cheering at high school games. Wyoming’s boring, and we sit around counting sagebrush. Wrong! Yellowstone alone pulls in four million visitors a year for a reason. Geysers, buffalo, you name it. Fish the North Platte River near Casper, ski Jackson Hole’s powdery runs, or hunt big game throughout the state. If you prefer to stay indoors, Laramie’s got live bands. Sheridan’s got art walks. Casper’s theater scene packs houses. Frontier Days in Cheyenne had 200,000 attendees in 2023. This event mixes rodeo with rock and country shows. From fossil digs to food trucks, Wyoming’s got your weekends jam-packed. Art fairs, farmer’s markets, and even Casper’s Ink Masters tattoo expo. Your calendar’s booked. Boredom is not a Wyoming thing.
People love this one. Wyoming’s just a sea of cowboy hats and one-track politics. Western grit is real. Think ranch traditions and open-carry coffee runs, but it’s not a cartoon. Wyoming’s got depth. Musicians in Jackson, scientists in Laramie, bakers in Buffalo. Cheyenne’s got urban transplants. Riverton’s got tribal leaders. We’re a melting pot of people, careers, and lifestyles. People here do everything from hunting, coding, and meditating. You name it. Being in Wyoming is not about fitting a mold. It’s about carving your own path under a big sky.
People think it’s just an endless prairie, like a pancake with grass. Then they see the Tetons, almost 14,000 feet of jaw-dropping granite, or the Wind River Range where climbers geek out. Casper’s got its own mountain at just over 8,000 feet, perfect for a quick hike. Wyoming’s got 32% public land, 25 million acres of peaks, forests, and rivers. Drive I25 and you’re dodging canyons, not snoozing through flatlands. The views here are postcard-worthy. It’s not even close to a snooze fest. Yellowstone is a star, but Wyoming is no one-hit wonder. Folks think it’s all about Old Faithful, like the rest of the state is a parking lot. Wrong again. Head to Fossil Butte in Kemmerer. Actual dinosaur bones in the rock. Devils Tower in the northeast draws over 500,000 climbers and hikers. You can’t stop staring. The beautiful Bighorn Mountains near Sheridan scream adventure, and Flaming Gorge in Green River is a boater’s dream. 1.5 million acres of turquoise glory. Medicine Bow’s snowy range has trails that steal your breath. Wyoming is a treasure map, not a Yellowstone suburb.
The last myth makes me a little sad, and it’s that outsiders aren’t welcome. Wyomingites are proud. We are fierce about our land and way of life, but giving cold shoulders, that’s not our style. I help transplants from California to New York settle in, and they’re sipping beers with the locals in no time at all. We wave at strangers, cheer new faces on at festivals. Smaller towns like Powell with 6,300 people pull you in to chili cook-offs. The deal’s simple. Care about our beautiful space. Don’t litter. Learn a little about Wind River tribes or cowboy code, and you’re in. We stay true to our values and our way of life. Neighbors here share fence-fixing duties or snowblowers without a second thought. You won’t find a warmer welcome than you will right here in Wyoming. So there you have it. That’s 10 Wyoming myths kicked to the curb. Tell me what surprised you the most about all of these. This state is not about stereotypes. It’s about mountains, community, and a life that’s yours to shape. Thinking Wyoming might be your spot? Stroll through Casper, swing by Cheyenne, or soak in Jackson views. Whether you’re buying, selling, or just settling in, reach out. We have local know-how to guide you. My team and I love being your go-to resource for all things Wyoming. We have time for you. We love answering your questions. We love hearing from you. We love where we live, and we want you to love where you live too. See you soon. Bleh. Do not put that at the end. Anyway. Four-wheel FGS. In truck, but… Oh my goodness. We’ve got, bleh. You good?
- Yeah.
- Are your arms sore?
- [Cameraperson] I did forearms yesterday. They’re a little tired.
- Oh.