Reviews & Comments
Ely, NV
Ely in general -
11/13/2007The main highlights: the Hotel Nevada is the gem in this small town with the best pizza anywhere, and the people who live in Ely are very friendly. We'll see how friendly when I finish with the negatives. Wages aren't bad at all for the size of the town, however the rents are increasing beyond the income levels.
I don't think this town has seen any tax dollars in decades (except for the schools), the two main streets are in good repair, however every other street in town is cracked with potholes to rival canyons. If you move here be prepared to save plenty of money each year for tires and suspension problems for your vehicles. The money you save on not needing to do yearly emissions tests will be spent on repairs. The nearest Walmart/Kmart/Alco or Pamida is over 150 miles away so when I went looking for a new purse or shoes I had a selection of about 10 pair in the entire town. If you live here make sure you have your own washer and dryer because the one laundo-mat in town has pretty much the same machines it had when it opened (probably in the 60's). Not really anything for kids to do. Two limited radio stations with pretty much the same type of programming on both. There is a pretty lake nearby but you have to pay to park there. I had originally moved there intending to open a small retail business but changed my mind when I saw how run-down most of the downtown storefronts looked. Cracked and peeling paint on more than half of the buildings and not just the businesses.
Burleson, TX
Lived in Burleson in 2001 and 2002 and loved it -
11/14/2006I lived just outside Burleson in the East Renfro area about 2 miles out of town and there is a very friendly close-knit group of people out there that I miss terribly. The entire neighborhood just seemed to take me under their wing and into their hearts. I grew up in a small town in WY where I was related to 3/4 of the town and I never felt at home there as much as I did in Burleson. If small neighborhoods where everyone knows everyone else is not your cup of tea then live inside city limits, not out on E. Renfro. Or try one of the larger Fort Worth suburbs instead. Burleson is just 6 miles south (touches it actually). By the way, most of Burleson is in a dry county meaning no alcohol sales unless you join one of the private clubs. Suited me just fine but not for everyone. Jobs pay reasonable and housing costs at the time were still reasonable but on the rise so I doubt that the info above is acurate anymore. Good school system, especially since my son had learning problems, they dealt well with him. Lots of new dining and shopping choices at the north end of Burleson.
The weather is nice with four seasons, mild winters and summers aren't as hot as you might expect with the light breezes that help on most summer days. We got snow only about 3 times in the 2 years I lived there, but beware because when it does snow more than an inch people just tend to stop on the interstates and not let those who can drive in snow pass by.
Plenty of culture and night life in nearby Fort Worth or Dallas.
Lander, WY
I was born in Lander and lived there as recently a -
11/14/2006Wonderful little town if you can afford it. With so many people from CA and from Jackson being chased out by their own high prices and going to Lander the real estate is no longer affordable to the locals. I guess when you've just sold a shack in CA for 400,000.00 then 180,000.00 for an average 3 bedroom sounds pretty reasonable. Unfortunately if these people had done a little homework instead of being so gullible to pay such prices maybe the real estate would still be like it was just 15 years ago with that same 3 bedroom house going for 50,000.00 or with inflation maybe up to 75,000.00 now.
Good paying jobs are hard to find for the average worker so unless you have some law, medical or engineering degree or a skilled laborer (such as rig worker or mechanic) then you can expect only about 18,000.00 to 22,000.00 per year. The last time I lived there I got very lucky job wise but just couldn't keep up with the housing cost so left. Perfect for the outdoor enthusiast though, lots of stuff to do. Not so much if you want culture.
Winters can be rough to those not used to them, with as low as -40 degrees occassionally but an average daytime temp in the coldest months at zero to 20 degrees. Summers can reach 100 but not often enough to worry about.
You can visit the chamber of commerce for Lander online and the Riverton Ranger shows classifieds for both Lander and Riverton online to give a clear picture of the housing and job situation.