Worland, Wyoming

Life in Worland, Wyoming, explained by people who’ve lived in Worland:

*Response format = Answer (Your name, How long you’ve lived in Worland)

Worland Favorites

What’s your favorite thing about living in Worland?

Big Horn mountains. (Mike, 15 years)
Probably the big horns, hard to say. (Caran, 17 years)
The people. (Diane, 20 years)
Culture of community and simple life. (Marcia, 22 years)
All my family is here. (Anonymous, 28 years)
The people. (Margaret, 29 years)
It’s central to mountain activities- fishing , hunting, etc. (Dean, 40 years)
Growing up my favorite things were: 1. we could walk to the Kirby theater as kids and not worry about strangers or crossing streets. 2. our parents knew everyone in town. 3. we didn’t have to lock our doors and could let our cars sit out (except on Halloween when we kids would soap all those car window.) 4. Now: good grocery stores. 5. less traffic 6. good relations with the police–low crime rate 7. neighbors helping neighbors. 8. good medical facilities here and close to Casper (for surgeries) and Cody (for cancer). 9. good weather with precise seasons so I can have projects for each one. 10. less expensive. 11. airport 12. good place to grow older. (Donna, 81 years)

What’s your least favorite thing about living in Worland?

Odd people. (Mike, 15 years)
The smell of the sugar beets. (Caran, 17 years)
The amount of drugs that have come in. (Diane, 20 years)
Extreme Winter weather – 40 below zero. (Marcia, 22 years)
Lack of things for kids to do, creating interest in drugs and alcohol. (Anonymous, 28 years)
Going for walks on the main street. (Margaret, 29 years)
Its lack of shopping and jobs. (Dean, 40 years)
It used to be lack of big stores but now with the internet that isn’t a problem. If I was inclined to want to go to big shows we don’t have much entertainment. It’s also hard for restaurants to stay in business since so many of us are older and can probably cook cheaper at home. Not many places for young people to meet and not much reason for them to stay. I probably should say snow but shoveling that keeps me in shape. (Donna, 81 years)

What are fun things to do in Worland?

Go to the mountains. (Mike, 15 years)
Swim bowl and the big horns. (Caran, 17 years)
Community activities, being outdoors, being a spectator for school activities. (Diane, 20 years)
Back in the day – Drag main, attend the Oktoberfest, local sporting events. (Marcia, 22 years)
Fishing. (Margaret, 29 years)
Outdoor activities. (Dean, 40 years)
The museum plus we are close to hunting and fishing and the mountains for diversity. We are also close to entertainment in Casper and Billings, close to Yellowstone park and other old Wyoming town short trips. All of this without having to live in the middle of extreme city life and traffic. (I lived in Fort Collins and Denver and traveled extensively in the US and overseas– so really have an appreciation). (Donna, 81 years)

What’s Worland known for?

Drugs. (Mike, 15 years)
PEPSI. (Caran, 17 years)
Back in the day – Business Commerce of Pepsi Cola, Holly Sugar and Agriculture. (Marcia, 22 years)
Drugs. (Anonymous, 28 years)
Sugar Beets. (Margaret, 29 years)
Friendly people and lack of wind that terrorizes the state. (Dean, 40 years)
Crossroads to somewhere else. (Donna, 81 years)

What’s the crime like in Worland? (hot spot areas, etc.)

Pretty bad all over. (Mike, 15 years)
Don’t know if any. (Caran, 17 years)
Drugs are the biggest problem I see. (Diane, 20 years)
I always thought of Worland as crime free and a safe place to grow up. (Marcia, 22 years)
Lots of heroin, meth, and painkillers being sold. (Anonymous, 28 years)
Back then there was very little. (Margaret, 29 years)
Very low. (Dean, 40 years)
Just reading the paper I’m impressed with the drug attention here. Also impressed with the attention to loose animals. We have no way of knowing other stuff if it’s not in the paper. (Donna, 81 years)

Any advice for people moving to Worland?

Be careful who you trust. (Mike, 15 years)
Plug your car in on cold winter days. (Caran, 17 years)
Realize it’s a small town, not a big city. We don’t act like people in the city and we don’t appreciate people that come in and try to force things their way. It’s about community and taking care of each other. (Diane, 20 years)
Since I haven’t lived there for 39 years, I don’t feel qualified to give any advice – with time is change. (Marcia, 22 years)
Get involved. (Margaret, 29 years)
Expect extremes in temperature. (Dean, 40 years)
Be prepared for a slower life and the ability to concentrate on the finer things in their lives. It’s not a requirement to be “high-falutin” with makeup, clothes, entertainment, etc. much cheaper to just be. If they have owned a home in another state and sold it their money will go farther in Worland for housing. Schooling is very good but do not expect a lot of extracurricular activities. Be prepared to DRIVE to many things available in the state but not to worry about traffic on our roads (we have new neighbors in their late 60’s that, after an extensive computer search, elected to move here from Washington state so I am watching the things they are doing. Finding activities and eating out for them is harder. The churches have been most helpful as well as the museum. They do love the ability to go rock/gem hunting). (Donna, 81 years)

Share an experience you’ve had in Worland (fun, crazy, dangerous, etc.).

Bike riding. (Caran, 17 years)
Homecoming – Community coming out to celebrate. (Marcia, 22 years)
People helped me learn English, raised my kids there. Good times. (Margaret, 29 years)
Since I grew up here, it has been interesting to watch the growth patterns. Businesses come and go. Other businesses prospers. Our paper that used to appear on the front porch now comes in the mail. (I used to deliver the Daily News–who knew). (Donna, 81 years)

How do you think Worland will change over the next 10 years?

Less and less to do, shop, eat. (Mike, 15 years)
Hopefully more businesses coming in. (Caran, 17 years)
Good Question! I hope that Worland is able to adapt to be progressive yet sustain that sense of Community – Simple life spirit. (Marcia, 22 years)
Loss in population due to shut down in minerals. (Dean, 40 years)
We will probably lose more downtown shopping due to the internet. The paper will only be seen online. It doesn’t seem feasible that industry will move in here because we aren’t close to the interstate, big rails or workers. Maybe that makes us less of a target for terrorists. haha. (Donna, 81 years)

Any other interesting facts about Worland?

They need to change the way they treat business, families if they want it to prosper. (Mike, 15 years)
Fun to look for dinosaur bones. (Caran, 17 years)
Worland has maintained a high level of Community involvement and Cultural events over the years. (Marcia, 22 years)
Sugar beet trucks lined Main Street during beet harvest time. (Margaret, 29 years)
It’s a well kept secret. (Donna, 81 years)