Casper — Wyoming’s central mountain city continues to garner national attention as a destination as well as a stop on the way to Yellowstone National Park, the Wind River Range or the Bighorns.
Casper’s population of 59,000 includes nearly 10,000 seniors, considering the city has vaulted onto the list of America’s top 10 retirement destinations, according to WalletHub’s national rankings. This is not surprising.
A recent analysis by a private finance company to determine the best retirement city for seniors compared 180 cities using 45 metrics, including tax laws, cost of living, available activities, and access and quality of health care. We investigated kindness toward retirees.
Casper is 9th. Along with Scottsdale, Arizona (6th place), they are the only two cities from the West to make the top 10. Las Vegas ranked 11th, Denver 14th and Cheyenne 23rd.
According to this ranking, the city with the most retirees in the United States is Orlando, Florida.
Scores were awarded in four categories: affordability, activities, quality of life, and health care. Casper ranked #3 for affordability, #72 for activities, #29 for quality of life, and #88 for quality of health care.
Casper County resident Ron Strang, 73, is one of the city’s supporters. He and his wife moved to Casper from Las Vegas 38 years ago because they didn’t want to raise their four daughters there.
They knew they would stay after retirement.
“I looked at the Casper factors with the intention of retiring here,” Strang said. “The cost of living was a big factor, but the cost of housing was even better. We have no state taxes. … It’s a very, very safe place.”
Safety, Affordability, and Recreation
Strang, a volunteer at the Casper Senior Center, said she suffered a stroke in 2009. Since then, he has become a volunteer and spokesperson for the center and the city.
In addition to Casper’s safety and affordability, he said recreation was a big part of why he chose to move his family to the city.
“I moved here because you can catch almost anything in the U.S. within 45 minutes of my house,” he says.
Strang said seniors can obtain deer, antelope and elk hunting licenses at low or no cost. Restricted to a wheelchair, he will be able to obtain a disability license that will allow him to hunt from his car five days before the season opens.
Michael Hawk, of the Michael Hawk Real Estate Team in Casper, said about 20% or 25% of calls to his office come from out-of-state individuals nearing or considering retirement. Ta. They are interested in the state because withdrawals from Social Security, pension and retirement accounts are not taxed.
“That’s the first thing that draws people to Wyoming when they start thinking about retirement, and what’s really behind that is the cost of living,” he says. “Our cost of living is very low compared to other parts of the country.”
Currently, the median home price in Casper is approximately $330,000. In Denver, that median price is about $450,000, Hock said. However, he said another big attraction is that residential property taxes are lower than in other areas.
Another factor driving retirees to the region are their children who have moved to cities and states in search of work. Grandparents want to be close to their grandchildren.
Hauck said the mountains and the fact that Casper is home to Banner Wyoming Medical Center and a significant health care industry are also encouraging for retirees. Interest in the city had been “steady” in recent years, but like other regions in the country, it “sparked a fever” during the pandemic.
And the interest never really stopped, he said.
“This is kind of the last frontier, and people believe it still has a small-town feel,” he said. “I really think the reason they move here is just to get away from the big city.”
Ron Strang of Casper moved to the city from Las Vegas 38 years ago and said he has no regrets. Recreational opportunities, safety, and affordability were big draws. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily)
Retired visitors
Visit Casper marketing director Wayne Stewart said the tourism bureau uses a geolocation data platform to track interactions “to glean insights about our visitors.”
People in the retirement age group have a significant amount of traffic with government agencies.
“We really see people in the retirement age group coming here year-round, and they’re usually the group that spends the most money,” he says. “It clearly means they enjoy being here and are actively participating in everything we have to offer.”
Stewart said Visit Casper data shows seniors prefer to eat at restaurants, visit museums and participate in outdoor recreation. He said cultural and historical travel is a big part of the city’s destinations for people to “enrich their lives.”
Fort Casper, the National Historic Trail Interpretive Center, and outdoor recreation opportunities are attractive to retirees.
“Casper has plenty of easily accessible outdoor recreation for all ages, not just thrill-seeking adventure travelers,” Stewart said. “There are miles of paved trails along the North Platte River, and we also have waterfalls on Casper Mountain. You know you can hike all the bridle trails, but to get to the falls and experience the views, It takes less than half a mile.”
Stewart said the cross-country trails atop Casper Mountain that are available during the summer are relatively easy to walk and hike. Even the elderly and those facing physical challenges will be able to get outside and experience outdoor recreation.
Stewart said Visit Casper worked with Advance Casper, Casper’s public-private economic development group, to include more information about why the city is “a great place to live, work and play.” He said he has created a migration package and is also promoting it. Promote this city as a destination on livability.com.
The city has the 9th lowest real estate property taxes in the nation and the 10th lowest cost of living in the nation, according to the website choosecpr.com.
There are 53 parks, 4 dog parks, 90 miles of trails, 11 museums, and more than 190 restaurants.
Senpai’s thoughts
Bob Kuhlman, 80, and his wife, Anita, said they are grateful to have access to medical care.
“I like things that can be used for entertainment, things that you don’t have to do but can do,” he said.
The Kuhlman family moved to Glenrock from Nebraska in 1972. Currently living in Casper.
One of Kuhlman’s concerns is the rising cost of living, especially taxes. He said his couple is paying double or triple what they were paying before and that the affordability margin is still viable, but only because he has a plan in place. He’s not a fan of the new 6-cent sales tax proposal on the November ballot in Casper that would allow voters to choose which projects to fund from the extra penny.
“It’s going to be a burden on people. There’s a lot of good stuff, but it’s not really necessary,” he said. “If you’re going to tax it, it’s going to be pretty tough in this economy.”
Kuhlman said he would continue to recommend Casper as a retirement destination.
Frank Stofflett, 88, a retired Natrona County High School chemistry teacher, has been in Casper for 60 years. He moved into his home in 1964 and said it’s hard to compare it to other places. But he enjoys what the city has to offer in retirement.
“I take a lot of study classes at Casper College, they have the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra, they have Mt.,” he said. “I’m on the bike trail, and there’s a lot going on. I stay connected to school, so I go to ballgames.”
Those moving to this area still need to get used to winter. While last winter was mild, 134.5 inches of snow fell in Casper the winter before that.
Houk said some retirees who came to the state for tax benefits have had second thoughts, but not many. Several retirees expressed concerns during a snowy winter several years ago.
“A lot of people asked me if that was a unique situation,” he says.
In the past, the city has been named one of the top 20 mountain towns by Men’s Journal, one of the top 10 places to catch trophy brown trout by Field and Stream, and one of the top big-fish spots by Angler magazine. It has been selected as one of the top 10.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
