Honest info on living in the Jackson WY area.

[SFC B]

Here is the deal. It looks like I am going to get offered a job with the Forest Service in Jackson. Not great pay but thanks to my military retirement it doesn't have to be. HERE is the rub. I need to work a few more years in the Fed system to get another retirement and although I have been busting butt to get something around the Springs I have had no luck. If I go to Jackson I will be a geo bachelor. Is there ANY way to live on a shoe string around there? I would have to be supporting the household here and would plan on getting a part time job as well but the recruitment officer warned about the $$$$$ for living in the area. Any knowledge and suggestions would be great. BTW, I have until COB tomorrow to say whether to keep me "in the mix" or not.

 

[HighDesertSage]

Sorry, no experience with the town itself, but when I am scoping out new places I always use this site to help me make an informed decision. It looks like housing there is 278% higher than the national average. Wow...

http://www.bestplaces.net/cost_of_living/city/wyoming/jackson

 

[ERSS]

SFC,
I live about 90 miles from Jackson, and have friends and several clients who live / work there. There is really no cheap way to live in Jackson. Most lived in or around Victor or Driggs ID, and drove the pass daily, or straight south as far down as Alpine to Afton. Had a friend in my Navy Reserve unit that was a cop in Jackson, on a cops salary he had to live in Bondurant, east of Hoback Junction.

I suppose you have already looked into this, but maybe the forest service has line on some cheap rentals. Might ask where their entry level or seasonal employees live?

 

[cedahm]

SFC,
I live about 90 miles from Jackson, and have friends and several clients who live / work there. There is really no cheap way to live in Jackson. Most lived in or around Victor or Driggs ID, and drove the pass daily, or straight south as far down as Alpine to Afton. Had a friend in my Navy Reserve unit that was a cop in Jackson, on a cops salary he had to live in Bondurant, east of Hoback Junction.

I suppose you have already looked into this, but maybe the forest service has line on some cheap rentals. Might ask where their entry level or seasonal employees live?

A couple of ski bum buddies in college all lived in some barely-standing-up joint in Driggs for pennies. That was the 90's though, not familiar anymore, but driving the pass every day in the winter time doesn't sound fun.

A (very) quick check on Craigslist shows a bunch of 1BR in Jackson for ~$1400/month and closer to ~$800 in driggs.

OTOH - such a beautiful part of the world.

Note also that if you can claim residency (or partial) in Wyoming vs. Idaho, there's no state income tax.

 

[Blacktailbc]

I think a lot of people that work in Jackson, live over the hill in Idaho.

 

[Hunting Wife]

Second the vote that there is no cheap way to live in Jackson. We used to lose money on work trips there because the per diem wasnt even close to covering the cost of groceries.

I also kind of dislike the area in the winter. The valley is kind of cramped and dark and foggy a lot. I always felt depressed there in the winter. Not like sunny CO!

 

[Double Creek]

The saying in Jackson Hole is the billionaires ran all the millionaires out. Checking real estate prices, I would say that is true. But, I have never seen another place like it, very special place. If there is a way to pull it off, I would do it.

 

[MThuntr]

Is there a FS bunkhouse? It won't be ideal but if there is one available it's a temporary option

 

[nrpate05]

I lived in the Jackson area for 4 years up until 2014. I always managed to live pretty reasonably in town and in Wilson, just a few miles down the road. I did have roommates though and most of the places were small. Like many have said, living over the hill in Idaho can definitely save you money in housing but you are committing to a ~30 mile drive over Teton Pass. There is housing down by Hoback Junction, but I am not sure how what home prices are like down there. People do live north of Jackson in the Buffalo Valley. It is about an hours drive, however. I wonder if the Forest Service knows about any affordable housing. When I left they were building affordable housing in Teton Village ( where the ski resort is) and they looked nice but I don't know how much they were selling for. It sounds like you have a pretty cool opportunity there and I hope you can make it work as it is one of the prettiest places on earth. I'd move back in a heartbeat if I found the right work opportunity there.
Good luck!

 

[zhetrick]

How much are you looking to pay a month? you said family? how many bedrooms you need? I looked quick on zillow.com and found four or five from 1400-3500 in jackson a month.

 

[SFC B]

The FS said they DO NOT have housing available and this would just be me......just putting in the time until I can retire again and coming home when I can. I would need to keep it pretty darn cheap

 

[EBOLAVIRS]

I have a friend who recently moved to Park City because Jackson was too expensive and the winter was too rough. He has a pretty well paying job designing high end houses and still found Jackson too rich for his blood. That tells me all I need to know as Park City is far from reasonable but he can swing living there financially. I have also heard the running joke about the billionaires forcing out the millionaires.

 

[1_pointer]

Does anyone remember "Elkhunter" or have his contact info? He and his wife were former posters here and IIRC he was a caretaker for homes in Jackson.

SFC- Not the most glorious option, but might be worth checking if any of the private campgrounds have long term options. Buy a decent camp trailer and live out of it?

My guess is that the only way to make it pencil will involve a lengthy drive...

 

[Topgun 30-06]

Does anyone remember "Elkhunter" or have his contact info? He and his wife were former posters here and IIRC he was a caretaker for homes in Jackson.

SFC- Not the most glorious option, but might be worth checking if any of the private campgrounds have long term options. Buy a decent camp trailer and live out of it?

My guess is that the only way to make it pencil will involve a lengthy drive...

That is the one suggestion I had, but if you're talking about having to live in one during the winter, it is not much fun. My best buddy did that in a 5th wheel up in Dickinson, ND for 3 years until he and his wife were able to retire from Marathon Oil Co. a couple months ago. The company let her continue working in Sheridan, but John had to go to ND to keep his job because they didn't want to move their daughter from that good school system in WY. One long holiday weekend while he was back in Sheridan,WY the temps were -20 in ND and the power went out at the trailer. When he got back he ended up replacing all the plumbing that was frozen solid to the tune of $3K. We hunted Region G last September and people were driving from Afton and even further to work in Jackson every day due to the high cost of living there. Good luck on finding what you need!

 

[sbhooper]

One other problem with Jackson, is that there is no room for expansion. It is surrounded by public land.

My buddy's dad lives in a small A-frame and I think pays $1300 a month. He is an architect.

 

[Deleted member 16014]

PM sent

 

[JWP58]

Ya live in Idaho. Seriously, a lot of folks that work around Jackson live in Driggs.

 

[T Bone]

During college I worked on a gyp-crete construction crew in Jackson and Teton Village. Even back then (1990), living in the area was crazy expensive. We'd drive the pass daily from the Idaho side.