My 5 First Impressions of Casper After Just One Week

You can learn so much about a city in just a week. Now that my first 7 days in Casper are complete, here are some first impressions.

After a week, I consider myself an expert on Casper. Yes, that's sarcasm. But, I've got a good sense about why people that move here stay here. I'll limit myself to 5. Here goes.

1. The Wind Isn't As Bad As People Claim

When my family learned we had the opportunity to make our home in Casper, we did the typical online look-up of what people say about life here. There was a near unanimous chorus of "the wind is a terror". I can say that during my first week it hasn't been that bad. When I told one of my co-workers this, he laughed and said "Just wait...".

2. It Can Go From Feeling Like Summer to Winter in Like 2 Seconds

Yes, another weather-related thought. I knew the seasons here were different when I was enjoying 80-degree temps during the day and then throwing a sweater on at night when it got down into the low 20's.

3. Casper Has a Love Affair With Orange and White Barrels

There's no other explanation because they are everywhere. As I was trying to navigate Casper for the first time, I had no less than 3 detours because the I-25 exits I needed were blocked by orange and white barrels. Pro-tip: your GPS will not know there are orange and white barrels in your path and will tell you to drive right through them. I learned this the hard way.

4. Casper Mountain is So Pretty I'd Like to Kiss It Right on the Mouth

Slight exaggeration. I say "slight" because you can't actually kiss a mountain, but it's not for the lack of trying. You have the beautiful vista that blankets nearly all of Casper. Then, on the other side it's an amazing view of the plains. My wife tells me that it's kind of creepy to use such saucy talk when referring to geography, so I'll try to keep that to a minimum. I said "try".

5. Casper Old-timers Love to Tell New People Stories

It's been the best thing about Casper so far. Everyone that learns that my family is new to the city immediately breaks out a story about something that happened in Casper when they first moved here in 1982. Thankfully, no stories have involved scary bear encounters - yet.

It's an amazing experience when your family is new to an area/city to have so many people treat you like family. Give yourself a pat on the back for being awesome.