I've got a good one for you. Casper was just named as one of the best places to buy a home in Wyoming by a new study. Do you agree?

I have to admit that I laughed pretty hard when I first came across this on Homesnacks. It's based on actual real data, so maybe I should take it more serious. Their story comes from data collected by the American Community Survey. The metrics factored in:

  • Year over year population change and median home prices
  • Home prices going up
  • Population had to be over 5,000
  • Home prices relative to state average

Here are the Casper "facts" that they shared:

Population: 59,171
Median Home Price: $196,200
Population Change: -0.4%
Home Price Change: 3.6%

With all that considered, Casper came in at #6 as a best place in Wyoming to buy a home. I'll wait until you stop laughing.

My family has spent a great deal of time trying to buy a home in Casper, so I feel somewhat qualified to provide some editorial comments about this. I would suggest that maybe Jackson is skewing our state average home prices higher. (When in doubt, blame everything on Jackson) I would also speculate that the incoming and outgoing population involved in the oil industry also makes Casper look different than it might otherwise in surveys like this.

Maybe your experience has been better, but I feel like Casper is an incredible place to buy a home IF YOU CAN FIND ONE YOU CAN AFFORD. Rant over.

More From Rock 96.7