Living in Medicine Bow, WY
Carbon County
Medicine Bow is a real, current Carbon County town in south-central Wyoming, genuinely distinctive for its literary history: author Owen Wister made the town famous as the setting for his 1902 Western novel 'The Virginian.' The real, current Virginian Hotel (built 1901-1911 by the town's first mayor, August Grimm, and his partner George Plummer) was once the largest hotel between Denver and Salt Lake City, and its Owen Wister Suite displays the author's own desk -- the hotel changed to new out-of-state owners in 2024. Medicine Bow's population runs approximately 237-284 depending on the citation (this record's primary figure, from the 2010 Census, is 284). Housing runs genuinely, dramatically affordable, with a disclosed cross-source range of approximately $103,000-$122,700, well below both Carbon County's own county median and the roughly $408,776 national figure this dataset cites elsewhere. Medicine Bow also carries a real, distinctive wind-energy identity: the Bureau of Reclamation's Medicine Bow Wind Project was one of the earliest large-scale wind operations in the nation, and the first in Wyoming. Carbon County's own approximately 0.56%-0.57% effective property tax rate runs well below the national median, and Wyoming's constitutionally absolute lack of a state income tax applies fully.
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Learn moreHousing
Taxes
Not independently sourced at the Carbon County level this session. Wyoming carries no income tax statewide. See the Wyoming hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Medicine Bow-specific.
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Get local guidanceThe tradeoffs
Pros
A real, genuinely distinctive literary-tourism identity anchored by the historic Virginian Hotel and Owen Wister's novel. Genuinely, dramatically affordable housing well below both county and national medians. A real, distinctive early wind-energy history. Wyoming's real, current combination of no state income tax and a low effective property tax rate.
Cons
A real, disclosed cross-source population spread this record does not force into one precise figure. A real, disclosed research gap on Medicine Bow-specific crime, school, and cost-of-living data. A genuinely tiny population means limited local retail and services beyond the town's own core.
Who this fits
Best for: Best fits movers drawn to a genuinely distinctive, historic small Wyoming town with a real literary identity, those connected to the regional wind-energy sector, and those prioritizing dramatic affordability and low taxes.
Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for movers who need confirmed, sourced local crime or school data before deciding, or who want more than a genuinely small local retail and dining base within town.
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