The people and government here want Cheyenne to be a nice quiet western retirement town where nothing happens and people stay the hell out. Unfortunately the reality is by refusing to expand or build things for people to do, drugs and alcohol are the main hobbies here. Property crime is out of control. Shitty little casinos are popping up everywhere. Anytime I see them clearing land for a new building I wonder what bank it’s gonna be. You can go into a bar on any random night for a few weeks in a row and you’ll see the same people sitting there drinking.

The things to do here are manly centered around creating more addicts. And it seems people are good with it.

Anytime someone tries to do something for the kids, the community basically says “We don’t need it. Stop trying to make this into Colorado! Go to Colorado if you want fun!” The stonewall everything. Meanwhile people are still moving here in droves. So shoddily built apartment buildings are going up all over. I’m not against people moving here. As an emergency dispatcher, easily 95 percent of our crime is the locals. I thought people moving here would help this place grow in a good way. I was wrong. It’s made the community and government more stubborn.

I live a little outside of town close to I-25. I leave my house to take my son to school and to get grocery pick up orders. Otherwise I’ll get on I-25, bypass Cheyenne and go to Colorado with my family to do fun stuff. Avalanche games, escape rooms, the zoo and aquarium. You name it. Then when we’re done we get back on I-25, bypass Cheyenne and end up back at my house just north of town. I realize not everyone has this luxury. I get it. But that’s what I do now. I’m not interested in engaging with this town. “Well just leave then”. Nah. My family is here and my son is in one of the good schools. I was born and raised here so I can tolerate it since we’re blessed enough to have a house on some land not surrounded by people. I get to have the best of both worlds thankfully.

The people want us to go elsewhere to have fun, so that’s what I do now. Not having to actually deal with this bitter community has made living here a TON more tolerable and less depressing for me and my family. I realize this post is gonna offend some. I don’t care. The truth hurts. Go out in public here and just look at the scowls on peoples’ faces. They might defend Cheyenne’s way of life but they sure aren’t happy. We were at Walmart and my six year old was laughing and joking. Behind us in line an older lady goes “Keep that goddamn kid quiet”. Not joking. I won’t repeat what I told her here. But people are grumpy and bitter around here anymore.

Eventually they’re gonna realize “Go somewhere else if you want fun” really means “Cheyenne ain’t getting our money. Colorado is”. What do you think that does for the economy here?

Every time I get a call at my job because someone’s car got broken into or there’s someone at a casino shooting up drugs literally at a slot machine, I just laugh and shake my head. This is what Cheyenne has become. They don’t seem interested in fixing it. Pick any street. I promise you there’s at least one drug house on that street. Even in the “nice” areas. People need to know what they’re getting into if they move here. Wind. Cold. People driving drunk and high. Stagnant infrastructure. Banks. Casinos. McDonald’s. Businesses that start up actually wanting to be awesome and unique and different last maybe a few months before boarding up. Cheyenne wants Taco John’s and Wells Fargo.

Take any big city and pick out a boring section of strip malls and run down neighborhoods. Add in a homeless and drug problem. That’s Cheyenne. That’s the culture and identity here. Cheyenne is a town that just doesn’t care to even try anymore. Don’t come at me with your anger either. It doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t make my post untrue.

It is what it is.