Moving to Gillette, Wyoming: What the Mayor Wants You to Know (Part 2)
Moving to Gillette, Wyoming works best for people who arrive intending to contribute rather than just consume. That is close to a direct quote from Mayor Shay Lundvall, and when I asked him what he wanted to say to someone watching from out of state, it was the first thing out of his mouth.
The second thing was that the changes people have been waiting on here start landing over the next couple of years.
This is Part 2 of my conversation with Shay. Part 1 covered the town, the nuclear question, and the housing math. This one is about the man, the family behind him, and what he actually wants people considering a move to know.
Shay is a friend and I support him. I also asked him the questions people actually ask me about this town, including the hard ones no one asks.
Updated August 2026. Wyoming coal production rose about 10 percent from 2024 to 2025. Gillette's 2026 mayoral race is between Shay Lundvall and Billy Montgomery, with a general election on November 3.
The short version
Entry-level homes in Gillette run roughly $300,000 to $400,000 with very low inventory, the figure the mayor cited in Part 1.
His advice to newcomers: come here to produce, not to consume, and do not arrive trying to change everything.
Gillette is unusually open for a small town because mining, oil and gas, and healthcare keep people moving in and out constantly.
Wyoming's mines account for close to 40 percent of U.S. coal production, nearly all of it from the Powder River Basin.
A trend he is watching: people who built careers here, left, and are now coming back to retire.
What do you need to know before moving to Gillette, Wyoming?
You need to know that Gillette is a working town in a growth window, not a scenic retreat, and that the housing supply has not caught up to the jobs conversation. Entry-level buyers are looking at roughly $300,000 to $400,000 with inventory running very low.
Shay's own framing was that the things people here have wanted for years are about to start rolling, and that a broader, more stable tax base is the goal rather than the guarantee. He was careful about that distinction. I noticed it, and I think it is the right way to talk about a town in the middle of a bet.
What he described for the next chapter: sports tourism, hotels, retail, and a wider economy underneath it. Some of that is already visible. Some of it is a forecast.
Is Gillette, Wyoming a welcoming place if you did not grow up here?
Yes, and it is more open than most towns this size, because Gillette has never had a static population. Mining, oil and gas, and healthcare move people in and out constantly, which means the two-year family and the forty-year family sit next to each other at the ballfield.
I said this to Shay directly at 59:53 in the video, because it is the thing I correct most often. There are small towns in this region where you are a newcomer for a decade. Gillette is not one of them. That is not civic boosterism, it is a function of the industries here.
He added a trend I had not thought about in these terms. People who built a career in the mines or in oil and gas, retired, moved away, and are now coming back. They keep the friendships and they want the open space. That is a quiet but real source of buyer demand.
What does Gillette's economy actually run on?
Coal, oil, and gas, with a deliberate effort underway to add manufacturing as a fourth leg. We get into this at 2:04 in the video. Wyoming's mines produce close to 40 percent of the nation's coal, and the Powder River Basin accounts for roughly 43 percent of all U.S. coal production on its own.
Shay made a point that lands better on camera than in print: when you flip a light switch anywhere in the country, that power most likely came from Powder River Basin coal, and almost nobody thinks about it. People who grew up here do not experience it as remarkable. It just is.
Coal production nationally continues to decline over the long run, which is exactly why the diversification effort exists. Anyone moving here for a mining job should understand both halves of that picture.
What is the mayor's job in Gillette actually like?
It is a part-time position, and the mayor is one vote of seven with only two direct employees. He walks through the structure starting at 3:45 in the video. That is the single biggest misconception Shay hears, and it matters for anyone trying to understand how decisions actually get made here.
The structure: mayor and council, with the city administrator and the city attorney reporting to them. Senior leadership, which covers finance, police, engineering, and utilities, reports to the city administrator. Shay holds a full-time job outside the role as well.
He estimated the time commitment ranges from a handful of hours in a quiet week to twenty-five in a heavy one. He also spoke about confidentiality more candidly than I expected, including that executive session material cannot be discussed even with a spouse.
I am including this section because it is genuinely useful civic information and almost nobody publishes it plainly.
What is being built in Gillette right now?
Housing, the proposed nuclear fuel manufacturing facility, and retail, with nothing significant being held back from the public. I asked whether anything was happening that people were not watching yet, and his answer was that it is all already out there.
I appreciated that answer more than a teased announcement would have been worth.
What does the mayor want people considering a move here to know?
That Gillette is a place where people want to see others succeed, and that anyone moving here should plan to build rather than just take. His phrasing was to come and make it your own and make it better. That answer starts at 58:01 in the video and it is the most useful ninety seconds in either conversation.
He paired it with a warning I have heard from long-time residents for years. People move here, and then immediately try to change it. His alternative was to integrate first, serve where you can, and get to know people, because a community without people participating in it is dead.
That is the honest expectations-setting version of a relocation pitch, and it is worth more than a highlight reel.
How do you actually get plugged into Gillette after you move?
You get plugged in by joining something specific within your first six months, and the families who do that settle in noticeably faster than the ones who wait. Shay's version of this was to serve where you can and get to know people, because a community without people participating in it is dead.
Here is what that looks like in practice, based on where I have watched newcomers actually land.
The recreation center: The single fastest entry point. Leagues, classes, and the pool put you next to the same people every week, which is how acquaintance turns into a network.
Youth sports: If you have kids, this is where you meet other parents, and it happens whether you plan for it or not.
A church or a small group: Still one of the primary social structures here, and most will fold you in immediately.
The gym culture: Gillette has a real strength community. American Iron Fitness is the one people name, and it is far more welcoming than its reputation suggests.
Chamber and nonprofit boards: If you are bringing a business or a trade with you, this is the room where things actually get decided.
Cam-Plex events: Rodeos, concerts, and fairs across roughly 1,000 acres. Low commitment, and it is where you see the whole town at once.
The pattern I see fail is the family that moves here, works, drives home, and waits eighteen months for the town to come to them. It does not work that way, and Shay said the same thing in stronger words.
What I tell people who are relocating here
I tell them to come walk it before they decide anything, and to get fully underwritten before they shop rather than pre-qualified.
The pattern I have watched repeat since 2014 is that relocation buyers underestimate this town and overestimate how much time they will have on the right house. Both mistakes come from the same place, which is treating Gillette like a market with abundant inventory. It is not, and it has not been for several years.
I also make sure they see more than one town. Gillette anchors most Northeast Wyoming searches because that is where the jobs and the inventory are, but buyers who want acreage often end up in Newcastle, and buyers who care more about lake access than commute time end up in Pine Haven. Seeing all three makes the Gillette decision a real one instead of a default.
The other thing I tell people, and Shay said a version of it too, is that the online picture of Gillette is stale. Downtown alone has changed substantially in the last five years.
This is general information, not financial or legal advice. Talk to a lender and, where appropriate, an attorney about your specific situation.
Frequently asked questions
Is moving to Gillette, Wyoming a good idea? It is a good fit for people who want work, low cost of living relative to most of the country, and a community they intend to participate in. Gillette has about 34,000 residents, a hospital, a community college, and a recreation center larger than most towns this size support. It is not a scenic mountain town, and people who move here expecting that are usually disappointed.
What is the cost of living in Gillette, Wyoming? Cost of living in Gillette runs below the national average, with no state income tax in Wyoming, though housing is the pressure point. Entry-level homes generally run in the $300,000 to $400,000 range against very low inventory, so budget more for housing than the overall cost-of-living figure suggests.
Is Gillette, Wyoming friendly to newcomers? Yes, and more so than most towns its size. Because mining, oil and gas, and healthcare bring people in and out continuously, Gillette does not have the closed feel some small towns do. The mayor's advice to newcomers is to integrate and contribute rather than arrive intending to change things.
Is the mayor of Gillette a full-time job? No. The Gillette mayor is a part-time position and one vote of seven on the council, with only two direct employees, the city administrator and the city attorney. The mayor holds a separate full-time job.
What jobs are available in Gillette, Wyoming? Coal, oil and gas, and healthcare remain the largest employers, with a proposed BWXT nuclear fuel manufacturing facility targeting operations around 2030 and 2031. Retail and hospitality are also growing as the town pursues diversification.
How much of America's coal comes from this area? Wyoming's mines account for close to 40 percent of U.S. coal production, and the Powder River Basin, which surrounds Gillette, accounts for roughly 43 percent of national output on its own. Wyoming production rose about 10 percent from 2024 to 2025.
What is there to do in Gillette, Wyoming? The Campbell County Recreation Center is the anchor. Cam-Plex hosts events across roughly 1,000 acres, downtown has been substantially renovated in the past five years, and Devils Tower is about an hour away. There is also an active strength and fitness community, including American Iron Fitness.
Should I rent or buy when I first move to Gillette? Rent only if you cannot get underwritten yet, and never rent something sight-unseen from out of state. With inventory this tight, buyers who are ready to move quickly have a real advantage, and waiting out a rental term often means watching prices move without you.
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About the author
Jessica "Jess" LaCour is Broker/Owner of 411 Properties LLC in Gillette, Wyoming, serving Campbell, Crook, Weston, and Sheridan counties. She has been the #1 active producing broker in Northeast Wyoming since 2019, with $764M+ in sales since 2014 and 1,500+ families helped.
RealTrends Verified 2026 ranked her #1 in Gillette and Northeast Wyoming and #9 in Wyoming by sales volume, with 113 transactions, the most of anyone in the state's top ten. She holds the CRS and RENE designations, has won the RateMyAgent Wyoming State Award every year from 2022 through 2026, and holds 356 verified client reviews at a 5.0 average, ranked #6 in the United States.
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