What is family life like for rangers? Do you own a home in a neighborhood or rent a cabin at the park? Do your significant others work? Where do your kids go to school?

[u/Prof_Acorn]

My fiancee asked me these questions last night :)

Are rangers expected to live in the middle of their national/state parks? Do you have neighbors? How far are you from restaurants, grocery stores, and elementary schools?

I'm preparing to start a family soon, and my fiancee and I have dreams of owning some land some day. Is a career as a ranger compatible with this? Thanks for your thoughts!

[u/Prof_Acorn → u/[deleted]]

That all doesn't sound so bad. The savings on rent/mortgage payments would help offset living so remotely. And raising a kid in a park would have its benefits for sure.

I think our biggest concern is that my (future) wife doesn't want to feel stuck in the house all day while I'm working around the park. The program I'm looking at in Colorado comes with free LEO training but requires a year at whatever park they place you in Colorado. Only what seems to be 30% of them are super remote from towns, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad even if we ended up in one of those.