When Zeb and Sharon Goodrich look out their front door these days, they see antelope, sweeping treeless plains, and dozens of jack rabbits – a far cry from the view at their previous home in Lake Odessa, Mich.

"I miss the trees," Mr. Goodrich admits. "I was in shock when I [saw] how many trees there weren't." On the other hand, he likes that "you feel like you have room to breathe."

More important: He has good work, and lots of it.

Goodrich's job as a welder for a mine- services company pays far better than the welding he was doing back in Michigan, especially when he factors in the opportunity for overtime. And unlike the jobs in Michigan, it's not in danger of disappearing any time soon.

The Goodriches are at the vanguard of a small, new migration westward. As a result of aggressive recruiting on the part of job-rich and labor-poor Wyoming – and their family's willingness to leave roots and relatives behind in search of a more secure future – Zeb, Sharon, and their two young boys moved more than 1,000 miles this spring to a region in the throes of an oil, gas, and coal boom.

Employers in Wyoming are hoping that many more follow. For nearly a year, several county economic development councils and companies have targeted Michigan, with its large pool of skilled blue-collar labor and dwindling jobs, to try and fill the state's thousands of job openings. They've conducted three job fairs and placed a huge billboard outside Flint, Mich: "Live and Work in Wyoming!" And they're having some success.

"The Michigan folks are really fitting in," says Ruth Benson, director of the Campbell County Economic Development Corporation, just back from a recent recruiting trip.

Few of the Michiganders who move let Ms. Benson know they've done so, but she knows of at least 65 who have moved to her county in recent months, and hears of many more. Her county's website, www.jobswyoming.net, has been getting thousands of hits. "It's not for everyone," she says of the move, "but it's good for some."

Campbell County – which produces more than 35 percent of the coal used for the nation's electricity – is filled with evidence of the boom. Lines of trucks and cars – especially at shift changes – wind through roads in an otherwise barren landscape. Gas wells dot scrubland near the highway. Houses are going up all over.

Unemployment in the county is 1.7 percent – compared with 3.6 percent in the state and 7.1 percent in Michigan. And the mineral industry has given Wyoming a budget surplus of nearly $2 billion – evidence of which is seen in the new schools, civic centers, and infrastructure springing up.

In tiny Wright, for instance, where the Goodriches live, the population of 1,500 has four or five new playgrounds, a stocked fishing pond for kids, a new library, and a recreation center with an indoor pool.

"They're not burning the desk to heat the school," Zeb says with a laugh.

Such a boom has a downside too, though, as many families learn when they try to find a place to live – especially if they also need to sell a home in a depressed market like Michigan's.

The growing population has sent housing prices soaring, and many newcomers have to wait months just to find a place that's available. Motels are filled with laborers, and many companies need to offer temporary housing to lure workers. The lower-paying service sector has also had a hard time finding and keeping workers, with so many better-paying jobs available.

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