Wyoming

For other places with the same name, see Wyoming (disambiguation).

State of Wyoming
( Flag of Wyoming)(Seal of Wyoming)
State nickname: Equality State
Other U.S. States
CapitalCheyenne
Largest cityCheyenne
GovernorDave Freudenthal (D)
SenatorsCraig Thomas (R) Mike Enzi (R)
Official language(s) English
Area 253,554 kmē ( 10th)
 - Land 251,706 kmē
 - Water 1,851 kmē ( 0.7%)
Population (2000)
 - Population 493,782 ( 50th)
 - Density 1.96 /kmē ( 49th)
Admission into Union
 - Date July 10, 1890
 - Order 44th
Time zoneMountain: UTC-7/-6
Latitude41°N to 45°N
Longitude104°3'W to 111°3'W
Width 450 km
Length 580 km
Elevation
 - Highest point 4,207 m
 - Mean 2,040 m
 - Lowest point 945 m
Abbreviations
 - USPS WY
 - ISO 3166-2 US-WY
Web site wyoming.gov/ wyoming.gov

Wyoming is a state of the western United States. While a small portion of the eastern section of the state is within the Great Plains, the majority is dominated by numerous distinct mountain ranges. Wyoming is also the least populous U.S. state with 493,782 people, although Alaska has a lower population density. The Capital and largest city of Wyoming is Cheyenne.

History

The region known today as the state of Wyoming was originally inhabited by several Native American groups. The Crow, Arapahoe, Sioux, and Shoshone were are but a few of the original inhabitants encountered when white explorers first entered the region. Although French trappers may have ventured into the northern sections of the state in the late 1700s, John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, was probably the first white American to enter the region in 1807. His reports of the Yellowstone area were considered at the time to be fictional. Explorer Jim Bridger discovered South Pass in 1827, which later became the route followed by the Oregon Trail. In 1850, Bridger also located what is now known as Bridger Pass, which was later used by both the Union Pacific Railroad in 1868, and in the 20th century by Interstate 80. Bridger also explored the Yellowstone region and like Colter, most of his reports on that region of the state were considered at the time to be tall tales.

After the Union Pacific Railroad reached the town of Cheyenne, which later became the state capital, in 1867, the population began to grow steadily in the Wyoming Territory, established on July 25, 1868. Unlike the states of Montana to the north South Dakota to the east and Colorado to the south, Wyoming never experienced a rapid population boom due to any major Mineral discoveries such as Gold or Silver. Copper could also be found in some areas of the state.

Once government sponsored expeditions to the Yellowstone country were undertaken, the previous reports by men like Colter and Bridger were found to be true. This led to the creation of Yellowstone National Park which became the world's first National park in 1872 and is located in the far northwestern portion of the state. Most of the territory that comprises Yellowstone National Park is located in Wyoming.

Wyoming was admitted to the Union on July 10, 1890. It was named after the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania, made famous by the 1809 poem Gertrude of Wyoming by Thomas Campbell. The name was suggested by Representative J. M. Ashbey of Ohio. In 1869 Wyoming extended Suffrage to women, at least partially in an attempt to garner enough votes to be admitted as a state. In addition to being the first U.S. state to extend suffrage to women, Wyoming was also the home of many other firsts for U.S. women in politics. It had the first female court bailiff and the first female justice of the peace in the country. Wyoming was also the first state in the Union to elect a woman governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross in 1925.

Wyoming was the location of the Johnson County War of 1892 which was fought between large Cattle operations and free ranging interests.

Politics

Wyoming is one of the most conservative and, in national politics, most staunchly Republican states in the nation. The state has not voted for a Democrat for president since 1964 and there are no reliably Democratic counties. In the 2004 presidential election, George W. Bush won his third-largest victory, with 69% of the vote. Current Vice President Dick Cheney is a nearly lifelong Wyoming resident (born in Nebraska) and represented the state in Congress from 1979 to 1990.

However, Democrats have held the governorship for all but eight years since 1975. The current governor, Democrat Dave Freudenthal, was elected in 2002 and has one of the highest approval ratings of any Governor in the nation.

Geography


Map of Wyoming - PDF

See: List of Wyoming counties

It is bordered on the north by Montana, on the east by South Dakota and Nebraska, on the south by Colorado, and on the west by Utah and Idaho. Devil's Tower, made famous in the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind, is located near Moorcroft in Crook County.

Wyoming is generally considered an arid state with much of the land receiving less than 10 inches of rainfall a year. Consequently, the land supports few opportunities for farming. Ranching, however, is widespread, especially in areas near the numerous mountain chains. There are several major mountain ranges in the state, all part of the Rocky Mountains. The Snowy Range in the south central part of the state is an extension of the Colorado Rockies in both geology and appearance. The Wind River Range in the west central part of the state is remote and also has Gannett Peak, the highest peak in the state. The Big Horn Mountains in the north central portion are somewhat isolated from the bulk of the rest of the Rocky Mountains. Finally, the Teton Range in the northwest extends for 50 miles (80 km) and represents the most impressive section of mountains in the state, home to the second highest peak Grand Teton and Grand Teton National Park which preserves the most scenic section of the Teton range.

Several rivers begin or flow through the state, including the Yellowstone River, Powder River, and the Snake River.

The Continental Divide, which runs through most of North America forks in the south central part of the state. The waters that flow or precipitate into this area, known as the Great Divide Basin, do not flow to any ocean. Instead, due to the overall aridity of Wyoming, they simply sink into the soil or evaporate.

Wyoming sports the lowest population of any state and the lowest population density of the continental 48 states; however, non-contiguous Alaska's population density is lower, although its total population is higher.

Demographics

Historical populations
Censusyear \Population
1870 9,118
1880 20,789
1890 62,555
1900 92,531
1910 145,965
1920 194,402
1930 225,565
1940 250,742
1950 290,529
1960 330,066
1970 332,416
1980 469,557
1990 453,588
2000 493,782

Population

  • 2004 Population estimate – 506,529
    • Foreign-born population – 11,000 (2.2%)
  • Population Rank: 51st of the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Race

The racial makeup of Wyoming:

The five largest ancestry groups in Wyoming are: German (25.9%), English (15.9%), Irish (13.3%), American (6.5%), Norwegian (4.3%).

Religion

The religious affiliations of the people of Wyoming are shown in the table below:

Important cities and towns

The Wyoming municipalities with populations over 10,000 are, in descending order:

Education

Colleges and universities

Professional sports teams

Miscellaneous information

Capital: Cheyenne
Nickname: Big Wonderful Wyoming, Equality State, Cowboy State
State motto: "Equal Rights"
Population: 493,782 (2000 census)
State flower: Indian Paintbrush
State mammal: Bison
State bird: Western Meadowlark
State tree: Plains Cottonwood
State gemstone: Jade
State fish: Cutthroat Trout
State reptile: Horned Toad
State fossil: Knightia
State dinosaur: Triceratops
State coin: Golden Dollar
State sport: Rodeo

USS Wyoming was named in honor of this state.

Major highways

Western European Union   Index

This page is based on the Wikipedia article ''Wyoming''. It is licensed under the GNU free documentation license.

Home