Wyoming | Capital, Map, Population, History, & Facts (2024)

state, United States

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Also known as: Cowboy State, Equality State

Written by

Gerald Raymond Webster Associate Professor of Geography, University of Alabama, University. Assistant Professor of Geography, University of Wyoming, Laramie, 1985–89.

Gerald Raymond Webster,

Gregory Lewis McNamee Contributing Editor, Encyclopædia Britannica.

Gregory Lewis McNameeAll

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Wyoming, constituent state of the United States of America. Wyoming became the 44th state of the union on July 10, 1890. It ranks 10th among the 50 U.S. states in terms of total area. It shares boundaries with six other Great Plains and Mountain states: Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Colorado to the south, Utah to the southwest, and Idaho to the west. Cheyenne, the capital, is located in the southeastern corner of the state.

See article: flag of Wyoming

Seal of Wyoming

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Capital:
Cheyenne
Population:
(2020) 576,851; (2023 est.) 584,057
Governor:
Mark Gordon (Republican)
Date Of Admission:
July 10, 1890
U.S. Senators:
Mike Enzi (Republican)
John Barrasso (Republican)

The word Wyoming is derived from a Delaware word meaning “land of vast plains,” an apt description of the state’s spacious natural environment, which is home to nearly as many pronghorn as people. Wyoming’s residents are spread across the land in small ranching and farming towns, in mining settlements, and in communities offering unparalleled outdoor recreational opportunities. Each year millions of people visit Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. Moreover, the state has a low crime rate and little pollution. One of Wyoming’s nicknames is the Equality State, because it was the first state in the country to approve a constitution that included a provision granting women the right to vote. Area 97,813 square miles (253,334 square km). Population (2020) 576,851; (2023 est.) 584,057.

Land

Relief

Wyoming’s topography is dominated by several large basins and the ranges of the Rocky Mountains that border them. The broad basins are synclines. The mountains dominating Wyoming’s horizon were formed during a period of mountain-building activity known as the Laramide orogeny, which affected the region from about 70 million to 40 million years ago. The land surface of Wyoming has a mean elevation of 6,700 feet (2,040 metres) above sea level, the highest of any state except Colorado. Three-fourths of Wyoming lies more than 1 mile (1.6 km) in elevation, and two-fifths exceeds 7,000 feet (2,100 metres). The state’s lowest point, at 3,125 feet (953 metres), lies in the channel of the Belle Fourche River as it flows from the state into South Dakota; its highest point, Gannett Peak, part of the Wind River Range in west-central Wyoming, reaches 13,804 feet (4,207 metres) in elevation.

Wyoming has six physiographic regions: the Black Hills; the Great Plains; the Southern, Middle, and Northern Rocky Mountains; and the Wyoming Basin. The Black Hills extend into South Dakota and are of generally low relief. Wyoming’s Great Plains region occupies the easternmost one-third of the state, gradually increasing in elevation from the state’s eastern border to the many mountain ranges that mark the region’s western margin.

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The Southern Rocky Mountains extend from northeastern Colorado along the Laramie, Medicine Bow, and Sierra Madre ranges, making their farthest extension into Wyoming along the Laramie Range, where the mountain system terminates just south of the North Platte River near the city of Casper. The Northern Rocky Mountain region extends south from Canada across the states of Montana and Idaho and enters Wyoming at the northwestern corner of Yellowstone Park. The much larger Middle Rocky Mountain region occupies most of the northwestern quarter of the state, extending south along the Idaho-Wyoming border into Utah. Included in this region are the scenic Bighorn and Wind River mountain ranges, the geysers and fumaroles of Yellowstone Park, the igneous Absaroka Plateau on the park’s eastern margins, and Gannett Peak.

The Wyoming Basin borders the Continental Divide between the Southern and Middle Rocky Mountains and is composed of interspersed smaller mountains and intermontane basins. This region includes Flaming Gorge, created by the erosive action of the Green River, and the Great Divide Basin, which encloses an area of interior drainage with no outlet.

Drainage

Wyoming | Capital, Map, Population, History, & Facts (11)

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The Continental Divide crosses Wyoming from the south-central portion of the state, trending northwest and leaving the state through Yellowstone National Park. Partly because of the presence of the divide, Wyoming contributes to the headwaters of four major North American drainage systems—the Colorado, Columbia, and Missouri rivers and the Great Salt Lake. The most significant of these to the state is the Missouri system, which drains approximately three-fourths of Wyoming’s land area. It is estimated that three-fourths of the state’s contributions to these drainage systems originate as snowmelt in Wyoming’s mountain ranges.

Soils

Wyoming’s several hundred soil types may be grouped into three broad categories determined largely on the basis of the state’s variable elevation and climatic zones. Varieties of mountain soils are found throughout the many ranges in Wyoming, with their greatest concentration in the northwest. These soils are frequently acidic and of limited value to commercial cropping, although they may support alpine meadows used for summer pasture and scattered forests used for timber products.

The southwestern to north-central portions of the state contain numerous varieties of desert soils that are frequently alkaline and used mostly for winter range, although others are suitable for agricultural crops when irrigated and sustain significant yields of grain. Plains soils, found in the eastern third of Wyoming, are of reasonable fertility and provide substantial forage for livestock; they also support moderate levels of dryland farming, including the production of wheat.

Wyoming | Capital, Map, Population, History, & Facts (2024)

FAQs

Who were the first settlers in Wyoming? ›

1807: John Colter, first known white man in Wyoming, entered Togwotee Pass near Jackson Hole. Edward Rose is first American settler in Wyoming in the Big Horn Basin. 1807: Fur trading post establish November 1807 at the junction of the Big Horn and Yellowstone Rivers. 1825: Beginning of annual Mountain Man Rendezvous.

What are some history facts about Wyoming? ›

There is evidence of more than 12,000 years of prehistoric occupation in Wyoming. Among these groups were Clovis, 12,000 years ago, Folsom, 10,000 years ago, and Eden Valley, 8,000 years ago. The latter were the big game hunters of the Early period.

Why is Wyoming so lightly populated? ›

The low population density in Wyoming can be attributed to a complex mix of factors including its geographical layout, historical migration patterns, economic infrastructure, and unique culture. The state's rugged topography and harsh climatic conditions deter high-density settlements.

What is the largest town in Wyoming? ›

Cheyenne (/ʃaɪˈæn/ shy-AN or /ʃaɪˈɛn/ shy-EN) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming, as well as the county seat of Laramie County, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 census.

Who is the most famous person from Wyoming? ›

Jackson Pollock

Pollock isn't just a brilliant artist — he is one of the most famous people from Wyoming. Despite moving to Arizona in childhood, it is long believed that Wyoming and the Western scenery impacted his creative development.

What is the oldest place in Wyoming? ›

Picturesque Hartville is the oldest incorporated town in Wyoming established in 1884. It is located in Eureka Canyon – a small community six miles north of Guernsey on highway 270. It is accessible by paved road from the North end of Guernsey State Park and the lake area, just two and a half miles away.

What is the most famous thing in Wyoming? ›

Old Faithful is the famed geyser inside Yellowstone National Park that's among the most famous landmarks in Wyoming. This geyser got its name for its predicable eruptions.

What was Wyoming originally called? ›

A corruption of the Delaware Indian word meaning "large plains," "extensive meadows" (Gannett). This word is a corruption of the Delaware Indian word maughwauwa-ma that means "large plains" or "extensive meadows." The word has had many spellings, such as Wauwaumie, Wiwaume, Wiomie, until it reached Wyoming.

Why is Wyoming so special? ›

Wyoming's unique blend of history, geography, and interesting facts make it a truly remarkable state. From its pioneering spirit in granting women the right to vote to its breathtaking national parks and diverse landscapes, Wyoming has something to offer everyone who visits or owns a home or business here.

Why would anyone want to live in Wyoming? ›

The state's pristine habitats offer a sanctuary for many creatures, making it a wildlife enthusiast's dream. From the majestic elk, which roam the rugged mountains and valleys, to the iconic bison that graze on the vast plains, Wyoming is home to a stunning variety of large mammals.

What town in Wyoming has the lowest population? ›

Lost Springs, Wyoming
Elevation4,997 ft (1,523 m)
Population (2020)
• Total6
• Density44.44/sq mi (17.18/km2)
20 more rows

What is the most isolated place in Wyoming? ›

It's called the Thorofare region and it's located in the southeast corner of Yellowstone National Park. Taking in the entire continental U.S. this spot is furthest from roads, homes, and people than anywhere else in the state, despite the number of tourist in Yellowstone park.

What town in Wyoming sold for $900 000? ›

Buford, Wyoming, billed as America's smallest town, has been sold by its sole resident for $900,000 to two unidentified Vietnamese businessmen. Don Sammons, 61, bought the town in 1990 after moving to Buford from California ten years earlier with his wife and son, CNN reported.

What is the most popular nickname for Wyoming? ›

Wyoming is known as the Cowboy State and the Equality State. The latter recognizes Wyoming as the first state to specifically give women the right to vote, which it did as a territory in 1869 and retained upon entering the Union.

Who were the first nations in Wyoming? ›

This land has been home to many Plains Indian tribes, including the Arapaho, Arikara, Bannock, Blackfeet, Cheyenne, Crow, Gros Ventre, Kiowa, Nez Perce, Sheep Eater, Sioux, Shoshone and Ute tribes. Today, both the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho reside on Wyoming's Wind River Indian Reservation.

What immigrants settled in Wyoming? ›

The six groups represented in this volume are the British, Germans, Italians, Basques, Eastern Europeans, and Greeks. In 1870 immigrants from the British Isles represented one-fifth of the Wyoming territorial population and over one-half of the foreign-born population.

Did Mormons settle Wyoming? ›

The Mormons ventured west solely because they were looking for land to settle where they could practice their religion in peace, and they chose 102 Page 9 Wyoming because it suited their religious doctrine.

Who were the first white settlers in Yellowstone? ›

First Settler Expeditions Into Yellowstone

The first reported non-Native visitor to Yellowstone was John Colter, a member of the Lewis & Clark Expedition, who explored some of the region in the winter of 1807 and 1808 in pursuit of trapping and fur trading opportunities.

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