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State Facts

History | Symbols | Interesting Facts | Famous People

Demographics
Statehood:  July 10, 1890, the 44th state.

Capital:  Cheyenne

Total Area:  9th among states, 253,347 sq km (97,818 sq mi)

Water Area:  1,849 sq km (714 sq mi)

Highest Point:  Gannett Peak 4,207 m (13,804 ft)

Total Population:  50th among states
2000 census -  493,782
2005 estimate -  509,294

Population Density in 1998:  1.9 people per sq km (5 per sq mi)

Distribution in 1999:  65% Urban, 35% Rural

Economy:  
 Gross State Product - $16.8 billion (1996)
Personal income per Capita - $22,611 (1997)

Largest cities in 2000:  
Cheyenne:  55,362
Casper:  49,644
Laramie:  26,204

  • After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, people of Japanese descent living on the Pacific Coast were relocated to the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming.
     

  • In 1925 Nellie Tayloe Ross was elected governor of Wyoming, becoming the nation's first woman governor.
     

  • The restored Wyoming Territorial Prison in Laramie is a popular attraction for visitors with an interest in the Old West.

  • Wyoming ranks second in wool production, and has over 810,000 sheep.

  • The flag of Wyoming is a bison (or buffalo) with a seal on it. If you look closely at the seal, you will see that it represents the custom of branding.

  • Wyoming was acquired as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.

  • Devils Tower was designated as the first National Monument (1906)

  • Wyoming is the 9th largest state, but has the fewest people (475,000).

  • Wyoming was the first state to give women the right to vote.

  • Yellowstone is the first official National Park (1872)

  • The JCPenney stores were started in Kemmerer.

  • Cody Wyoming is named after William "Buffalo Bill" Cody.

  • The largest coal mine in the USA is Black Thunder located near Wright.