Last updated on June 14th, 2024
Wyoming is the 50th most populous and the 10th most extensive of the 50 states of the United States. It is in the mountain region of the western United States. The state attained statehood on July 10, 1890, becoming the 44th state to join the union. Its bordering states are Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Utah. Wyoming (nicknamed: Cowboy State, Equality State, Park State) has 23 counties. The state’s capital is Cheyenne. The abbreviation for Wyoming is WY. With these interesting facts about Wyoming, let us learn more about its history, geography, people, economy, and other interesting things.
Facts about Wyoming
1. The name Wyoming comes from a Native American expression that means “at the big plains”. This refers to the high-elevation prairies in some parts of the present day Wyoming.
2. In the USA, only three states have names that begin with two consonants. These states are Florida, Rhode Island, and Wyoming. Wyoming is unique in the sense that non-Americans seem to have problems pronouncing the name of the state. However, the consonant clusters at the beginning of the word “Wyoming” is not a big problem. With a little practice, you can pronounce the name perfectly.
3. In 1939, some areas in northern Wyoming made an attempt to join parts of Montana and South Dakota to form a new state. The new state was to be called “Absaroka” with Sheridan, as its proposed capital. A new license plate was even considered and a “Miss Absaroka” was named or the new state. Ultimately, the new state did not happen.
4. Despite the fact that there are 23 counties in the state of Wyoming, there is only one area code. It is 307, and the whole state falls in the Mountain Time Zone.
Which states border Wyoming?
5. Did you know that more people live in Denver, Colorado than in all of Wyoming?
6. After Utah and Idaho, Wyoming has the third-largest population of Mormons in America.
7. The state has the lowest population of all the 50 states and tenth-largest area. Share this with your friends and check if they are aware of this cool fact about Wyoming.
8. Wyoming is one of the 10 doubly landlocked states in the U.S.
9. By mean elevation, Wyoming is the second highest state just after Colorado.
10. In Wyoming’s history, the hottest recorded temperature was 115 degrees F. Meteorologists reported the extreme summer temperature on August 8, 1983, for the city of Basin.
Wyoming on the map
11. The coldest recorded temperature for Wyoming was negative 66 degrees F. Meteorologists recorded the freezing temperature at Yellowstone National Park on February 9, 1933.
12. The Red Desert in South Central Wyoming does not drain to the east or to the west. The continental divide simply splits and then goes around the desert on all sides of the area. This leaves the basin without any normal drainage. The desert is home to the Killpecker Sand Dunes, the largest active dune system in the U.S. and the second largest active sand dune field in the world. The world’s largest herd of desert elk can also be found here.
13. The Wind River in Wyoming changes its name in the middle of the stream. At this point, it becomes the Big Horn River. This is a sacred spot for the Native Americans because they hold an annual ceremony here depicting the “Wedding of the Waters.”
14. Wyoming has many state parks. The largest park in Wyoming is the Boysen. This park is located in Riverton and it is home to the nearby Boysen Reservoir. The state park covers more than 35,000 acres at the south end of the Owl Creek Mountains at the mouth of the Wind River Canyon.
15. Yellowstone National Park was the first national park in the US.
16. The Yellowstone National Park is one of the largest national parks in the US. The national park sees more than four million visitors every year. The park is primarily located in Wyoming and was established in 1872. It spans almost 3,500 miles and extends into parts of Montana and Idaho. Visitors flock to the Yellowstone because of the unique ecosystem of the area and the diverse collection of birds, mammals, and amphibians.
17. “Old faithful” is a famous (or infamous) cone geyser in the Yellowstone National Park. It has the name because its eruptions are very predictable. This geyser erupts every 90 minutes and about 90% of its eruptions are predictable within a ten-minute window. Did you know that there are more geysers in Yellowstone than anywhere else on earth?
18. The largest hot spring in the USA is located in Wyoming. The Grand Prismatic Spring is actually in Yellowstone Park and it is the third-largest spring in the world. This spring is 250 by 300 feet and is remarkable for its rich colors.
19. Did you know that Fort Laramie in Wyoming is used in the popular video game Oregon Trail? A DOS version of the game was first released in 1992.
20. This trail stretches across present-day Wyoming and its neighboring states. Emigrants from Wyoming carved their names into a cliff face along the way to let family and friends know they had survived the trail. This rock is now a recognized landmark and it is called Register Cliff.
21. Wyoming is the location of the Grand Teton National Park. The lush national park features thousands of plant species that are protected under federal laws. It’s also a habitat for wildlife, including fish, reptiles, and hundreds of birds. Gannett Peak, the state’s highest peak, reaches 13,810 feet and is also in Grand Teton National Park.
22. Part of the Black Hills extends into Wyoming, but interestingly, they are not black but green. They may look from a distance, but it is covered in green trees.
23. The Devil’s Tower is located in Wyoming and it is the nation’s first National Monument, established on September 24, 1906, by President Theodore Roosevelt. The Devil’s Tower received a boost in 1977 when the popular movie “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” featured some places in the heritage site. This created a lot of awareness and had movie fans flocking to the area. Almost half a million people visited the Tower in 2017.
24. In 1941, the daredevil George Hopkins landed on the Devil’s Tower via a parachute. He stayed there for days while many people looked on.
25. The Medicine Wheel found in Bighorn National Forest is a popular tourist attraction for anyone who wants to learn more about the culture of Native American tribes in the state. According to historical data, the Medicine Wheel has an elevation of 9,642 feet around the Bighorn Mountains crest. It features 28 spokes with a circumference of 245 feet. The rolling limestone plateau sits 30 miles to the east of Lovell and spans 12 miles past Montana’s border.
26. East of Laramie, Wyoming, on the otherwise empty planes, is the Ames Pyramid. This six-foot-tall stone can be seen from miles away.
27. Wyoming has dozens of islands. There are at least 32 named islands in the state (not to mention the unnamed ones). Most of these islands are located in Jackson Lake, Yellowstone Lake and the Green River area. Stevenson Island got its name from Colonel James D. Stevenson and is near Yellowstone Lake.
28. Wyoming has a number of state symbols. The state tree is the cottonwood and the state bird is the meadowlark. There is even a state dinosaur. The state dinosaur is the Triceratops. Wyoming is just one of the six states with a designated dinosaur.
29. The official state mammal of Wyoming is the bison. However, there are too many of these animals around and this is why they have to be culled. Park officials claim Bisons hurt more people than any other animal at the Yellowstone National Park. To curtail the bison population, it is legal to hunt and kill a bison in Wyoming. However, to hunt the bison, you would need a Wyoming state bison license, issued by the Wyoming Game & Fish Department.
30. The state flower is the Indian Paintbrush but while being classified as a parasitic plant, the Indian paintbrush plant is edible. Native American tribes regularly use it as a herb.
31. When the green hairstreak butterfly appears, it signals the end of the winter. These butterflies can be found all over the state and are identified by their bright green color.
32. The pronghorn is the second fastest animal on land (after the cheetah) and it is a native of Wyoming. The pronghorn is also the fastest land animal in the western hemisphere. These animals can travel at speeds of 60-70 mph and you can see them migrating from the Upper Green River Basin to the Grand Teton National Park.
33. Some people in Yellowstone, Wyoming, claim they have spotted the legendary Bigfoot. There are other sites in Wyoming where people also claim to have spotted this creature.
34. The world’s rodeo capital is none other than Cheyenne, Wyoming. It is known to be the largest outdoor rodeo in the world.
35. Many people are familiar with the California Gold Rush. The Wyoming Gold Rush came almost 20 years after the California Gold Rush. This happened in 1867 when Lewis Robison and Joshua Terry discovered the Carisso ledge.
36. A natural clay, bentonite, found in Wyoming, is used in the energy industry. It is used in developing natural resources like gas and oil.
37. Wyoming enjoys a solid reputation as a coal-producing state. The two largest coal mines in the US are North Antelope Rochelle Mine (the largest coal mine in the world, located in Campbell County) and Black Thunder mine near Wright, Wyoming. The first coal mine in Wyo. started operations in 1867 and according to official figures, Wyoming had a peak production of 3 million tons of coal per week in 1994.
38. Wyoming is a leading uranium producer and has the largest amount of known uranium reserves in the country.
39. The Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Energy project is the largest industrial wind production facility in the nation. According to statistics, the geography and higher altitude make the state a superior choice for generating wind-based energy and could help in lowering the country’s dependence on fossil fuels. Scientists continue to study wind power in Wyoming for this exact reason, and studies show that the stable weather and landscape of Wyoming are what draws new residents to the state.
40. The Union Pacific Railroad is one of the many reasons for prosperity in Cheyenne. The railroad started in Omaha, Nebraska, and runs throughout the city of Cheyenne, and it was constructed in 1867. Historical data shows that it was the very first transcontinental railroad system that connected to the Pacific. At some point in history, Cheyenne, Wyoming was one of the wealthiest cities in the world. That was during the 1880s.
41. James Cash Penney, the founder of the popular J.C. Penney Stores established his first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming. That was back in April 1902. Today, J.C. Penney has over one thousand stores in different parts of the USA. This store employs many people in Wyoming.
Here is an inspirational quote by the businessman that can potentially change the way you look at your life.
“It is then we must remember that all good days in human life come from the mastery of the days of trouble that are forever recurrent.” – J.C. Penney
42. The fur-trading fort, Fort Laramie, was first built in 1834 at the junction of the Laramie and North Platte Rivers. It was named Fort William.
43. During the 1800s, fur trade companies held the Rocky Mountain Rendezvous at Horse Creek near the Green River. Present-day Pinedale, Wyoming, is where this historic site is located.
44. Walther Granger discovered a cabin made from fossil bones in 1897. It is located near Medicine Bow, Wyoming, and was completed in 1932 and named the Fossil Bone Cabin.
45. The centerpiece on top of the Wyoming State Capitol building is made from gold. When the copper of the dome started to tarnish, it was covered with a thin layer of gold.
46. The main street in the town of Afton has an arch made of elk antlers. This arch stands 75 feet tall and the antlers of approximately 3,011 elk were used to construct the arch.
47. The state of Wyoming features a man on a bronco. This bucking horse actually has a name. It is called “Old Steamboat” and this name refers to a particularly feisty horse.
48. Wyoming license plates feature a turn of the century 1900s bronco named “Old Steamboat,” being ridden by a cowboy. The horse had a long reputation for being unrideable and bucked many riders off its back in their attempts.
49. Any new building constructed in Wyoming worth more than $100,000 must spend one percent of the value of that building on art. It also applies to the improvement of an existing building.
50. According to state statistics, Casper is the only city with escalators. There are only two in the entire city and state. The state has an aversion to installing escalators because of the layout of the land, and architects claim that outward construction is simpler than building properties with more than one story. The two escalators are at Hilltop and Interstate Banks.
51. PhinDeli Town Buford was once an outpost called Buford. After the only resident moved out of Buford, the outpost sold on an online auction. Dinh Nguyen, a Vietnam entrepreneur is the proud owner of the outpost and the sole resident. The property sold for a whopping $900,000.
52. The 12-story dormitory of the University of Wyoming in Laramie known as the White Hall is at 200 feet, the tallest building in the state.
53. The University of Wyoming is the only public four-year institution in the state. This school was established four years before Wyoming became a state in 1886.
54. The people of Wyo. love to read and you have the evidence right here. The Laramie County Library System is the oldest organized library system in the USA. This library has been in existence since 1886 and it is still going strong.
55. A dictionary for the Sioux language was made in 1866. It was also the first book ever printed in Wyoming; only about 50 copies were issued.
56. Campbell County High School is the largest secondary school in Wyoming. This school has 8,100 students and sits on 4,761 square miles. The school has a student to teacher ratio of 18:1 and it has 25 school facilities. The school employs qualified teachers who are experts in their subject areas. The school carries out a change in the curriculum every six years and maintains a very high standard. The school was recognized as one of the Best Public High Schools by U.S. News and World Report.
57. The Bighorns in Wyoming intrigued Earnest Hemingway and inspired him to finish his novel, “A Farewell to Arms.” His high regard for the state is what led Hemingway to write “To Have and Have Not” and “Death in the Afternoon” during visits to the city of Cody. According to Hemingway’s biography, he married his third wife, Martha Gellhorn, the well-renowned war correspondent in Cheyenne.
58. Wyoming has the distinction of having produced the oldest former governor in American history. At the time of her death in 1977, Nellie Tayloe Ross (1876-1977) was 101 years old. That made her the oldest former state governor in the USA.
59. The oldest patent in Wyoming belongs to Anson Mills, who improved the cartridge belts used by soldiers. The first belt was issued at Fort Bridger in Uinta County, Wyoming.
60. Wyoming’s Fannie Barney appears in the record books as the state’s oldest living resident. Her 110 years started in 1873 and ended in 1983. The world’s largest radio telescope was operated by the University of Wyoming in 1978. It was built on Jelm Mountain.
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