Wyoming
|
|
| |||||
| State nickname: Equality State | |||||
| Missing image Map_of_USA_highlighting_Wyoming.png Map of the U.S. with Wyoming highlighted | |||||
| Other U.S. States | |||||
| Capital | Cheyenne | ||||
| Largest city | Cheyenne | ||||
| Governor | Dave Freudenthal | ||||
| Official languages | English | ||||
| Area | 253,554 km² (10th) | ||||
| - Land | 251,706 km² | ||||
| - Water | 1,851 km² (0.7%) | ||||
| Population (2000) | |||||
| - Population | 493,782 (50th) | ||||
| - Density | 1.96 /km² (49th) | ||||
| Admission into Union | |||||
| - Date | July 10, 1890 | ||||
| - Order | 44th | ||||
| Time zone | Mountain: UTC-7/-6 | ||||
| Latitude | 41°N to 45°N | ||||
| Longitude | 104°3'W to 111°3'W | ||||
| Width | 450 km | ||||
| Length | 580 km | ||||
| Elevation | |||||
| - Highest | 4,207 m | ||||
| - Mean | 2,040 m | ||||
| - Lowest | 945 m | ||||
| Abbreviations | |||||
| - USPS | WY | ||||
| - ISO 3166-2 | US-WY | ||||
| Web site | wyoming.gov | ||||
Wyoming is a state of the western United States of America. It is the least populous U.S. state.
| Contents |
History
After the Union Pacific Railroad reached the town of Cheyenne, the capital, in 1867, the population began to grow steadily in the Wyoming Territory, established on July 25, 1868.
Yellowstone National Park 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 voters 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 see List of Wyoming Governors.
Wyoming was the location of the Johnson County War of 1892.
Geography
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 the highest peak Gannett 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 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
According to the Census Bureau, as of 2003, the population of Wyoming was estimated at 501,242.
The racial makeup of the state is:
- 88.9% White
- 0.8% Black
- 6.4% Hispanic
- 0.6% Asian
- 2.3% American Indian
- 1.8% Mixed race
The 5 largest ancestry groups in Wyoming are: German (25.9%), English (15.9%), Irish (13.3%), American (6.5%), Norwegian (4.3%).
6.3% of Wyoming's population were reported as under 5, 26.1% under 18, and 11.7% were 65 or older. Females made up approximately 49.7% of the population.
Religion
The religious affiliations of the people of Wyoming are:
- Christian – 78%
- Protestant – 53%
- Lutheran – 9%
- Baptist – 9%
- Methodist – 6%
- Presbyterian – 4%
- Episcopalian – 4%
- Other Protestants/general Protestants – 21%
- Roman Catholic – 18%
- Mormon – 7%
- Protestant – 53%
- Non-Christian Religions – 1%
- No Religion – 21%
Important cities and towns
The Wyoming municipalities with populations over 10,000 are, in descending order:
Education
Colleges and universities
- Casper College
- Central Wyoming College
- Eastern Wyoming College
- Laramie County Community College
- Northwest College
- Sheridan College
- Sheridan College - Gillette Campus
- University of Wyoming
- Western Wyoming Community College
- Wyoming Technical Institute (WyoTech)
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
- Interstate 25
- Interstate 80
- Interstate 90
- U.S. Highway 14
- U.S. Highway 20
- U.S. Highway 26
- U.S. Highway 89
- U.S. Highway 191
Clip Art and Pictures
- Free Clipart (http://classroomclipart.com)
State Maps
- US State Maps (http://classroomclipart.com/cgi-bin/kids/imageFolio.cgi?direct=Clipart/US_State_Maps)
- Printable Black and White Map of Wyoming (http://www.lessonplancentral.com/statemaps/Wyoming_mapBW.htm)
State Flags
- US State Flags (http://classroomclipart.com/cgi-bin/kids/imageFolio.cgi?direct=Clipart/State_Flags)
Lesson Plans, Resources and Activites
- Lesson Plan Central (http://lessonplancentral.com)
External links
- Wyoming state government website (http://wyoming.gov/)
- State information and symbols (http://wyoming.gov/state/wyoming_news/general/general.asp)
- Wyoming's portal to knowledge and learning (http://gowyld.net/)
- U.S. Census Bureau (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/56000.html)
- Photographic virtual tour of Wyoming. (http://www.Untraveledroad.com/USA/Wyoming.htm)
- Photos of Wyoming - Terra Galleria (http://www.terragalleria.com/america/north-west/wyoming)
|
State of Wyoming |
|---|---|
| State Capital: | |
| Regions: | |
| Smaller Cities: |
Buffalo | Casper | Cheyenne | Evanston | Gillette | Green River | Jackson | Laramie | Riverton | Rock Springs | Sheridan | |
| Counties: |
Albany | Big Horn | Campbell | Carbon | Converse | Crook | Fremont | Goshen | Hot Springs | Johnson | Laramie | Lincoln | Natrona | Niobrara | Park | Platte | Sheridan | Sublette | Sweetwater | Teton | Uinta | Washakie | Weston |
| Political divisions of the United States | 
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||