The state of Wyoming is located in the western United States. It shares state lines with Idaho, Utah, South Dakota, Nebraska, Montana, and Colorado. Wyoming is the tenth largest state in the United States with an area of 97,814 square miles. It is the 50th most populous state in the United States with around 582,658 inhabitants and is ranked the 49th most populous state. Prior to European exploration and settlement, the Wyoming region was inhabited by various Indian tribes. Both the Spaniards and the Mexicans claimed Wyoming land, but in 1848 it was ceded to the United States. In 1865 it became the Territory of Wyoming, and in 1890 Wyoming joined the Union, becoming the 44th state in the United States.
Wyoming is the least populous state in the country, even though it’s the 10th largest by area.
It is believed that the name Wyoming is derived from the word ‘Maughwauwama’ which is a Delaware Indian word that means ‘large plains’.
According to census records, approximately 586,000 people live within its 97,818 square miles.
Wyoming’s state nickname is the ‘Equality State’.
The outlaw Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, a.k.a. The Sundance Kid, took his nickname from the town of Sundance, Wyoming, where he was jailed at the age of 15 for stealing a horse.
The state motto for Wyoming is ‘Equal Rights’.
Most of Yellowstone, the nation’s first National Park, lies within the borders of Wyoming. Established in 1872, 44 years before there was a National Park Service, the park hosts nearly 4 million visitors each year.
Wyoming’s state song is ‘Wyoming’.
Abstract expressionist painter Jackson Pollock was born in Cody, Wyoming, a town named after the man who helped establish it, William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody.
Wyoming’s state flag was officially adopted in 1917 and features white bison, the state seal and a blue background with red and white borders.
There are reportedly only two escalators in the entire state, and both are located in the town of Casper.
Wyoming’s state capital and largest city are both Cheyenne.
The mythical creature known as the jackalope was “born” in the 1930s when, in Douglas, Wyoming, Douglas Herrick and his brother Ralph decided to add antlers to a dead jackrabbit they had taxidermied.
Residents of Wyoming are referred to as Wyomingites.
There is no Brokeback Mountain in Wyoming.
Wyoming’s state bird is the western meadowlark.
President Theodore Roosevelt declared Devils Tower National Monument the nation’s first National Monument as a part of the Antiquities Act of 1906.
Wyoming’s state mammal is the buffalo (bison) and the state fish is the cutthroat trout.
The famous movie, Rocky IV was filmed in Wyoming.
Wyoming’s state reptile is the horned lizard and the state dinosaur is the triceratops.
Wyoming is also one of only a handful of states with an official state dinosaur. An elementary school chose Triceratops to represent the state back in 1994.
Wyoming’s state flower is the Indian paintbrush and the state tree is the Plains cottonwood.
There is only one public four-year educational institution in the state, the University of Wyoming.
Major rivers in Wyoming include the North Platte River, Powder River, Belle Fourche River, Green River, and Bighorn River.
In 2013, the tiny outpost of Buford, Wyoming was sold for $900,000 after its only resident decided to move away to be closer to his son.
Major lakes in Wyoming include Keyhole Reservoir, Alcova Reservoir, Seminoe Reservoir, Flaming Gorge Reservoir, Boysen Reservoir, Bighorn Lake, Glendo Reservoir and Yellowstone Lake.
Wyoming didn’t raise the legal drinking age from 19 to 21 until 1988—the last state in the union to do so.
Wyoming’s major industry includes coal, natural gas, uranium, crude oil and coalbed methane, and tourism.
48 percent of the state is owned by the United States government.
Wyoming’s major agriculture includes cattle, hay, sugar beets, wheat, barley and wool.
James Cash Penney opened his first store on April 14, 1902 in Kemmerer, Wyoming.
The first U.S. state to grant women the right to vote was Wyoming.
On April 30, 2015, Laramie, Wyoming danced its way into the Guinness Book of World Records when 1184 swing dancers took to the floor of the University of Wyoming’s Fieldhouse at the same time.
The first national monument in the U.S. was Devil’s Tower, Wyoming in 1906.
Two of the largest coal mines in the world are located in Wyoming: North Antelope Rochelle and Black Thunder, both in the Powder River Basin.
Yellowstone National Park was the first official U.S. national park, established in 1872. Most of Yellowstone is located in Wyoming’s boundaries.
At one time or another, Tiger Woods, Harrison Ford, Sandra Bullock, Charles Schwab, and Wyoming native Dick Cheney, just to name a few, all reportedly owned real estate in Jackson Hole, which is still a favorite ski destination of the rich and famous.
Black Thunder, near Wright, Wyoming, is the largest coal mine in the United States.
The name “Wyoming” comes from the Lenape Indian word mecheweami-ing, which means “at (or on) the big plain.”
The Eaton Ranch, near Wolf, Wyoming was the first dude ranch in the Wyoming. The Eaton’s were responsible for coining the term ‘dude’.
The Wyoming territory became first in the nation to grant women over the age of 21 the right to vote in 1869.
Cody, Wyoming was named after the famous William ‘Buffalo Bill’ Cody.
The country’s first female governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross, was also elected in Wyoming.
Wyoming has 5 national forests, 2 national parks, and 16 state parks.
Wyoming has the world’s largest sodium carbonate (natrona) deposits and has the nation’s second largest uranium deposits.
Famous Wyoming destinations include Old Faithful Geyser, Jackson Hole, Flaming Gorge, Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park.
A leading producer of sheep and wool, Wyoming is also a major producer of beef cattle and hogs.
There are more geysers in Yellowstone National Park than in any other geyser field around the world.
The state of Wyoming is over 90% rural, with an economy suited for its sparse population.
The first female governor in the United States was Nellie Tayloe Ross, elected in Wyoming in 1925.
An overwhelming majority of the state economy is concentrated in three sectors: agriculture, energy, and nature tourism.
Kemmerer, Wyoming is the birthplace of the JC Penney chain.
Over 6 million visitors travel to Wyoming’s parks each year, and the areas around these see the most growth.
There are more than 200 free-roaming wild horses in the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range.
