Higher Education  

Wyoming has one university, as well as seven community colleges. The University of Wyoming in Laramie, a public institution, is the state's only university. State-supported community colleges are located in Casper, Cheyenne, Powell, Riverton, Rock Springs, Sheridan, and Torrington.

Geography

The area of Wyoming is 253,325 square kilometers. Wyoming is the meeting place of two of North America's major land regions: the Rocky Mountains, in western Wyoming; and the Great Plains, in eastern Wyoming. In addition, the Great Basin, another large North American land region, covers a small portion of southwestern Wyoming. Mountain ranges in Wyoming include the Teton, Gros Ventre, Snake River, Salt River, Wyoming, Absaroka, and the Wind River ranges. Wyoming's Great Plains region is suitable for raising cattle and sheep; irrigated areas produce corn, beans, sugar beets, hay, barley, and other crops. Marking a break in the Continental Divide, the Great Basin area in southwest Wyoming is a dusty, treeless region. Three of America's major river systems have their headwaters in Wyoming: the Missouri, the Colorado, and the Columbia. Other major rivers include the Yellowstone, the Bighorn, the North Platte, the Green, and the Snake. Important cities include Cheyenne (capital), Casper, Laramie, and Rock Springs. The population of Wyoming is approximately 480,000.

Climate

Wyoming's climate is generally cool and dry. The state's average temperature is -7° C in January and 19° C in July. In the mountainous Yellowstone Park, temperatures average -11° C in January and 15° C in July. Casper, in a lower-lying area, experiences an average January temperature of -6° C and an average July temperature of 22° C. Statewide, the annual average rainfall is 37 cm. Snowfall in the state varies according to altitude, with the mountains in the north averaging about 660 cm and the Bighorn Basin area averaging only about 38 to 1 cm each year.

Cultural Profile

Museums in Wyoming include the Wyoming State Museum and the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum, both in Cheyenne; the Texas Trail Museum, in Pine Bluffs; the University of Wyoming's geological museum and the Laramie Plains Museum, both in Laramie; Western Wyoming College Natural History Museum, in Rock Springs; Fort Bridger State Museum, in Fort Bridger; the Nicolaysen Art Museum and the Werner Wildlife Museum, both in Casper; the Wyoming Pioneers' Memorial Museum, in Douglas; the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, in Cody; the Jackson Hole Museum and the Wax Museum of Old Wyoming, in Jackson; and the Fur Trade Museum and the Colter Bay Indian Arts Museum, both in Grand Teton National Park. Natural history museums are located at Devils Tower National Monument and in Yellowstone National Park.

The Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, the Casper Civic Symphony Orchestra, and the University of Wyoming music department regularly present classical music performances. Each summer at the Grand Teton Music Festival, famous composers, conductors, and musicians from all over the world come together to present concerts, lectures, workshops, master classes. In addition, there are polka festivals, jazz festivals, bluegrass festivals, and various ethnic festivals held at different locations throughout the state. Community theater groups perform in Casper, Cody, Sheridan, Cheyenne, and other towns.

Recreation

Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks are Wyoming's most popular attractions. Other national areas in Wyoming include Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area, Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, Devils Tower and Fossil Butte national monuments, and Fort Laramie National Historical Site. Wyoming also has nine national forests and twelve state parks. Many popular ski slopes are located in the Jackson area. Other interesting places to visit include Independence Rock State Historic Landmark, southwest of Casper; Medicine Wheel, near Lovell; and Wind River Canyon, between Shoshoni and Thermopolis.

Interesting Facts

In 1872, the US Congress named Yellowstone National Park, in northwestern Wyoming, the first national park in the world. Devils Tower, in northeastern Wyoming, was designated the first national monument by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. Wyoming is the first state to grant women full voting rights. Famous Wyomingites include Harriet Elizabeth Byrd (politician), Curt Gowdy (sportscaster), Patricia MacLachlan (author), Paul Jackson Pollock (artist), and Gerald Spence (lawyer and writer).