Wyoming in brief
General information
Statehood: July 10, 1890, the 44th state.
State abbreviations: Wyo. (traditional); WY (postal).
State capital: Cheyenne, the capital of Wyoming since 1869.
State motto: Equal Rights.
Popular name: The Equality State.
State song: "Wyoming." Words by Charles E. Winter; music by G. E. Knapp.
Symbols of Wyoming
State bird: Meadowlark.
State flower: Indian paintbrush.
State tree: Plains cottonwood.
State flag and seal: Wyoming's state flag, adopted in 1917, shows the state seal on a white buffalo to represent the branding of livestock. The background is a blue background with a red border. The red border symbolizes Indians and the blood of the pioneers. On the state seal, adopted in 1893, the woman and the motto symbolize equal rights in Wyoming, the first state to grant unrestricted civil and political rights to women. A cowboy and a miner represent the state's important livestock and mining industries.
Land and climate
Area: 97,818 mi2 (253,349 km2), including 714 mi2 (1,848 km2) of inland water.
Elevation: Highest--Gannett Peak, 13,804 ft (4,207 m) above sea level. Lowest—Belle Fourche River in Crook County, 3,100 ft (945 m) above sea level.
Record high temperature: 115 °F (46 °C) at Basin on Aug. 8, 1983.
Record low temperature: –66 °F (–54 °C) at Moran, near Elk, on Feb. 9, 1933.
Average July temperature: 67 °F (19 °C).
Average January temperature: 19 °F (–7 °C).
Average yearly precipitation: 13 in (33 cm).
People
Population: 493,782.
Rank among the states: 50th.
Density: 5 per mi2 (2 per km2), U.S. average 78 per mi2 (30 per km2).
Distribution: 65 percent urban, 35 percent rural.
Largest cities in Wyoming: Cheyenne (53,011); Casper (49,644); Laramie (27,204); Gillette (19,646); Rock Springs (18,708); Sheridan (15,804).
Economy
Chief products
Agriculture: beef cattle, hay, hogs, sheep, sugar beets.
Manufacturing: chemicals, food and beverage products, petroleum products.
Mining: bentonite, coal, natural gas, petroleum, trona.
Government
State government
Governor: 4-year term.
State senators: 30; 4-year terms
State representatives: 60; 2-year terms
Counties: 23.
Federal government
United States senators: 2.
United States representatives: 1.
Electoral votes: 3.
Sources of information
For information about tourism, write to Wyoming Travel and Tourism, I-25 and College Drive, Cheyenne, WY 82002. The Web site at http://wyomingtourism.org also provides information.
For information on the economy, write to: Wyoming Business Council, 214 W. 15th Street, Cheyenne, WY 82002. The state's official Web site at http://www.state.wy.us also provides a gateway to much information on Wyoming's economy, government, and history.