Explore Wyoming’s Secrets with Alisha: 20 Surprising Facts From the Least Populated U.S. State! How much do you really know about Wyoming? Whether you’re a resident, planning to visit, or just curious about this unique state, this video is packed with fascinating facts that might surprise you! From the first JCPenney store to the true number of cities, join me as we dive into 20 interesting facts about Wyoming. Did you know Wyoming has the lowest population of any U.S. state or that it has only two escalators? Watch to learn more incredible truths and share in the comments if any of these facts caught you by surprise!
How well do you know Wyoming? If you already live here, you might know a little or you might know a lot. If you’re considering a move or a visit, this may all be news to you. Did you know that the first JCPenney store was in Wyoming? Kemmerer, Wyoming, to be exact. Listen up as I dig into 20 facts about Wyoming. Stick with me to the end and let me know in the comments if you learned something new or you wanna add something.
My name’s Alisha Collins, and I’m with the Alisha Collins Real Estate Team. We have time for you. We love talking to all of you. So let’s get into it. The first JCPenney store started by James Cash Penney was actually called the Golden Rule Store based on his business model of honest values and fair dealings. So there you have it, number one on my list of 20 Wyoming facts you may or may not know.
Let’s go to number two, which interestingly enough is about two of something. Did you know that there are only two escalators in the entire State of Wyoming? Both are located in the city that I’ve shared a lot about, Casper. Both are located inside bank buildings and both were built over 40 years ago. Why do we only have two escalators? Well, maybe we just think the effort of walking up and down the stairs is worth it, or it may be due to the fact of Number three, which is Wyoming has the lowest population of all 50 states in the United States of America with about 580,000 inhabitants. Most cities don’t have enough people needing to go from one floor to the other faster than most elevators can carry them. So stairs and elevators are the go-to mode of multi-story travel in Wyoming. Well, except for those two bank buildings in Casper. Casper was named after a military fort that was in the area, and the fort itself was named after Lieutenant Caspar Collins. Some of Wyoming’s other cities are named after more famous Wild West legends like Cody, for example.
Fact number four about Wyoming is that not only was the famous Buffalo Bill Cody real, but before he became famous with his “Wild West Show,” he was a hunting guide leading dignitaries and chief of scouts for the army. He also founded the City of Cody, which is about 50 miles from the east entrance of Yellowstone National Park. You can learn all about Buffalo Bill and much more in the five museums that are housed in the Buffalo Center of the West located, you guessed it, in Cody, Wyoming. Lots of people stop in Cody on their way to visit the Yellowstone National Park, which brings me to fact number five on my list. Wyoming is home to the very first national park, established in 1872. Yellowstone is home to over 500 active geysers, which is more than half the world’s geysers all in one park. Yellowstone boasts 67 different animal species, 285 different bird species, 290 waterfalls, and 1000 miles of hiking trails. Yellowstone is also home to the largest high elevation lake in the United States, Yellowstone Lake. All that beauty and adventure in 3,400 square miles. Yellowstone is the only thing that some people know about Wyoming, but there is so much more to see and do when you visit or move here.
How about fact number six? Wyoming is home to 4,000 lakes and reservoirs. That is more than I would’ve guessed. I’ve lived in Wyoming for most of my life, and that one is news to me. Now, I know about three major reservoirs within an hour of my home, and I definitely know how to enjoy the fishing and boating opportunities that I have. But it is nice to know that other people across the state have similar opportunities to enjoy the boating, fishing, and paddling fun that these lakes and reservoirs offer. You can also enjoy fishing, boating, floating, paddling, and even white-water rafting on the many rivers located throughout Wyoming. Okay, I have thrown some interesting facts your way. Some of them probably you didn’t know, so let’s do some easy ones.
Fact number seven, the state mammal is the North American bison, commonly known as a buffalo. So you might have guessed at that one since it’s right smack dab in the middle of our state flag.
How about fact number eight, our state bird. I have become quite the bird watcher as I age. These birds are really easy to spot with their bright yellow underside and the black V across their neck that almost looks like a cowboy’s kerchief. However, they prefer the wide open grasslands, so you will not find them in our cities very often. There’s tons of them at my house on 20 acres.
Since we’re talking about cities for a moment, let’s visit number nine on my list of facts that you didn’t know about Wyoming. Did you know that there are only 19 actual cities in Wyoming? According to census, the 19 cities are Buffalo, Casper, Cheyenne, Cody, Douglas, Evanston, Gillette, Green River, Kemmer, Lander, Laramie, Newcastle, Powell, Rawlins, Riverton, Rock Springs, Sheridan, Torrington, and Worland. Actually, Mills just became a city as well as defined by the census as being a community of more than 4,000 or more. The rest of the places you may or may not have heard about in Wyoming, like Jackson, Greybull, Saratoga, or Thermopolis, just to name a few, are some of the 80 towns scattered throughout the state. I’ve done a lot of videos about Casper since I do live here, but I’ve also shared some about Jackson, Cheyenne, Glenrock, and Gillette, just to name a few. If you are interested in some of those other areas, check out my other videos. If I’m missing a town you’re interested in, let me know in the comments and we will see what we can do about making a video on that. I just assume everyone knows about Jackson, Wyoming, but maybe I’m wrong.
However, I don’t think that anyone knows number 10 on my list. The fact that the mountains that make Jackson so famous are actually part of another national park in Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park. While Yellowstone has some definite must-see sites, Grand Teton National Park has stunning views of the unique Teton Mountains, gorgeous lakes like Jenny Lake, hiker trail to Hidden Falls, and don’t miss inspiration point where you can see the whole valley, Jenny Lake, Cascade Canyon, and the Grand Teton Mountains. Speaking of Jackson, if you choose to live in Jackson, well, clearly you are choosing a beautiful setting, but you’re also choosing the most expensive place to live in our state. As you may guess, the cost of living in Wyoming depends on where you live, and according to the Wyoming comparative cost of living index put together by the economic division of the State of Wyoming, the overall cost of living in Teton County where Jackson is is 74% higher than the statewide average. Why am I talking about the cost of living in Teton County?
Well, just as a lead into the fact of number 11, overall, the average cost of living in Wyoming is lower than the US average, 92.8% of the US average to be precise. Since I already have shared the county and the city, the highest cost of living, which county and city has the lowest?
Well, that would be fact number 12, and it would be a tie between Goshen County, where Torrington is, and Washakie County, where you’ll find the city of Worland, both offer a 14% lower cost of living than the state average. Even more interesting is when you consider the cost of housing in each county as well. Once again, Teton wins with the cost of housing 135% higher than the rest of the state. And again, Worland and the rest of Washakie County are the real winners with the cost of housing 28% lower than the rest of the state. So what is the average cost of housing in Wyoming?
I’m not sure if I can call it fact number 13 or not with the numbers that differ across all the different sources, but the fact is that the median home price is lower in Wyoming than the national average. The average home value in Wyoming is 344,250, which is lower than the US average of 358,734. But according to Rocket Homes, the median listing price for a home in Wyoming is 264,375. Any way you look at it, most of Wyoming has lower overall housing costs than the US average. I’d say that’s a pretty good reason to consider moving to Wyoming if you’re looking for an affordable place to live. Cost of living can impact where you decide to live, but there are other factors to consider as well. So let’s talk about some of those factors. On a recent best states list by US News, Wyoming came in at the 12th best state according to some pretty important metrics, things like healthcare, economy, environment, education, but one of the biggest factors that put Wyoming towards the top of that list is fiscal stability, especially when considering short term fiscal stability. What does that mean exactly? It means that like many of us that live here, our legislature wants to make sure we have enough funds to run the state in spite of economic fluctuations due to state income. So our rainy day fund is pretty considerable and our budget pretty balanced. So, let’s see where I am on my list.
Okay, let’s call that fact number 14. Wyoming is number one when it comes to short term fiscal stability. What else was Wyoming number one on? Well, other than number one in my heart, Wyoming was the first state to allow women the right to vote. Actually, it was way before Wyoming even became a state. In December of 1869, the territorial governor signed an act allowing women not only the right to vote, but the right to hold public office, own and inherit property, and the guardianship of minor children. These are common rights now, but they most certainly were not common in the 1800s. In fact, the territorial legislature tried to repeal the act that allowed these rights to women, but it was protected through a veto by Governor John Campbell. And when forming the state in 1890 and writing the state constitution, universal suffrage was incorporated as Article 6, making Wyoming the first state to guarantee equal suffrage rights.
So fact number 15, Wyoming is called the equality state for a pretty good historical reason. Following up on the right to vote and hold office, Wyoming had the first female justice of the peace, the first woman to serve on a jury, the first female bailiff, and a big one, even if it was only a two week lead over Texas, Wyoming had the first female governor in the US, Nellie Tayloe Ross in 1924. We know where Wyoming got its nickname, but what about how Wyoming got its actual name? I guess I have always thought it was a name given to the area by the natives who lived here, but the name comes from the Delaware tribe that lived in what is now called Pennsylvania after a valley there.
So fact number 16, Wyoming is named after a place in Pennsylvania that was a modified Delaware word that means large plains. While it may not have come from the tribes that lived here on the plains, it’s still a name that suits a large portion of the state. Well, it actually technically suits only 1/3 of the state as the Great Plains cover the Eastern most third of the state. What covers the rest of the state?
Well, mountains for a great portion of it, and inter-mountain basins as well, and leading me to fact 17. You wouldn’t necessarily think Wyoming when you think of deserts, but Wyoming has one of the last great elevation deserts, the Red Desert compromised of 361,000 acres full of colorful badlands, deep canyons, shifting sand dunes and sandstone towers, yet another Wyoming place that should be on your must-see list. Wyoming has a lot of must-see places, which is part of why tourism is such a large part of our economy.
In fact, fact number 18, if you’re counting along with me, tourism is the second largest industry in the state of Wyoming. I’m guessing you might know the number one industry in Wyoming, which is mineral extraction.
Fact number 19 is all about the pronghorn, a native animal to Wyoming. You can find them just about in every town and see them everywhere you drive across the state. Fact number 19 is that the pronghorn is the second fastest animal on land, second only to the cheetah, which is definitely not native to Wyoming. Pronghorn can travel at speeds of 60 to 70 miles per hour. There’s a lot more to learn and share about Wyoming. Be sure to let me know in the comments if you’ve learned anything new or if I’ve missed your favorite fact. Remember, if all of this makes you want to move to Wyoming, give my team a call. We can definitely help you get started with living in Wyoming.
I’m gonna leave you with one final fun fact, fact number 20. We love where we live in Wyoming, and we want you to love where you live too. We’d love for you to reach out to us and let us help you here in Casper, Wyoming, or any of the surrounding areas. We do travel to help serve you the best. We have time for you and we would love to talk to you. See you soon.