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WYOMING - USA
Wyoming is a state of the western United States.
It is the least populous U.S. state.
USS Wyoming was named in honor of this state.
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.
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. A List of Wyoming Governors is
available.
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.
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:
92.1% White
0.8% Black
6.4% Hispanic or Latino
0.6% Asian
2.3% American Indian
2.5% from other races
1.8% belong to two or more races
The top 5 ancestry groups in Wyoming are German (25.9%), English (15.9%),
Irish (13.3%), American (6.5%), Norwegian (4.3%).
The 5 largest religions in Wyoming are Roman Catholic (18%), Lutheran (9%),
Baptist (9%), Christian (9%), Mormon (7%). 20% of the population is
nonreligious.
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.
Important cities and towns
The Wyoming municipalities with populations over 10,000 are, in descending
order:
Cheyenne
Casper
Laramie
Rock Springs
Gillette
Sheridan
Green River
Evanston
Education
Colleges and universities
University of Wyoming
Casper College
Western Wyoming Community College
Central Wyoming College
Professional sports teams
Casper Rockies, minor league baseball
Miscellaneous information
Capital: Cheyenne
Nickname: Big Wonderful Wyoming, Equality State, Cowboy State
Motto: "Equal Rights"
Population: 493,782(2000 census)
Flower: Indian Paintbrush
Mammal: Bison
Bird: Western Meadowlark
Tree: Plains Cottonwood
Gemstone: Jade
Fish: Cutthroat Trout
Reptile: Horned Toad
Fossil: Knightia
Dinosaur: Triceratops
Coin: Golden Dollar
Sport: Rodeo
Major highways
Interstate 25
Interstate 80
Interstate 90
U.S. Highway 20
U.S. Highway 26
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