Wyoming at a Glance

Like No Place on Earth

Home to Old Faithful, Devils Tower and Jackson Hole Mountain, Wyoming is like no place on Earth.

With Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park and Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming is like no place on Earth. Feel the adrenaline of skiing down Jackson Hole Mountain or enjoy the quintessential Western experience at a Wyoming dude ranch.

Find out more about Wyoming at DiscoverAmerica.com.

Capital: Cheyenne

Population: Fewer than 575,000 people live in Wyoming. It is the least populous state in the union.

Geography: Part of the Western region of the United States, Wyoming shares a border with Montana to the north, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Colorado and Utah to the South and Idaho to the west. The Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming, resulting in a plateau terrain broken up by large mountains.

Higher Education: The state of Wyoming maintains one public four-year institution, the University of Wyoming (UW). Founded in 1886, UW was established before the territory was admitted into the union. The university, located in Laramie, Wyoming, has an undergraduate enrollment of more than 10,000 students and offers nearly 200 fields of study including graduate programs in business, education, engineering and law. UW students also have the unique opportunity to earn academic credit in courses such as Alaska Mountaineering, Baja Sea Kayaking and Himalaya Backpacking through the university’s National Outdoor Leadership School.

Major Industries: Wyoming is different from most other states in that mining is its major industry while manufacturing plays almost no role. The Cowboy State’s major mined products include coal, petroleum, natural gas and trona. Wyoming is the leading coal producer in the United States. With two national parks, Wyoming is also home to a bustling travel and tourism industry. Government services such as public schools, hospitals and military establishments are the state’s most valuable service industries. Transportation, communication and utilities are also important. Wyoming’s major agricultural products include cattle, hay, sugar beets, hogs and sheep.

Famous Wyomingites: Vernon Baker, a black World War II veteran who received the Congressional Medal of Honor; painter and leader of the abstract expressionism movement Jackson Pollock; Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss; Toronto Raptors basketball forward James Johnson; and acclaimed children’s book author Patricia MacLachlan were all born or raised in Wyoming.

Pop Culture: One of the most famous U.S. Western films of all time, 1969’s Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, was filmed throughout Wyoming. The 2005 drama Brokeback Mountain, starring Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams; and the 2009 romantic comedy Did You Hear About the Morgans?, starring Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker were also set in the Cowboy State.

Culinary Specialties: Wyoming is well known for its bean production — and nothing says beans and cowboys like a big bowl of chili. While regional variations exist, chili is basically a tomato-based stew with chili peppers, meat, onions and garlic. In Texas, it’s all meat; but in Wyoming, there are beans. Another cowboy favorite is jerky, dehydrated meat trimmed of fat and cut into strips. Settlers in Wyoming ate all kinds of jerky including buffalo, elk, moose, deer and the common beef. The tradition continues to this day.

International Connection: Cheyenne, Wyoming, is sister cities with Hammam Sousse, Tunisia, Lourdes, France, and Taichung, Taiwan.

Fun Facts:

• In 1869, Wyoming became the first state in the union to give women the right to vote.

• In 1872, Yellowstone became the first national park in the United States. It is located primarily in Wyoming.

• In 1906, Devils Tower, near Hulett, Wyoming, became the first national monument in the United States.

Adventure Idea: Get a bird's-eye view of one of the greatest national parks in the United States. Paragliding above Yellowstone National Park or Jackson Hole offers visitors one of the most peaceful, yet exhilarating, ways to see the state’s natural wonders. After putting on the necessary equipment, paragliders launch from the hillside with a short run and can stay afloat for several hours. Wyoming boasts a plethora of flight schools that provide instruction, equipment rental and guide services for those who want to experience this high-flying adventure.