In the era of misinformation, conspiracy theories from innocuous topics like Wyoming and the JFK have become increasingly popular. Wyoming is the most pro-Trump state in the union, but it also shows GOP tension over using government to combat “woke” issues. Some GOP hopefuls suggest Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has gone too far with his actions, while others claim the US government was complicit in the attacks.
The Wyoming congressional primary on Tuesday has been painted as a referendum on Donald Trump, with incumbent Liz Cheney likely to lose to Harriet Hageman. The Wyoming Freedom Caucus’ political action committee, WY Freedom, had paid for the mailer attacking Jarvis, which has been a point of anxiety for many in Wyoming.
The bill called for equipping the Legislature with a proposed $50 million to prosecute the federal government, money that would let lawmakers fight unpopular-in-Wyoming actions like the Bureau of Land. The shadow government, also known as cryptocracy, secret government, or invisible government, is a family of theories based on the notion that real and actual political actions are not inherently connected.
To live in Wyoming, one faces the fundamental existential question: does the state exist and what does that mean? Conspiracy theories around the world cast doubt on the existence of real places, and Wyoming has the third-highest percentage of people believing at least one COVID-19 related conspiracy.
📹 Why Wyoming is VASTLY Emptier Than Colorado
Select video clips courtesy of Getty Images Select video clips courtesy of the AP Archive Special thanks to MapTiler …
📹 Wyoming Doesn’t Exist
Proof that the state of Wyoming doesn’t actually exist, if you know anyone from there, they we’re a government spy or working with …
As someone who has spent a lot of time in both states, wyoming is far colder and windier than colorado is. Wyoming also didn’t have the massive gold rush that Colorado had, so there was no population boom like in colorado in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. This allowed people to buy a lot of land for cattle ranching.
As a Northern Colorado resident I can confirm that as soon as you drive past the Wyoming border the wind wants to blow your car onto the other side of the highway. Temps are often 15-20 degrees colder in the winter as well. My experience is that two states have vastly different climates, with that of Colorado being much more hospitable.
I have lived in both Wyoming and Colorado and have traveled each state extensively. The weather and terrain might seem superficially similar, but they are actually very different. Wyoming’s weather and terrain are much harsher than Colorado’s. Colorado is like a lush tropical jungle compared to the cold, frozen desert of Wyoming. One trait they share is that both states are incredibly beautiful. The Tetons are the most beautiful mountain range in the world.
Glad to see a article talking about my home of Colorado. But please do not say that Wyoming has mild weather. It is somehow much noticeably colder year round and the wind is absolutely insane on the plains of Wyoming. You also forgot to mention the housing crisis in Colorado. Many residents I know cannot even afford to own their own homes. A lot of us rent for ridiculous rates but can’t move because we have nowhere else to go.
I travelled from the UK and spent time on a Ranch west of Lovell towards bighorn lake. It was a real eye opener, as I have never experienced such vastness of place and at times being truly alone from other people. It was over 30 years ago and I was very young, but I will never forget it. Here in Europe, even in some isolated and sparse places you are never truly alone, but in Wyoming you can really step back to a time before industrialised population boom times, wonderful!
The presenter failed to mention that 85% of Colorado’s population is situated along the front range. This is because the mountains create a break for the incoming storms, resulting in a six or seven mile wide swath from Fort Collins to Pueblo that is insulated from the worst of the storms coming in from the west. Wyoming mountains are not situated thusly, and therefore cannot provide a natural shelter for people living in the shadow of those mountains.
From having lived and worked in both states, I’d say it’s as simple as this. The southern half of the Rockies has tolerable winters, the northern half has brutal ones, and I put the line between the two at the state CO/WY border. I spent most of my time between those two states in Colorado, but it was only in Wyoming that I ever couldn’t see my bright red gloved hand more than 6 inches from my eyes because of wild whiteout conditions, only in Wyoming did I get my 4×4 work truck stuck in sudden blizzards, only in Wyoming did I have to spend multiple nights under piles of blankets holding my terrified fiance, stuck on the side of I-80 because forecasted tolerable snowy conditions suddenly became whiteout ones. There’s 556 miles of difference between Wyoming’s northern border and Colorado’s southern one, when you compare the weather averages from Sheridan, WY to Trinidad, CO, you have your answer.
I moved to Wyoming when I was 12. I lived there for many years. I got married, then divorced and then moved to Wisconsin. Wyoming is a very large empty state, but it’s beauty will call you back. Nothing like seeing a Semi being picked up by the wind and flipped around and landing back on all of it’s wheels. The winds are very strong around Douglas and Glenrock. It’s just crazy. My favorite story about the weather is when I went on a picnic one afternoon up on Casper Mountain wearing shorts and a tank top, and I am throwing snowballs at my husband!
I live in Cheyenne. This article has more than double the views than the entire population of Wyoming. I love it here because it is one of the only places in the world where nature in clearly still intact. The air is clean and the traffic jams don’t exist. I like to watch deer eat my neighbors grass. HIgh populations shouldn’t be the metric of a successful society. The people of Wyoming are hardworking, genuine, and kind. Feel free to visit
I’m a meteorologist in Cheyenne and I’ll be real with you, mild isn’t the right word for our weather. I like to call it Triple W. Wild, Wyoming, Weather. From winds that regularly gust over 40 MPH (I grew up in STL and never saw a High Wind Warning before. Now I’m in one every other day), temperatures that will get over 70 for a few days and then back down to freezing, we hit -36 and a wind chill of -60 this winter alone. Meanwhile Fort Collins is always nice comparatively. Sometimes I wish the station was down there so I could be warm
Wyomingite here. All Im gonna say is that Wyoming is an extremely spiritual place and very native friendly. I used to live on the reservation and my Elders taught me a lot, and how the spirituality is so great and vast there. The biggest thing im gonna tell people, whatever energy you bring n give to the land, is what your goin to receive there. Keep that in mind.
One part of this you didn’t mention is the two states’ early transportation histories. Because it’s actually easier to cross Wyoming east-west than Colorado, Wyoming was on the main transcontinental route in the 19th century, while Colorado was off of it. Recognizing the importance of this, Denver city leaders paid to build a spur off the Transcontinental Railroad. Then in the 1950s, when the Interstate Highway System was being planned, I-70 was going to dead-end in Denver, but Dwight Eisenhower’s wife happened to be from Colorado, so state leaders used her to lobby him for an extension through Colorado toward the West Coast. This was so hard to build (the Colorado Rockies are basically a wall), the last part of the interstate system to be built was in Colorado — but it was built, and now a major coast-to-coast highway (effectively — I-70 ends in Utah, but it runs right into I-15, which continues on to Vegas and L.A.) runs right through Denver. DIA is part of this, too — its predecessor, Stapleton, had all the same locational advantages, but it would regularly get shut down by winter weather, limiting its growth potential. So the state made a major investment, a huge gamble really, in the only new large airport to be built in the US in the late 20th Century — and it paid off. Bottom line, Denver and Colorado leaders have always just had a … hustler mentality, I guess you could say? While Wyoming leaders … I guess they just didn’t care as much about money?
I was born in Colorado and I live in Wyoming with my grandparents (to help them out, mainly) for half the year in the Medicine Bow mountain range. It’s honestly my favorite part of the year. I love how away from it all it is and I spend way more time outside and appreciating the world around me. Even if I am just collecting/stacking wood or building/repairing fences for them 😂. I love both Wyoming and Colorado and I’m thankful to experience and enjoy all that they offer me.
I was born in Denver, grew up in Cheyenne, lived in Fort Collins for several years, and now live Denver again. From my perspective, geographically and culturally, they might as well be different countries. Some thoughts for those that have never been to either: Fort Collins, being the closest major city to Cheyenne (30-45 minute drive), is tucked right against the mountain and is arguably one of the most beautiful modern towns in the world. Cheyenne on the other hand, sits in the middle of grass plains (not even remotely comparable to the geographic positioning of Fort Collins). The vibe of Cheyenne feels like a cross between an old western film and “Breaking Bad”, set in a conservative military town in the 70’s (albeit it still has a lot of charm and one of the best skateparks anywhere👀). Because of the geographic location, Cheyenne is brutally windy all year and often 10+ degrees colder than its closest neighbor Fort Collins. Everywhere from Fort Collins to Denver can get windy as well, but you can feel how starkly the geographic landscape/vibe changes when you cross that border into Wyoming (it baffles me how early settlers ever survived in Cheyenne). Cheyenne is positioned very close to a quasi-mountain area called “Vedauwoo”(a hidden treasure centrally(ish) located between Cheyenne, Laramie, and Fort Collins). However, you have to go at least an hour and a half west through Laramie to reach mountain landscapes (in Wyoming) that compare to what the entire front range of Colorado is built into.
I’m from NZ and Wyoming is my favorite state of The US. Amazing, isolated rural locations. If you’re into these, Wyoming is the place for you. Amazing railroad history Wyoming has too, the home of the biggest, baddest Locos the world has seen. Then, there’s the tourist spots of Wyoming, Yellowstone etc. And another great thing about Wyoming- no Vegas like BS.
Seems a lot of people have already said what I was going to say. The weather in Wyoming isn’t close to the same it is here in Colorado. My parents live in Wyoming, and when I tell them “It is has been snowing the last couple days,” they’ll send my a picture of their driveway which has a car in it that you can’t see because it is buried under the snow. Edit: Last time I went to visit my parents, I saw three semi-trailers blown over on the side of the road. I haven’t experienced wind remotely close to that in Colorado.
Once went on a (around) 24 hour road trip from Southern Illinois to Boise Idaho. I drove most of the way and Wyoming was the hardest part. We passed through the southern part and I can tell you it is the most alien place I’ve ever seen. No desert, just kinda vast openness and brown grass, zero trees and light hills. Just vacant nothingness and I was fighting to stay awake because it felt like I was driving forever in the same spot. The entire time through Wyoming, we saw I think two populated spots, one was a packed Walmart halfway through Wyoming and it was weird because there were zero houses for people to live in for as far as the eye can see (remember, mostly flat land and zero trees, so lots of miles). And the other was a town with lots of gas stations and old farm equipment rusted everywhere i think it was Rawlins. 10/10 would recommend getting sleep before passing through
Born in Colorado loved the mountains, but was raised from 5yrs old on in Wyoming, I live between two mountain ranges and I enjoy the small population throughout the state, however the Tetons, Yellowstone, Jackson area gets nearly a million visitors each year. It’s very congested and can take a couple hrs to travel two miles. Beautiful state. We like the small population
Wyoming has a lot of residents who aren’t interested in urbanizing their state. While they do welcome visitors, they kind of want to keep their state the way it is naturally and discourage any big change for their area. They want to cherish their environment and keep it isolated and quiet, and have nature take its course.
VERY interesting article with lots of information. El Paso, however, is not the closest large population center to Denver at 560 miles away (actually 557 “as the crow flies”). Albuquerque, NM, is just 334 miles from Denver and boasts an urban area population over 900,0000, which is about 50,000 more people than El Paso, according to Wikipedia. Also, Salt Lake City is closer to Denver than El Paso at just 370 miles as the crow flies, and has a metro population of 1.3 million, nearly 400,000 people more than El Paso. Finally, at the same exact 557 miles from Denver is Kansas City, MO, with a metro population of 2.4 million! So, yes, Denver is isolated by distance from other population centers, but not to the degree that this article suggests.
I was born and raised in Wyoming. And you said the thoughts of us Wyomingites perfectly! And an interesting fact, Laramie (the city that has the only 4 year university in the state) almost doubles in population every time school is in session. The actual population is about 20,000. But it is around 30,000 when all of the college students come.
I remember when I was a kid perusal the Garfield and Friends cartoon. Garfield stated “There is no such place as Wyoming”. Others were rightfully skeptical about this until he stated “Think about it, have you ever met anyone from Wyoming?” It later went to a story of a mapmaker in Italy piecing together the United States, when completed, there was a space left, they put in the word Wyoming, which they explained was an old Italian word for “No state here”.
Northern CO resident here that relocated from the middle of CO about 3yr ago. I’ll say, we get a small sample of Wyomings weather, which is enough to keep us from going farther north. There are some amazingly beautiful parts of Wyoming, and the residents who can withstand the weather/wind are stronger than I am.
my dad was military, we was spent 3 years in cheyenne, wyoming. Some of the best 3 years of my childhood some of the nicest people ive ever had the pleasure to meet. really got into 4 wheelers and fishing while i lived there. Many people used to mail letters to my family even years after we left. Frontier Days is awesome too.
The VAST majority of Colorado’s population lives in a small area. Most of Colorado is actually VERY sparsely populated. Outside of a narrow front range corridor from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins, Colorado is basically Wyoming population wise. Take away that front range population and the population of Colorado is about 500,000 – and this is over 90% of the state.
It’s a little weird that El Paso is selected as the nearest city of comparable size when it looks like, in terms of (distance, population), you have Denver (0, 2.9M) and El Paso (600mi, 868k), but then there’s Albuquerque (400mi, 915k), Phoenix (700mi, 4.9M), Kansas City (600mi, 2.4M), and Salt Lake City (500mi, 1.2M). Really just seems like a lack of research, given that I identified these other metropolitan areas inside of 30 minutes.
My favourite fact about Wyoming, when trying to explain just how unpopulated we are, is our escalators. There’s only 2 in the entire state, both in Casper. Both in banks. Casper also has the largest mall in the entire state, that being the Eastridge Mall. We don’t have a lot but its sure fun shocking people with those fun facts
When we went on a vacation in the west we were in Wyoming for a bit, and it was absolutely beautiful. Jackson Hole still had snow, even in August, and white water rafting on the snake river was one of the top 3 experiences of my life. The raft guide told us that “in Wyoming we have 9 months of good skiing, and 3 months of bad skiing” 😂
Lived in Cheyenne for 4 years. Only place you can go to lunch and sit next to the governor. Wind is overwhelming, I bought a huge kite and learned to love it. It is easy to be a big fish in a small pond. Cheyenne Frontier Days is a community event wher most of the population are involved in some way.
Years ago, I would travel to Gillette for work for 2 weeks at a time and I did that 3 or 4 times over a couple of years. When one of the older engineers heard I was going he said “You’re going to love it Alex! There’s a beautiful woman behind every tree in Wyoming!” When I got there, I quickly noticed that there were very few trees… 😀 As the saying going, nice place to visit. After about 3 days, the awe of the truly “Big Sky” wears off and you quickly realize there’s not much to do there. I went to that 1 theater in Gillette several times. And the weather was wild. 40’s in the morning, 72 by lunch, a crazy, end of the world hail store moved in around 4 and temps dropped 40 degrees. Crazy. But Wyoming is definitely where the deer and the antelope play.
Sorry as a geographer I have to correct you on a few things. The closest other major metro area to Denver is salt lake city which by highway miles is 521 miles and much shorter as a the crow flies. It is definitely still and island city I think that’s why Denver Airport has some of the most connecting flight stops in the nation, but I just wanted to let you know that. Salt Lake has a low city pop, but a large metro pop if you were just going of city sizes.
I think Wyoming could see more population growth in the future. Now that a lot of people can work remotely full time, I would not be surprised if people start moving to Wyoming who previously would not have been willing to. Remote work seems to be the great equalizer these days and a lot of people are relocating because of it. This has been happening to a huge extent in Montana and Idaho. I think the same will happen in Wyoming on a smaller scale. A lot of people love the idea of living somewhere with a low population and tons of natural beauty, but most of these sorts of places have sucky job markets. Remote work removes this barrier.
As a central Wyoming resident let me tell you about the blizzards of 2023. Yes blizzards. Casper set an all time low temperature of -42 right before Christmas. We broke the record of seasonal snowfall and took 2nd place for snowfall in a single storm. And that storm happened in the first week of April. I had 3 consecutive snow days and a half day for my highschool in the FIRST WEEK OF APRIL and as of writing this it is gonna snow again before April ends. I love the snow 🙂
I’ve lived all over the country and the last 20 years in three different locations in Wyoming (Laramie, Sheridan and now in Cheyenne). There is a distinct difference in weather between the two. While Denver is 5280 feet, the entire southern half of WY (I-80 corridor) is between 6000-7400 feet. That makes a huge difference in temperatures and wind. Well water is extremely difficult to get to here in WY. I would add to this article that Jackson airport is usually busier than Casper, albeit mostly because of the rich private jets owned by some of the residence, but commercially as well. Wyoming is a cold, bitter, windy, desolate landscape and it takes a special type of person to live here…. people would be much happier in Colorado. So move there and not here!!
Born and raised in CO–you summed it all up nicely. Growing up in CO we usually forgot about Wyoming simply because there’s not a whole lot you can do up there that you can’t already do in CO. However, I am a little jealous at how WY is growing at a slower rate because of how quickly things tend to change in the Denver area and how that leads to some pretty strong growing pains
13:23 It’s worth noting that, for all our economic differences, the local cultures and values of Colorado and Wyoming had largely remained very similar between 1900-1995, but then began to diverge significantly, both socially and politically. The metropolitan multicultural influence of the new airport to this end cannot be overstated, in my opinion.
You left a lot of the impact of Salt Lake’s area on western Wyoming. I lived on the western border for about 8 years. You are right about the people there liking it just the way it is. Very little crime, very safe. A rough land and tough winters, but that makes strong people that don’t judge but support each other. A live and let live kind of place.
I drove I-80 through Wyoming. The wind was so crazy when I got to the hotel it nearly pushed me over. I didn’t find out until the next day that a tornado had touched down outside the town and that’s why the wind was so strong. I missed the tornado on that stretch of road by maybe half an hour, and all I noticed was some really dense looking storm clouds.
Thank you for doing a article about these states! I live in Colorado and it’s so nice to see a article of our state for a change. We hear about other states and countries all the time, which is fine, but it’s great to watch something closer to home. And to learn some interesting facts about our state and our lovely neighbor is the cherry on top!!
I spent my childhood in Wyoming. Beautiful country, and generally nice people, but the towns have nothing to do. When I was a kid we used to drive 100 miles to Billings Montana just to go to a K-Mart. All teens could do was just cruise main street and drink. You have to date people in distant towns just to avoid relatives. And small towns do have a different psychology, and Wyoming has nothing but small towns. Counter-intuitively, there’s actually LESS privacy and independence in small towns because everybody knows everybody else’s business, and gossip is a sport. It’s kind of like high school never ends, whereas in cities you can be easily anonymous and avoid running into specific people if you want to, because the whole town doesn’t just use one store, gas station, and post office.
We moved to Laramie, WY from CO for retirement and love it. There are a lot of advantages to living in WY rather than CO, no state income tax, no sales tax on unprepared food, cheaper utilities, lower property taxes, etc.. Here in Laramie (population 32k) we can be in Chyenne in 45 minutes, Fort Collins, CO in an hour, and Denver in 2 hours. I have never considered Wyoming winter that hard but here at 7500′ they can get kind of long. Probably the biggest advantage for outdoor recreation is that the trails, campsites, ski slopes, etc. are way less crowded than in CO> That said, Wyoming is not for everyone. If you are into the outdoors it is great. If you are more urban and want to go clubbing frequently or want 6 different kins of ethnic restaurants within a 15 minute wals then you’d better stay in an urban area. Depending on how much you are into politics Wyoming is deep, deep red while Colorado if purple tending towards blue. A lot of folk in Wyoing will look at Colorado folk (aka “greenies” because of the color of CO license plates) with a similar attitude as someone from California.
The appeal of Wyoming, for me, is precisely the fact that it’s so sparsely populated. If you want to have a lot of space and some spectacular views, with a shitload of wildlife, Wyoming is fantastic. But I like remote wilderness. I like hiking a trail and seeing nobody that day. Just me, my dog, and uninterrupted nature as far as I can see. It’s either that or I like being IN the heart of a dense metro (from Seattle, fuckin love it). The purgatory is the suburban strip mall hell in between. I don’t like the middle of that spectrum. Colorado has too many people. Same shit is happening to Washington. Good food tho, great city life. Just kinda fucks up the nature parts too much and property prices are insane, lol.
I was born in rapid city, and moved to Colorado when I was 21, and still having family in western South Dakota, I have driven through eastern Wyoming about a thousand times. I also have done a lot of work in Wyoming in the energy sector, and I can tell you, the climate is not that different in northern Colorado as Wyoming, Colorado also gets tons of hurricane velocity winds, Adams and weld and Morgan counties get more tornadoes, up around Greeley there’s tons of sub zero mornings every winter. But the wind, and cold winters are a little more punishing in Wyoming for sure, and the land seems more desolate. In Colorado there’s a ton of crops like corn, onions, carrots, cabbage and all kind of other stuff grown in weld county along the platte river area between Brighton and Greeley. More cattle as well, and the many rivers and creeks running down the Rockies which fill way more reservoirs in Colorado than Wyoming has. While much of Colorado is borderline desert high country, almost all of Wyoming is full on high plains and mountainous desert. But, the noise pollution, light pollution, traffic, and people along the I25 and I70 corridors kind of make me wish I could leave Colorado for a less crowded Wyoming. I love the empty spaces, I love the rugged scenery, maybe not the weather, but the lack of people, and everything that goes along with that seems way better than dealing with the rat race that has become much of Colorado.
As a Coloradoan, you can’t really compare WY and CO weather. I’ve met people from WY at the grocery store bc they wanted to get out of the wind. My masseuse got divorced bc of the WY wind (he wanted to stay and she wanted to leave). The wind drove her crazy. Colorado just reduced AZ and NV’s water rights. Water is a hot commodity in the west. I took a water law class. It was very interesting.
As a Wyoming native, I can sincerely and happily tell you that although our weather sucks ass and some places in our state may be ugly, in the summer it’s great and most of our state is the most beautiful of all. It is the best state in the entire US. I love my country and I love my state and the people in it ❤🇺🇸🦬🦬
A GENUINELY interesting article where I actually learned a lot of new things, unlike many of the articles lately where the answers to your questions were quite obvious. Great buildup in the first few minutes! However, please check the picture quality from about 7:45 during the map animations. I got black flashes all the time, that were starting to hurt my eyes and head. Keep up the great work!
Being from Colorado, which just grows and grows and grows, it’s a nice relief to be buffered by areas and states that are largely empty. (Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, New Mexico, Kansas) One thing he didn’t mention is that much of Colorado is also blissfully empty. Most of our population lives in a narrow strip along the Eastern edge of the Rockies.
Wyoming is an ancient word for wind. Other than the wind, I didn’t mind it back in the day. We used to spend a weekend at Glendo every year & had a blast. Then I spent a winter (January & February) installing cable rail along I-80 thru Laramie, Rawlins & the gateway to hell in between them known as Elk Mountain. That winter was the most miserable experience of my 46yrs on this planet. That was probably 15ish years ago when we finished that project & I haven’t set foot in that state again since.
Glad for the positive remarks towards Wyoming at the end.It’s one of the few places left in the US where you can live and not constantly be butt crack to butt crack with other people or stuck in traffic on the way to do anything… even if theres much less to do. It’s a great state for introverts, summer brings the great outdoors with plenty of solitude, winter brings cozying up with books and hot coffee! It’s rarer these days to find people who can function without the constant distraction of city life. But if you are a soul that is at peace with itself and can handle a little isolation, Wyoming is great!
I do lawn care in Cheyenne Wyoming and the winters are very harsh. Had 2 storms last season that were under -20 Fahrenheit plus wind. Some storms would make me have to plow for 30 hours straight because it just kept snowing. It’s funny listening to people complain about it when they aren’t in it all night lol I also have over 100 years of heritage here in Wyoming. My great great grandfather was one of the guys who helped start wheatland in 1917. Came to Wyoming on a covered wagon and farmed by hand.
As a Wyomingite, saying Wyoming’s climate is more mild and tolerable is so untrue. It’s way more challenging than Colorado, not for me that is. Why do you think there are 5.8 million in Colorado and only 580K in Wyoming? Well, the weather is a big factor in that. I love the weather though, and I am proud of my home, but please do not say such inaccurate things. Even with all that said, thank you for the article and I appreciate the analysis and attention for my home. 💙
I am looking to move to Wyoming in the near future. I live in Georgia right now, I have been to Wyoming on many occassions. I love the idea that there is land with very few people around you. A few friends of mine are also interested in moving to Wyoming. We are looking at the south west corner of the state near the Utah and Idaho state lines.
Something about Wyoming makes it so fascinating for someone who lives in the hustle and bustle of the northeast corridor. It’s just wild, raw and oh so beautiful. Glad its natural grace is protected in many parts so that one day we can go there, see it, soak it in, and tell stories about it’s inhabitants from humans to wild majestic animals, it’s glorious snow cap mountain ranges, stunning rivers and gorgeous natural foliages.
I lived in Colorado for 14 years front range area and western slope. We moved our family to north western WY. We have much colder weather and snow for 6 months of the year on the ground. Though we do not get the wind like eastern WY. I hiked 1000s of miles in Colorado and prefer the Wyoming mountains can go out an be alone. Also another big reason WY has small population is that the state received NO FED government money for immigration. I love living in my town of 2000 people on my own land
Pretty good article. Weather is definitely different between the two states as well as job opportunities. Boom or bust is pretty accurate for Wyoming. If you aren’t interested in mine work, Colorado may be a better option, though Wyoming is always looking for those in medical fields, construction, as well as law enforcement. We retired to SW Wyoming not even a year ago from Washington, DC. We researched Wyoming for several years before we retired and made several visits in 3 out of 4 seasons. If you move to Wyoming based on the western fantasy you see on TV- you may be overwhelmed and disappointed. Although there is beautiful scenery, some cowboys, and open land, you’ll have to forego many conveniences you are used to if coming from a big city. We prepared mentally for the transition to Wyoming, and even though we just got through one of Wyoming’s worst winters, we couldn’t be happier here. However, Wyoming has seen an influx of people from Colorado, Washington State, and Oregon recently who are trying to instill progressive values in the cities they move to, so it’s not as “red” locally as you might think. Wyoming may be the last frontier, and the last state to fall to high population and crime, but it’s not immune to the ills of society, unfortunately.
I grew up in Windsor, Colorado. Between Ft. Collins and Greeley. I now live in Cheyenne, Wyoming. With the influx of outsiders moving into Colorado, the cost of living greatly increased. So has the political structure. There is a natural hatred towards each other’s state that still exists. It basically comes form CSU Rams and UW Cowboys college football teams. But a lot of people forgot why they hate the other state. The hatred is really relevant in the northeast Colorado police departments. They tend to target Wyoming license plates and I’ve known Wyoming folks the have been told to get the f**k out of their state (Colorado). It’s sad.
Being a native Coloradan, I do enjoy the weather, the mountains, and the history. Whereas, I feel bad for Wyoming being harsher by weather and lower by population, but I enjoy the landscapes it provides. I got the chance to enjoy Yellowstone one time, because of its wildlife, geysers, and vast spaces. Nowadays, it’s difficult to explain everything I feel about the population growth and the economy in my home. There’s a lot I feel about, though I still enjoy living in Colorado very much.
As a Colorado native and resident, the boom in population in this state has come with some good and bad. The value of my home has practically doubled in less than a decade, the job market has grown steadily as well, and lots of great outdoor activities. On the other hand, with that growth, the traffic has gotten worse as our growth has outpaced our infrastructure, the “green rush” has seemed to bring an increase in crime. The Denver/Aurora area has one of the highest rates of car theft and cost of living is ridiculous.
I live in western NE about an hour from the Wyoming border. The weather here can be truly schizophrenic. We just went from 30 to 92 degrees in less than 24 hours last week. If you drive 20 miles the weather can change drastically. This is why I-80 through wyoming can be dangerous. But I love the open sky, no people, no traffic. Dead quiet, the night is black as pitch here. Much different than where i grew up near Chicago. I think the area has its own unique beauty. I would never go back!
I live in Fort Collins, Colorado for school at Colorado State University. I find it rather depressingly empty at times despite the seemingly large population. Once you get about 15 minutes outside of town on I25 it feels completely devoid of life, similar to Wyoming. I do delivery driving to make a few bucks on the side and it has opened my eyes to the sparseness of this part of the country. I moved from San Diego for college and was pretty shell shocked to see the complete lack of buildings or even street lights altogether when driving north towards Wyoming to deliver food. Towns like Wellington towards the border are often just small groups of buildings with very little commercial area. Prior to living here and in San Diego, I lived in Iowa City, IA; even though Fort Collins is substantially larger than Iowa City, I still felt that city had a lot more life (even when you left town) just because the greenness and population of farms or ranches in the surrounding area. There is sometimes a feeling that there is no civilization at all to the north and east of Fort Collins whatsoever when there’s no lighting, buildings, or even farms, rather endless fields of brown arid grass. I plan on transferring from CSU at some point due to those reasons plus some others (including the fact that this feeling of emptiness can be a little saddening at times to say the least), but it has certainly been an eye opening experience.
I recently binged the TV Series “Longmire” which takes place in Wyoming, first of all is amazing and i definitely recommend it if you like Police Procedurals like “Law & Order SVU” but also Shows like “The Shield” for Plots that take a whole Season. That Series made me look up and read up a lot on Wyoming, the Culture there, the Native American Reservations and their own Police Force etc. which definitely is fascinating for me as a European (German). Definitely also made me want to visit Wyoming. Fascinating State that definitely deserves more Attention Prost & Cheers from Berchtesgaden in the Bavarian Alps
I’m not from Colorado or Wyoming, but I have been to both states during a trip to Yellowstone National Park when I was younger. We still have pictures from that trip, and it was beautiful. I would love to live there since I am not a fan of big cities and crowds of people, but I hate winter and the harsh climate that it brings, so I’ll be content to simply visit.
Grew up in Colorado (born in Kentucky but lived in Colorado from age 6 months to 55) and moved to Wyoming for work 7 years ago. It’s funny perusal this and completely understanding and acknowledging everything firsthand (even seeing my car and where I live at the 13:37 mark). Great article, thank you. P.S. One mistake though, Casper/Natrona airport is the hub for Wyoming, but Jackson airport is actually larger.
As a Wyomingite and current resident, I can say everything was super well put. Great article! We do have a saying here “Don’t Colorado my Wyoming” we don’t really want to be like Colorado because if we want that we can easily go there and experience it then come back to the isolated lifestyle we prefer. It’s a win-win especially for those living in the SE portion of WY.
I have lived in wyoming for most of my life… I came here from Okie at age 4 in 1979.. Back then thee summers rarely got over 90 degrees and we had summer afternoon & evening storms almost everyday.. The winters then was cold and I learned to adapt to the cold working on a ranch as a child… Now this many years later and with climate changes going on.. Our summer temps hit 100+ easily for weeks on end.. This winter was quite nasty as well… At Christmas our temps went from 56 degrees and calm winds to -55 with 60+ mph winds in a time span of 27 hours
I lived in Wyoming for 8 years. The winters are HARSH, nowhere near mild. The snow is painful because no one plows the snow, the 50+ mph gust blow the snow everywhere so travel is so hard on foot and in car, the black ice here is some of the worst black ice in the country, then once it’s cold, the wind-chill ruins a person.
I did a business related road trip through Wyoming to seek out new clients a few years back. It was March and I was in Sheridan. It was around 15 degrees Fahrenheit, there was a sustained 40mph wind, and as I put gas in my rental car, I thought to myself “Oh, that’s my no one lives here, because it’s terrible.”
I live in Wyoming, and your comments near the end of this article reminded me of a quote from a early Wyoming resident’s (or settler’s) journal that one of my teachers had on their wall. The quote goes as follows: “God bless Wyoming. And keep it wild” (or something like that, I remember something about God and Wyoming and keeping Wyoming wild) It’s rather nice, I’ll admit, having few people around. I’d take Wyoming over Colorado nearly any day (I grew up in Colorado and moved to Wyoming when I was 14, so I know what I’m talking about for the most part)
I know that population-wise it’s not one that would stand out. But Evanston is actually a kind of important city when it comes to Wyoming. Because of so many of the laws outlawing the sale of things like fireworks, alcohol, and ahem adult reading cough in Utah, it’s very common for people in Salt Lake City to travel there to purchase these items. Also I want to offer a small correction on that note to your analysis of the closest major city being El Paso. The thing about the Salt Lake Valley is that it’s home to at least a dozen towns and cities that all seamlessly merge into each other (similar to the Los Angeles area) where it’s impossible to really tell if you’ve left one city and entered another. So while the city proper only has about 200,000 people (I assume that’s what you looked at for the closest population center) the valley has a whole has over 1.2 million people. Sure Denver’s metro area is signifigantly larger at about 2.9 million people, the metro population on the US side of the border is not even at 1 million, with most the population in the area living on the Mexico side of the border.
Traveling with my kids when they were younger, we had the chance to stay at a BNB in Lander, Wyoming. We found all the people we met there very welcoming and friendly, had a chance to attend a rodeo, and a celebration in South Pass for the 4th of July. I was very impressed to find that the first state to give women the right to vote was Wyoming. Being from the sunny south Texas, we wee astonished to find that it was snowing on the 5th of July during our trip. We drove from Lander to Idaho and probablys aw one other car on the road. I though the state was absolutely gorgeous, but I’m afraid I’m just oo much of a city girl to stay there for long, and way to used to warm, semi-tropical climates.
I think you really underestimated how much worse the climate is in Wyoming than in Colorado. Look up the USDA hardiness zone (growing zone) map for both and you’ll start to get the idea. Winters are far harsher in WYO than most of Colorado (especially the front range), and the growing season for much of the state is very short.
Having lived in CO my whole life, this makes me want to move to WY, so done with the skyrocketing rent prices in CO. However this article overlooked one key difference. The weather in WY is NOT mild, it’s notorious for being ruthlessly windy and cold. At night in the middle of summer you need a thick coat or the wind will wreck you.
One perk that Wyoming has that Colorado doesn’t is that it’s cheaper to live there. Colorado is very expensive now for the most part, but even Cheyenne WY which is only 30 minutes away from the border, is significantly more affordable than cites of Colorado just on the other side of the border. I grew up in Colorado. I totally love the place, but I have to give Wyoming it’s dues. Wyoming isn’t crowded, it’s cheaper, and that’s really nice for some people.
I saw Wyomin from a high road just before settin of the sun. Very captivatin experience. Similar to first time in New Mexico. 1959, 62, before explosion of tourist population. One thing I noticed, in the southwestern states the stalls in the men’s rooms had obscenities on the walls, lackin in other states, as we came from the East Coast to California.
It should be noted that the borders of Wyoming was determined by a Rancher named Warren. He had his men ride for 3 days to the west and north from Cheyenne. They marked the borders of the state and it was determined to be his land. He quite literally controlled that land. That is the reason ranching is the major industry for Wyoming. His influence effected quite a bit related to where the trains traveled through the state.
I was born in Denver and grew up there during the 70’s and 80’s. Back then it was conservative and didn’t have all the people and liberal politics. Now it’s over crowded and way too expensive. I’ve also lived in Texas, Northern Idaho, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and Indiana over the years. Out of all of those places, Wyoming was the best. I absolutely loved the Teton, Yellowstone and Black Hills areas and of course the people; however, pulling a trailer in 80 mph winds through Wyoming was a religious experience. I’m planning on retiring in Wyoming because it has one of the lowest tax burdens in the country.
I thought the most interesting point was around the 15:55 mark where it stated that Colorado has never had a majority of the population who was born within the state. I’m a native Coloradan/Denverite but my parents are not. Dad born in South St Paul, MN and mom born in Milwaukee, WI. Most of my CO native friends are the same with only a few where one parent is from CO and single digits where both parents were from CO. That was mainly in northern CO. Really interesting article though! Glad to see our parts of the country get recognized for their uniqueness.
I want to share that I watched this article right after you posted it last spring, all while hoping to make a move to Colorado from a different, southern state I’d prefer not to name. I moved here (to Denver) in August with my family! I work for one of the public colleges you mentioned. Thank you for this article. I feel like it slightly helped me better decide where to relocate to.
Wyoming also contains the most remote location in the US outside of Alaska. The Fitzpatrick wilderness in the Wind River mountains is the most remote location in the lower 48, it also contains Gannett Peak the state high point, which is the most remote state high point in the lower 48 and is generally considered the 2nd most difficult state high point to climb behind only Denali (Gannett is comparable to Rainier in raw difficulty, but has fewer established routes, few guides and is a 2 day hike from the nearest road).
I am a non native resident of Wyoming. Born and Raised from California I love everything about Wyoming. Colorado will never be an option for me. Small population is a badge of honor. A stat I am proud of. Small social circles and surviving your first winter are the hardest things to adapt to. Both of which have not bothered me in the slightest. I accept both gladly if it means I can avoid EVERYTHING that comes from Colorado and California
I agree that Wyoming has very unusual weather for a state with tropical climate and that could be a culture shock for modern settlers looking for flat land. Settlers also preferred Colorado, not only due to its mild sub-Saharan climate, but also because there are more electric chargers for settlers to charge carriages, and electric horses.
I have lived though many winters in both states. Wyoming’s climate is harsh, but wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for the WIND. The Wyoming wind is almost non-stop and year round. As I write this, the wind is blowing as usual and is gusting to 40 mph. In my opinion, the wind is what has hampered Wyoming’s population growth… which is a draw for some, that and hunting.
As someone who lives in relatively fast paced urban northern Colorado, Wyoming is my favorite sanctuary and the people (when you can find them haha) are lovely. Even if it’s just for a short time, I recommend visiting a place as ‘empty’ as Wyoming. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of knowing for a fact you’re the only person for miles, and the only thing between you and that distant mountain range is miles and miles of pristine grassland and maybe a hermit.
Wyoming may only have one University, but man people love it. You see the mascot of a cowboy on a horse more often than the actual Wyo state flag. Has a 97% acceptance rate, and is comparatively very cheap. I work at an animal hospital in Colorado and several veterinarians are alumni. Not to mention the university has an amazing paleontology museum.
Haha, I moved to WY and love it for all the reasons he mentions there at the end. I do however believe the weather plays a role in why not as many folks live here. For one, I visited Fort Collins in January and drove down from Cody. Wind was howling and roads were icy from snow that fell two days before my drive. Temps stay cold and the roads get recoated with dry snow from the winds constantly. I get to CO and as you descend from an elevation of 6k or higher (depending if your coming down from Cheyenne or Laramie) and the wind dissipates and so does the snow on the road. The weather is a different animal in WY.
I work at the Casper/Natrona County Intl Airport in Casper. A few things about our airport, that yes while we only have a couple of commercial flights, there is a pretty big amount of other operations going on at the airport. For example, FedEx has two jets flying in almost every day, as Casper is basically the state’s main hub for them. We also fly a few routes for smaller Feeder aircraft supplying freight to other smaller communities both in state and out. On top of that, we also receive a pretty large amount of international flights being the only airport in the state to have a Customs office. It’s generally cheaper to refuel here, and because our customs office is so much smaller it generally goes by a lot faster and easier. There are also a few military operations, as some military aircraft will use the airport to practice touch and goes, or downright station for a week or so for training exercises. There are also quite a few maintenance bases at the airport to provide services for aircraft owners. LifeFlight, pipeline surveys, private charters, the airport actually has a lot more to offer than most people realize.
I live in Estes Park,CO and we go up to Cheyenne occasionally and I really love it. It feels like I would imagine small town America felt 60 years ago and everyone is always super friendly. For a Capitol city, that’s almost non existent anymore. I love my state too but Wyoming has a vibe that’s rare these days that I appreciate.
Always happy to see a article involving Colorado! Another federal thing Denver has is the Denver Mint which is the other facility that prints the US currency outside Philadelphia. I always thought it was odd how Wyoming was the state with the lowest population, I thought that honor would go to North Dakota. I’m told that the winds there are even more brutal than Colorado, and we get pretty bad winds.
The wind is the big difference . . . I was born in Fort Collins, Wyo. One night, the wind blew so hard that it blew Fort Collins into Colorado. While this may sound a bit Paul Bunyan’ish . . . the wind never stops blowing in Wyoming. With that said, Wyoming is great place filled with wonderful people. One or perhaps more counties in Colorado have investigated becoming part of Wyoming. True story.