The 307

I hail from the great state of Wyoming. You know what makes it so great? Hardly anyone has ever heard of it. Those that have heard of it have misconceptions about it. Including our neighboring states Utah and Colorado.

Don’t believe me?

First off, draw it. Without looking at a map of the United States, draw the state. It is one of the easiest to draw. That hint should be a dead giveaway. It is one of the square states. In fact, there is a local business called Square State Brewing because the name fits.

Second, where would you put it geographically in the United States? Nope. That’s Colorado, my friend. Our west border is mostly shared with Idaho. Our north border are our friends in Montana (even though they forget the bulk Yellowstone National Park is below their border). East is South Dakota and Nebraska. And south is Colorado and Utah though Utah wraps a little bit up on our west border as well. This description will only help if you know the location of any of these other states. I can’t help you if you don’t know where Utah is or our fraternal twin shape Colorado.

Now that you are starting to visualize it (with or without Google), you may recall passing through it on I-80 at some point in your life. If so, you probably are thinking of a speeding ticket you received around Laramie. That and purchasing fireworks seems to be the two memories most people share about visiting my state.

Or, if you had the misfortune of traveling I-80 during winter weather (not necessarily during the winter season) you may share memories of the road being closed or should have been closed. We do get some harsh weather doozies that cause treacherous driving conditions.

Some questions we get:

Does the wind always blow there? Nope. Here’s a little secret. The wind never blows here but we created a wind machine to keep the complainers from wanting to settle here. Just keep moving. Once you’re gone, we turn down the wind and enjoy a nice little breeze.
Do you plant the leaning trees specifically? What leaning trees? If the trees look like they are leaning you might need to lay off whatever it is you’re taking.
Do you own a horse? Truth be told, I have only ridden a horse one time. It was in Yellowstone and I paid to take a horse tour.
Is the whole state like Jackson Hole? No, the whole state does not like Jackson Hole. I might have read that question wrong…
Do you have any towns big enough to be considered cities? Well, one. But we let it stay in Wyoming anyway.
What is the population of Wyoming? As of 2024, the population is around 587,000 making it the least populated state. It is the 10th largest state geographically though. If you’re good at math (which I am not so I asked Google) that equals about 5.8 people per square mile. This is the place you come if you like space.
Why is it called the Equality State? It was the first state to give women the right to vote. We don’t need to get into particulars on the means, just focus on the ends for that one.
Do you all speak with a drawl? Maybe. But what gets me on this one is the son-of-a-biscuit-eater that asked this was from Utah. A Utahan pot asking a Wyomingite kettle.
What is there to do in Wyoming? Granted, you have to be a bit on the outdoorsy side to fully enjoy Wyoming’s offerings. I’ll just sum it up by saying two national parks – including the first national park (Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park). Plus, the first national monument on the other side of the state – Devils Tower National Monument.
Follow up on the previous question, isn’t Yellowstone in Montana? In Montana’s dreams. Let me put it this way, if you had 100 pennies and those pennies represented Yellowstone’s land mass, 96 pennies would be in Wyoming, 3 pennies in Montana, and 1 penny in Idaho. I’m not overstating this: Yellowstone is mostly in Wyoming.
How can you live there? The winters are horrible. Generally, yes. That keeps the bugs from getting too big like in the south. But here’s another secret: the summers are pretty perfect. It may take a while to turn on but when it does there is no better place to be.