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Capital of Wyoming · Laramie County · capital since 1869 · 41.1°N 104.8°W
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne was founded by the Union Pacific Railroad in 1867 and became the capital of Wyoming Territory two years later. It is the largest city in Wyoming, though only by a few thousand people over Casper.
Where Cheyenne is
Cheyenne is the seat of Laramie County, at 41.14°N, 104.82°W in the southeast corner of Wyoming, about 6,060 ft above sea level on the high plains just east of the Laramie Mountains. Crow Creek, a small tributary of the South Platte, runs through the city. The Colorado border is about 10 miles south and Nebraska about 40 miles east. Interstates 25 and 80 cross here, and the Union Pacific main line, whose arrival created the town, still runs through it. Cheyenne is on Mountain Time, as is all of Wyoming.
How it became the capital
Union Pacific surveyors chose the site in July 1867 as a division point where the transcontinental railroad would begin its climb over the mountains, and a town of several thousand appeared within months. Wyoming Territory was organized in 1868, and Cheyenne, the largest settlement, was named the territorial capital in 1869. That year the territory became the first US government to grant women the vote. Cheyenne remained the capital when Wyoming was admitted as the 44th state on July 10, 1890.
Population
Cheyenne had 65,132 residents in 2020, the largest city in Wyoming. Casper, in the center of the state, had 59,038, and no other city exceeds 35,000. The Cheyenne metropolitan area, coextensive with Laramie County, has about 100,000 people. Wyoming's total of 576,851 is the smallest of any state, and Cheyenne is the smallest state capital that is also its state's largest city.
The capitol
The Wyoming State Capitol was designed by David W. Gibbs and Company of Toledo, Ohio, and its central section was completed in 1888, before statehood. Wings were added in 1890 and 1917. The building is sandstone from Rawlins and Fort Collins, with a gold-leafed dome 146 ft high. A four-year restoration was completed in 2019. A statue of Esther Hobart Morris, the first woman justice of the peace in the country, stands at the entrance.
Distances to other cities
| City | Direction | Road distance |
|---|---|---|
| Denver, CO | south | about 100 mi |
| Laramie, WY | west | about 50 mi |
| Casper, WY | northwest | about 180 mi |
Fort Collins, Colorado, is about 45 miles south on Interstate 25. See the Great Plains map and the Rocky Mountains map.
Related maps
- Wyoming map — the whole state with borders, cities and counties.
- Wyoming county map · blank Wyoming map · printable Wyoming map.
- All 50 state capitals on one map, and the state capitals quiz.
- West region · Mountain division · Mountain Time Zone.