Laramie, Wyoming
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Downtown Laramie |
Laramie is the
county seat of
Albany County in the
U.S. state of
Wyoming. According to the
2000 U.S. census, the city population was 27,204. Laramie, located in southeast Wyoming, on the
Laramie River, is northwest of
Cheyenne, on the junction of Interstate 80 and US 287. It was first settled in
1868 with the coming of the Union Pacific Railroad, which crosses the Laramie River at Laramie. It is home to the
University of Wyoming, Wyoming Technical Institute, and a branch of Laramie County Community College.
Laramie Regional Airport serves Laramie. The ruins of
Fort Sanders, an Army fort predating Laramie, lie just south of the city along route 287. Laramie is known as the Gem City of the Plains.
Laramie was an important stop on the
Overland Trail and
transcontinental railroad in the late
19th century. It now lies along
U.S. Highway 30 and
Interstate 80, and remains an important junction on the
Union Pacific Railroad line.
In 2004, Laramie became the first city in Wyoming to prohibit smoking in enclosed workplaces, including bars, restaurants and private clubs. Opponents of the clean indoor air ordinance, funded in part by the
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, immediately petitioned to have the ordinance repealed. However, the voters upheld the ordinance in a citywide referendum which was conducted concurrently with the 2004 general election. The opponents then challenged the validity of the election in court, claiming various irregularities. However, the judge ruled that the opponents had failed to meet their burden of showing significant problems with the election, and the ordinance �" which had become effective in April 2005 �" remained in effect. In August 2005, Laramie's City Council defeated an attempt to amend the ordinance to allow smoking in bars and private clubs.
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Location of Laramie, Wyoming |
Laramie is located at (41.312927, -105.587251).
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.9
km² (11.2
mi²). 28.9 km² (11.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.18%) is water.
Laramie is situated on a high plain between two mountain ranges: The Medicine Bow Range (known locally as the Snowy Range) 30 miles to the west, and the Laramie Range five miles to the east. The city is approximately 7,200 feet above sea level.
Due to the altitude, winters are long, and summers are short and relatively cool. There is no month of the year during which snow hasn't fallen in Laramie.
As of the
census of 2000, there were 27,204 people, 11,336 households, and 5,611 families residing in the city. The
population density was 942.9/km² (2,442.5/mi²). There were 11,994 housing units at an average density of 415.7/km² (1,076.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.81%
White, 1.24%
African American, 0.89%
Native American, 1.92%
Asian, 0.06%
Pacific Islander, 2.89% from
other races, and 2.19% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 7.94% of the population.
Like the rest of Wyoming, Laramie has a generally conservative and traditional reputation. Yet the presence of the University of Wyoming gives the city a more eclectic and diverse population than many other cities in the region. There were 11,336 households out of which 23.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.3% were
married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.5% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the city the population was spread out with 17.5% under the age of 18, 31.8% from 18 to 24, 25.8% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females there were 107.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,319, and the median income for a family was $43,395. Males had a median income of $30,888 versus $22,009 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $16,036. About 11.1% of families and 22.6% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.
Schools in Laramie include
University of Wyoming and
Laramie High School.
