Basin is a town in, and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

of, Big Horn County,

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

, United States. The population was 1,225 at the 2020 census. The community is located near the center of the

Bighorn Basin The Bighorn Basin is a plateau region and intermontane basin, approximately 100 miles (160 km) wide, in north-central Wyoming in the United States. It is bounded by the Absaroka Range on the west, the Pryor Mountains on the north, the Bighor ...

with the

Big Horn River The Bighorn River is a tributary of the Yellowstone, approximately long, in the states of Wyoming and Montana in the western United States. The river was named in 1805 by fur trader François Larocque for the bighorn sheep he saw along its ban ...

east of the town. Basin's post office, built in 1919, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Geography

Basin is located at (44.378777, -108.043100). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Basin is known as The Lilac City. Basin hosts the Big Horn County Fair each summer.

Climate

Basin has a cold

desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk''), is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

'' ''BWk''''). The town had the highest temperature ever recorded in Wyoming, , on August 8, 1983, and also holds the state record high temperatures for April ( in 1948) and July ( in 1900). In general, the eastern portion of the Bighorn Basin is hotter than the rest of Wyoming during the summer months. Due to frequent low humidity, daily temperature ranges are large, whilst due to the very dry conditions snowfall is among the lightest in the northern Rockies and Plains region – it is not uncommon for no measurable precipitation to fall in a month between September and April. There are an average of 49.4 days annually with highs of or higher, 5.4 days greater than and an average of 176.2 nights with lows of or lower. The all-time record low for Basin was on February 5th, 1899. The wettest calendar year in Basin was 2011 with and the driest 1902 with . The most precipitation in one month was in June 1967. The most precipitation in 24 hours was on June 29, 1909. The most snowfall in one season was between July 1958 and June 1959, whilst the most snow in one month was during September 1984.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 1,285 people, 520 households, and 333 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 571 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 94.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.9% Native American, 0.5%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 1.6% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 5.4% of the population. There were 520 households, of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.0% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.83. The median age in the town was 46.4 years. 20.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.5% were from 25 to 44; 27.2% were from 45 to 64; and 24.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,238 people, 504 households, and 330 families residing in the town. The

was 613.7 people per square mile (236.6/km²). There were 565 housing units at an average density of 280.1 per square mile (108.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.77%

, 0.08%

, 1.05% Native American, 0.24%

, 0.97% from

, and 0.89% from two or more races.

of any race were 2.26% of the population. There were 504 households, out of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% were

living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.5% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.74. In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.1% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 19.6% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 26.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $33,519, and the median income for a family was $42,768. Males had a median income of $33,942 versus $20,139 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $17,890. About 6.1% of families and 11.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 17.5% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The

Wyoming Department of Health The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) is a state agency of Wyoming. It has its headquarters in the Hathaway Building in Cheyenne. History In November 1990 Wyoming voters approved a constitutional amendment that abolished the Wyoming Board of Chari ...

Wyoming Retirement Center, a nursing home, is located in Basin.WDH Directory
"

. Retrieved on December 12, 2010. "890 Highway 20, Basin WY 82410 Fax (307) 568-3887" (Retirement Center) The facility was operated by the

Wyoming Board of Charities and Reform The Wyoming Board of Charities and Reform (BCR) was a state agency of Wyoming that operated the state's charitable and penal institutions. History Article 7, Section 18. Chapter 37, Session Laws of Wyoming, 1890-1891 of the Wyoming Constitution es ...

until that agency was dissolved as a result of a state constitutional amendment passed in November 1990.About the Department of Corrections
"

Wyoming Department of Corrections The Wyoming Department of Corrections (WDOC) is a state agency of Wyoming that operates adult correctional facilities. It is headquartered in Suite 100 of the 1934 Wyott Drive building in Cheyenne. History Wyoming entered the Union in 1890. As a ...

. Retrieved on August 22, 2010. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

operates the Basin Post Office.

Education

Public education in the town of Basin is provided by Big Horn County School District #4. The district has four campuses – Laura Irwin Elementary School (grades K-4), Manderson Elementary School (grade 5), Cloud Peak Middle School (grades 6–8), and Riverside High School (grades 9–12). Basin has a

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

, a branch of the Big Horn County Library System.

References

External links

Town of Basin

{{authority control Towns in Big Horn County, Wyoming Towns in Wyoming County seats in Wyoming