Fort Laramie is a town in Goshen County,

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the 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 southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

, United States. The population was 230 at the 2010 census. The town is named after historic

Fort Laramie Fort Laramie (founded as Fort William and known for a while as Fort John) was a significant 19th-century trading-post, diplomatic site, and military installation located at the confluence of the Laramie and the North Platte rivers. They joined ...

, an important stop on the

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

and

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into severa ...

trails, as well as a staging point for various military excursions and treaty signings. The old fort was located south of town across the

North Platte River The North Platte River is a major tributary of the Platte River and is approximately long, counting its many curves.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 21, 2011 In a ...

, at the mouth of the

Laramie River The Laramie River is a tributary of the North Platte River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed March 21, 2011 in the U.S. states of Colorado and Wyoming. ...

History

In 1860 Fort Laramie served as a

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pi ...

station.

Geography

Fort Laramie is located at (42.213233, -104.517123). 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 t ...

, the town has a total area of , all land.

Climate

According to the

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 ...

system, Fort Laramie has a

cold semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Fort Laramie was on July 3, 1990, while the coldest temperature recorded was on December 22, 1989.

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 in ...

of 2010, there were 230 people, 111 households, and 60 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

was . There were 143 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 91.7%

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 o ...

, 1.3% Native American, 3.9% 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 3.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

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 5.7% of the population. There were 111 households, of which 19.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.9% were non-families. 43.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the town was 49.5 years. 18.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20% were from 25 to 44; 32.6% were from 45 to 64; and 24.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 53.5% male and 46.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 243 people, 119 households, and 59 families residing in the town. The

was 916.7 people per square mile (347.5/km²). There were 149 housing units at an average density of 562.1 per square mile (213.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.65%

, 1.23% Native American, 2.06% from

, and 2.06% from two or more races.

of any race were 4.53% of the population. There were 119 households, out of which 20.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.4% were non-families. 42.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 21.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.86. In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.8% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $22,500, and the median income for a family was $32,917. Males had a median income of $28,929 versus $13,125 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 $13,236. About 18.9% of families and 20.5% 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 23.3% of those under the age of eighteen and 12.5% of those 65 or over.

Education

Public education for the town of Fort Laramie is provided by Goshen County School District #1.

Highways

U.S. Highway 26 U.S. Route 26 (US 26) is an east–west United States highway that runs from Seaside, Oregon to Ogallala, Nebraska. When the U.S. highway system was first defined, it was limited to Nebraska and Wyoming; by the 1950s, it continued into Idaho a ...

Notable people

Harriet Hageman Harriet Maxine Hageman (born October 18, 1962) is an American politician and attorney serving as the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Wyoming's at-large congressional district since 2023. She is a member of the Republican Par ...

(born 1962), attorney *

Innis P. Swift Innis Palmer Swift (February 7, 1882 – November 3, 1953) was a Major General in the United States Army. He was the grandson and namesake of Civil War Major General Innis Newton Palmer,''Gen. Swift, A Cavalryman'', San Antonio Light, Augus ...

(1882–1953),

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

general

References

{{Authority control Towns in Goshen County, Wyoming Towns in Wyoming