Pinedale 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 parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

of Sublette County,

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

, United States. The population was 2,005 at the 2020 census. Pinedale is an important hunting outfitting town and a gateway to the Wind River Range. Additionally, Pinedale is near several large natural gas fields, including the Pinedale Anticline and Jonah Field. Attractions include the Museum of the Mountain Man, Green River Rendezvous Days, White Pine Ski Area, Two Rivers Fly Shop, the Pinedale Aquatic Center and the Town Park System along the Pine Creek Corridor in the middle of town. The mayor is Matt Murdock, who was elected in 2018.

Geography

Pinedale is located at (42.866162, −109.864622) and sits at an elevation of 7,175 feet above sea level. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , all land. There are 1,300 lakes around the Pinedale area. Fremont Lake, four miles from Pinedale, is the most commonly used lake, and Wyoming's second largest natural lake. Pine Creek flows from nearby Fremont Lake through the town on its way to the Green River.

Climate

Pinedale has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Dfb'') with summers featuring warm afternoons and cold mornings, plus very cold, dry winters. The average January low is , on average 46.3 mornings fall to or below and between 1991 and 2020, the temperature dropped to in an average year. The coldest temperature on record since records started in 1948 is during the bitter cold wave of December 1990. Although the winters are dry, there is enough moisture in the cold air for of snow during a typical winter, with the range being from between July 2016 and June 2017 to between July 1962 and June 1963.

Wildlife

Pinedale and the surrounding area are home to a large population of wildlife including both grizzly and black bear, moose, elk, pronghorn, mule deer, whitetail deer, bighorn sheep, and mountain lions. Over seven species of trout, including rainbow and brown can be found in the area lakes.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 2,030 people, 847 households, and 484 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

was . There were 1,080 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 90.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.7%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.6% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 4.8% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino people of any race were 9.9% of the population. There were 847 households, of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.9% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age in the town was 33.5 years. 23.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 33.2% were from 25 to 44; 24.9% were from 45 to 64; and 9.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 54.8% male and 45.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,412 people, 582 households, and 368 families residing in the town. The

was . There were 718 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.95%

, 0.35%

, 0.71% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.14%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.42% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 1.49% of the population. There were 582 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.89. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,188, and the median income for a family was $40,880. Males had a median income of $31,976 versus $22,143 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $20,441. About 7.8% of families and 8.9% 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 ...

, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education in the town of Pinedale is provided by Sublette County School District #1.
Text list
/ref> Schools serving the town include Pinedale Elementary School (grades K–5), Pinedale Middle School (grades 6–8), and Pinedale High School (grades 9–12) (Pinedale Skyline Academy) grades (9–12)

Tourism

The region offers many outdoor activities with its close proximity to the Wind River Range. These activities include fishing, hiking, camping, boating, four-wheeling, hunting, skiing/snowboarding, snowmobiling, ice fishing, and ice skating. The town hosts the Green River Rendezvous, a reenactment of historic fur trader gatherings at the Upper Green River Rendezvous Site in nearby Daniel. During Rendezvous, rodeos take place at the rodeo grounds and many businesses and vendors set up booths around town.

Hazards

Encountering

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...

s is a concern in the Wind River Range. There are other concerns as well, including bugs,

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

s, adverse snow conditions and nighttime cold temperatures. There have been accidental deaths due to falls from steep cliffs (a misstep could be fatal in this class 4/5 terrain) and due to falling rocks, over the years, including 1993, 2007 (involving an experienced NOLS leader), 2015 and 2018. Other incidents included a seriously injured backpacker being airlifted near SquareTop Mountain in 2005, and a hiker fatality from an apparent accidental fall in 2006 that involved state search and rescue.