Riverton is a city in Fremont 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 city's population was 10,682 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city in the county.

History

The city, founded in 1906, is an incorporated entity of the state of Wyoming. The community was named Riverton because of the four rivers that meet there. The town was built on land ceded from the

Wind River Indian Reservation The Wind River Indian Reservation, in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Wyoming, is shared by two Native American tribes, the Eastern Shoshone ( shh, Gweechoon Deka, ''meaning: "buffalo eaters"'') and the Northern Arapaho ( arp, h ...

, a situation that often makes it subject to jurisdictional claims by the nearby

Eastern Shoshone Eastern Shoshone are Shoshone who primarily live in Wyoming and in the northeast corner of the Great Basin where Utah, Idaho and Wyoming meet and are in the Great Basin classification of Indigenous People. They lived in the Rocky Mountains du ...

and

Northern Arapaho The Wind River Indian Reservation, in the west-central portion of the U.S. state of Wyoming, is shared by two Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribes, the Eastern Shoshone ( shh, Gweechoon Deka, ''meaning: "buffalo eaters" ...

tribes. A legal ruling on November 7, 2017, by the 10th Circuit Court, ruled again in the

EPA The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...

reservation boundary dispute. Though the decision was complex, the 10th Circuit Court answered plainly. Riverton is not on the reservation. The 10th Circuit's decision is now official and final after the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals 2017 ruling. The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the decision of the EPA, and held that the land had been ceded in 1905 by an Act of Congress. This ruling ends the dispute, bringing the debate and controversy to an end. On August 21, 2017 a Total Solar Eclipse was observed in Riverton.

Riverton Regional Airport Central Wyoming Regional Airport, formerly Riverton Regional Airport, is three miles northwest of Riverton, in Fremont County, Wyoming; it also serves nearby Lander, Wyoming. It is used for general aviation and sees one passenger airline. Servi ...

(now Central Wyoming Regional Airport) is home to a National Weather Service Forecast Office and NEXRAD radar site which is responsible to cover all of western and central Wyoming. The Chicago & Northwestern Railway completed an extension of the "Cowboy Line" through to Lander which is roughly 22 miles west of Riverton. Plans were to continue the line west from Lander. In 1972, the end of the line was moved from Lander and the new terminus of the line was in Riverton. Services were then discontinued in Riverton in the mid-1970's as the line was slowly dismantled west of Casper.

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 10,615 people, 4,252 households, and 2,600 families living in the city. 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 4,567 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.5%

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 ...

, 10.4% Native American, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, 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 the original p ...

, 1.8% from other races, and 3.5% 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 9.0% of the population. There were 4,252 households, of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.2% 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, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.9% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% 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 city was 35.4 years. 23.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25% were from 25 to 44; 24.3% were from 45 to 64; and 15.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 9,311 people, 3,816 households, and 2,407 families living in the city. The

was 952.2 people per square mile (367.5/km²). There were 4,254 housing units at an average density of 435.1/sq mi (167.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.81%

, 0.17%

, 8.08% Native American, 0.47%

, 0.03%

, 1.86% from other races, and 2.58% from two or more races.

of any race were 7.09% of the population. There were 3,816 households, out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were

living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,531, and the median income for a family was $37,079. Males had a median income of $31,685 versus $19,157 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 city was $16,720. About 11.0% of families and 15.7% 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 21.3% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

Riverton is located directly north of the Wind River.

U.S. Route 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 and ...

and

Wyoming Highway 789 Wyoming Highway 789 (WYO 789) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wyoming. WYO 789 travels south-to-north from the Colorado state line to the Montana state line. For most of its length, it is concurrent with other routes. It w ...

pass through the city. 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 city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

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, Riverton 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 Riverton was on July 12, 1954, July 22, 1982, and July 14, 2005, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 17, 1930, January 12, 1963, December 31, 1978, January 1, 1979, and December 23, 1983.

Economy

Brunton, Inc. Brunton Inc. is now Brunton International LLC after its recent acquisition in late 2021. They are a manufacturer of navigation tools located in Riverton, Wyoming. Brunton is internationally known for innovation and product quality in the categorie ...

is home to the manufacturer of the

Brunton compass A Brunton compass, properly known as the Brunton Pocket Transit, is a precision compass made by Brunton, Inc. of Riverton, Wyoming. The instrument was patented in 1894 by Canadian-born geologist David W. Brunton. Unlike most modern compasses, t ...

Airline service

A daily passenger service is available to Denver at

Central Wyoming Regional Airport Central Wyoming Regional Airport, formerly Riverton Regional Airport, is three miles northwest of Riverton, in Fremont County, Wyoming; it also serves nearby Lander, Wyoming. It is used for general aviation and sees one passenger airline. Servi ...

, with service provided by

SkyWest Airlines SkyWest Airlines is an American regional airline headquartered in St. George, Utah, United States. SkyWest is paid to staff, operate and maintain aircraft used on flights that are scheduled, marketed and sold by a partner mainline airline. The ...

operating as

United Express United Express is the brand name for the regional branch of United Airlines, under which six individually owned regional airlines operate short- and medium-haul feeder flights. On October 1, 2010, UAL Corporation and Continental Airlines merged t ...

. The airport also provides rental car services through

Hertz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that on ...

as well as general aviation services.

Education

Public education in the city of Riverton is provided by Fremont County School District #25. The district operates three K–3 elementary schools (Ashgrove, Willow Creek, and Jackson), Rendezvous Elementary School (grades 4–5), Riverton Middle School (grades 6–8), and Riverton High School (grades 9–12). Central Wyoming College is located in Riverton, with off-campus sites in Jackson,

Lander Lander may refer to: Media and entertainment * Lander (computer game), ''Lander'' (computer game), computer game published by Psygnosis in 1999 * Lander (game demo), ''Lander'' (game demo), the 3D game demo provided with the Acorn Archimedes co ...

Thermopolis Thermopolis is the county seat and largest town in Hot Springs County, Wyoming, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the town population was 2,725. Thermopolis is Greek for "hot city." It is home to numerous natural hot springs, in which m ...

, Dubois, and the

. Riverton 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 Fremont County Library System. The Northern Arapaho Language Immersion School had 20 students in 2009. It was created by

tribe to preserve the language, with only English classes being English medium. It was meant to open in August 2008. It was inspired by immersion programs in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. Another school,

Arapahoe The Arapaho (; french: Arapahos, ) are a Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota. By the 1850s, Arapaho band ...

School, received a federal grant intended to last for five years to have a bilingual program, though Arapaho instruction is more limited there.

Emergency Services

Emergency services are provided by the

Riverton Police Department Riverton is the name of several places: ;In Australia: *Riverton, South Australia, a small town and former railway junction in the mid north of South Australia * Riverton, Western Australia, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia **Electoral district ...

, Riverton Volunteer Fire Department, Fremont County Fire Protection District Battalion 1, and Frontier Ambulance.

Notable people

Nick Bebout Nick Bebout (born May 5, 1951 in Riverton, Wyoming), is an American football player who played at offensive tackle for three teams over an 8-year career from 1973 to 1980. Bebout played high school football for Shoshoni, Wyoming, and later went ...

(born 1951), professional football player *

Andi LeBeau Andi LeBeau (formerly Clifford) is an American Democratic politician who served in the Wyoming House of Representatives representing District 33 from 2019 to 2023. Prior to her election, Clifford served as a Fremont County Commissioner. Electio ...

, elected as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

to the

Wyoming House of Representatives The Wyoming House of Representatives is the lower house of the Wyoming State Legislature. There are 60 Representatives in the House, representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts across the state, each with a population of ...

in 2018 *

Lance Deal Lance Earl Deal (born August 21, 1961 in Riverton, Wyoming) is a former American athlete who won a silver medal in the hammer throw in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. He also competed in the 1988, 1992, and 2000 Summer Olympics. In ...

(born 1961), four-time Olympic hammer thrower (1988, 1992, 1996, 2000) *

John Bennett Herrington John Bennett Herrington (born September 14, 1958, in Chickasaw Nation) is a retired United States Naval Aviator, engineer and former NASA astronaut. In 2002, Herrington became the first enrolled member of a Native American tribe to fly in spac ...

(born 1958), first enrolled member of a Native American tribe to fly in space *

Bucky Jacobsen Larry William Jacobsen (born August 30, 1975) is a former professional first baseman and designated hitter. He also attended Hermiston High School in Oregon. Career Jacobsen was drafted out of Lewis-Clark State College in the 7th round of the ...

(born 1975), former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

first baseman for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West division. The team joined the American League ...

Leslie Lynch King Sr. Leslie Lynch King Sr. (July 25, 1884 – February 18, 1941) was the biological father of U.S. President Gerald Ford. Because of his alcoholism and abusive behavior, his wife, Dorothy Gardner, left him sixteen days after Ford's birth. Persona ...

(1884–1941), lived for a time as an adult in Riverton, was the biological father of

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

* David Love (1913–2002), geologist who was born on a ranch near Riverton *

Nyla Murphy Nyla A. Murphy (January 31, 1931 – June 6, 2015) was an American lawyer, real estate broker, flight attendant, and politician. A Republican, she served in the Wyoming House of Representatives for 12 years from 1979 to 1991. She lived in Casper ...

(1931–2015), served as a Republican member of the

and practiced law as an adult in Riverton * Brett Newlin (born 1982), rowed on the Olympic team for the United States in 2008 and 2012 *

Kristen Newlin Kristen Michelle Newlin (born May 8, 1985) Nevin Nevlin is a Turkish American basketball player at the center position who plays for Fenerbahçe Istanbul. Born in Kailua, Hawaii Newlin is 1.96 m and her primary position is center. Nevlin was a m ...

(born 1985), international basketball player *

Chance Phelps Chance Russell Phelps (July 14, 1984 – April 9, 2004) was a private first class – posthumously promoted to lance corporal – in the United States Marine Corps. He served with 2nd Platoon, Battery L, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regim ...

(1984–2004), subject of an

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

movie, ''

Taking Chance ''Taking Chance'' is a 2009 American historical drama television film directed by Ross Katz, from a screenplay by Michael Strobl and Katz, based on the journal of the same name by Strobl, who also serves as military consultant. Kevin Bacon's po ...

'' *

Kristi Racines Kristi Racines (born c. 1983) is an American politician from the state of Wyoming. She is the Wyoming State Auditor. Early life and career Racines was born in Casper, Wyoming, and raised in Riverton. She graduated from the University of Wyoming ...

(c. 1983), the Wyoming State Auditor *

Darrell Winfield Darrell H. Winfield (July 30, 1929 – January 12, 2015) was an American rancher and Model (person), model best known as "The Marlboro Man" in television commercials and magazine Advertising, advertisements for Marlboro (cigarette), Marlboro cigar ...

(1929–2015), "Marlboro Man" * Willie Wright (born 1968), a former American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

and

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) and the World League of American Football (WLAF). *

Andrew John Yellowbear Jr. Andrew John Yellowbear Jr. (born September 5, 1974) was the defendant in one of Wyoming's most notorious capital murder trials. He was convicted in April 2006 in Thermopolis, Wyoming, of premeditated first-degree murder in the death of his 22-month- ...

(born 1974), member of the Northern Arapaho tribe; notorious for the premeditated

first-degree murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the c ...

and torture of his 22-month-old daughter * Ashlynn Yennie, actress

Infrastructure

Transportation

* United States Highway 26 *

Wyoming State Highway 789 Wyoming Highway 789 (WYO 789) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wyoming. WYO 789 travels south-to-north from the Colorado state line to the Montana state line. For most of its length, it is concurrent with other routes. It w ...

References

External links

City of Riverton
{{authority control 1906 establishments in Wyoming Cities in Wyoming Micropolitan areas of Wyoming Populated places established in 1906 Cities in Fremont County, Wyoming