Wamsutter is a town in Sweetwater 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 203 at the 2020 census. The original inhabitants of the area were the

Shoshone The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ) are a Native American tribe with four large cultural/linguistic divisions: * Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming * Northern Shoshone: southern Idaho * Western Shoshone: Nevada, northern Utah * Goshute: western Utah, easter ...

and

Ute Ute or UTE may refer to: * Ute (band), an Australian jazz group * Ute (given name) * ''Ute'' (sponge), a sponge genus * Ute (vehicle), an Australian and New Zealand term for certain utility vehicles * Ute, Iowa, a city in Monona County along ...

tribes. Westerners only began to settle in the county with the coming of the

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

in the 1860s. Originally, the town was known as Washakie. Confusion with nearby

Fort Washakie Fort Washakie was a U.S. Army fort in what is now the U.S. state of Wyoming. The fort was established in 1869 and named Camp Augur after General Christopher C. Augur, commander of the Department of the Platte. In 1870 the camp was renamed Camp ...

prompted an 1884 name change to Wamsutter, after a

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

bridge engineer. The town, which bills itself as "The Gateway to the Red Desert" is located along

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...

between Rawlins and Rock Springs, on the easternmost border of Sweetwater County. The natural gas industry has exerted great influence on Wamsutter in recent years, through employment opportunities in the area, and by contributing to the community directly. Wamsutter is the largest settlement, and the only incorporated town in the

Great Divide Basin The Great Divide Basin or Great Divide Closed Basin is an area of land in the Red Desert (Wyoming), Red Desert of Wyoming where none of the water falling as rain to the ground drains into any ocean, directly or indirectly. It is thus an endorheic ...

Geography

Wamsutter is located at (41.670839, –107.977457). 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 , 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, Wamsutter 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 was on July 28, 1897, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 1, 1979 and February 2, 2011.

Demographics

BP has an office in Wamsutter, and the small town's population reportedly has increased to over 1200 over the past several years. Some estimates place the town's population over 6000 within the next ten years, and the town is struggling with this rapid growth, particularly due to the lack of available housing.

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 451 people, 189 households, and 112 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 286 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 82.7%

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 on ...

, 0.7%

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 ...

, 2.9% Native American, 11.1% 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 2.7% 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 19.7% of the population. There were 189 households, of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% 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, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.7% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age in the town was 38.3 years. 25.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.9% were from 25 to 44; 33.6% were from 45 to 64; and 6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 58.1% male and 41.9% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 261 people, 100 households, and 65 families residing in the town. The

was 198.7 people per square mile (76.9/km²). There were 148 housing units at an average density of 112.6 per square mile (43.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.87%

, 0.77% Native American, 3.07% from

, and 2.30% from two or more races.

of any race were 13.03% of the population. There were 100 households, out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.0% were

living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.25. In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.4% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 34.9% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 3.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 119.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 126.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $35,625, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $34,643 versus $20,000 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 $18,943. About 11.4% of families and 10.6% 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 20.6% of those under the age of eighteen and none of those 65 or over.

Education

Public education in the town of Wamsutter is provided by Sweetwater County School District #1. Students in grades K–8 attend Desert School in Wamsutter, which is divided into elementary (grades K–6) and middle school (grades 7–8) campuses. Upon the completion of 8th grade, students attend

Rawlins High School Rawlins High School is a public high school in Rawlins, Wyoming, United States. Rawlins High School is part of Carbon County School District #1. Notable alumni * Clarence Addison Brimmer, Jr. (1922-2014), judge of the United States District Court ...

(grades 9–12; part of Carbon County School District #1) b
agreement
of the respective boards of trustees. Wamsutter 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 Sweetwater County Library System.

References

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