Afton is a town in
Lincoln 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 2,172 at the
2020 census. Afton is home to the world's largest arch made of elk antlers. Spanning across the four lanes of
U.S. Highway 89, the arch, completed in 1958, consists of 3,011 naturally shed
elk antlers and weighs 15 tons.
History
The first settlement at Afton was made in 1885.
The community takes its name from the
River Afton, in
Ayrshire
Ayrshire (, ) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county, in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. The lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area of Ayrshire and Arran covers the entirety ...
, Scotland.
Geography
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.
A
periodic spring is Afton's main water supply, which cycles on and off during the summer, fall, and winter at 12 to 18 minute intervals. During the spring the flow never stops due to increased water supply from the melting snowpack. At full flow the
Intermittent Spring discharges up to 285 gallons per second. It is located five miles east of Afton, a short hike from the end of Swift Creek Road.
Climate
According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, Afton has a
warm-summer humid continental, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Afton was on July 15, 2002, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 1, 1979.
Demographics
2020 census
The
2020 United States census counted 2,172 people, 806 households, and 554 families in Afton.
The population density was 489.3 per square mile (188.9/km). There were 899 housing units at an average density of 202.5 per square mile (78.2/km).
The racial makeup was 90.29% (1,961)
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 ...
or
European American
European Americans are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes both people who descend from the first European settlers in the area of the present-day United States and people who descend from more recent European arrivals. Since th ...
(88.26%
non-Hispanic white
Non-Hispanic Whites, also referred to as White Anglo Americans or Non-Latino Whites, are White Americans who are classified by the United States census as "White" and not of Hispanic or Latino origin. According to annual estimates from the Unit ...
), 0.41% (9)
black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African-American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
, 1.24% (27)
Native American or
Alaska Native
Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...
, 0.87% (19)
Asian, 0.05% (1)
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 ...
or
Native Hawaiian
Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaiʻi was set ...
, 2.49% (54) from
other races, and 4.65% (101) 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 of any race was 5.48% (119) of the population.
Of the 806 households, 36.0% had children under the age of 18; 56.2% were married couples living together; 24.1% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 28.0% of households consisted of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
The average household size was 2.5 and the average family size was 3.4. The percent of those with a bachelor's degree or higher was estimated to be 14.4% of the population.
30.3% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 106.1 males.
For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 111.0 males.
The 2016-2020 5-year
American Community Survey
The American Community Survey (ACS) is an annual demographics survey program conducted by the United States Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the United States census, decennial census ...
estimates show that the median household income was $46,000 (with a margin of error of +/- $14,925) and the median family income was $75,759 (+/- $9,396). Males had a median income of $34,632 (+/- $14,409) versus $31,125 (+/- $16,138) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $33,625 (+/- $10,786). Approximately, 5.9% of families and 10.4% 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 18.7% of those under the age of 18 and 3.4% of those ages 65 or over.
2010 census
At the
2010 census there were 1,911 people, 703 households, and 496 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 855 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makeup of the town was 94.1% White, 0.2% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 2.6% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.2%.
Of the 703 households 38.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 29.4% were non-families. 26.2% of households were one person and 10.6% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.26.
The median age in the town was 33 years. 32% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.2% were from 25 to 44; 23% were from 45 to 64; and 14.3% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.
Education
Public education in the town of Afton is provided by
Lincoln County School District #2. Zoned campuses include Afton Elementary School (grades K-3), Osmond Elementary School (grades 4–6), Thayne Elementary School (grades K-3),
Etna Elementary School (grades 4–6), Star Valley Middle School (grades 7–8), and
Star Valley High School
Star Valley High School is a high school located in rural Afton, Lincoln County, Wyoming, United States. It is one of three high schools in Lincoln County School District Number 2, along with Cokeville High School, and Swift Creek High School. ...
(grades 9–12).
Afton has a
public library
A public library is a library, most often a lending 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 servic ...
, a branch of the Lincoln County Public Library System.
Notable people
*
Rulon Gardner (born 1971) Olympic
Greco-Roman wrestler, gold medalist at
2000 Summer Olympics
The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...
and bronze medalist at
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece.
The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...
*
Velma Linford (1907–2002) educator, politician and writer
References
External links
Town of Afton
{{Authority control
Towns in Lincoln County, Wyoming
Towns in Wyoming