Powell () is a city in Park 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 6,419 at the 2020 census. Powell is an

All-America City The All-America City Award is a community recognition program in the United States given by the National Civic League. The award recognizes the work of communities in using inclusive civic engagement to address critical issues and create stron ...

and home to Northwest College.

History

Powell was incorporated in 1909. Powell was named for

John Wesley Powell John Wesley Powell (March 24, 1834 – September 23, 1902) was an American geologist, U.S. Army soldier, explorer of the American West, professor at Illinois Wesleyan University, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions. He ...

, U.S. soldier, geologist and explorer. Powell

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

was established January 23, 1908. In 2013, the area was the subject of a piece of national legislation. The Powell Shooting Range Land Conveyance Act (S. 130; 113th Congress), which was passed by both the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

and the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, would transfer a piece of land from the

Bureau of Land Management The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior responsible for administering federal lands, U.S. federal lands. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the BLM oversees more than of land, or one ...

to the Powell Recreation District for continued use as a shooting range.

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 6,314 people, 2,463 households, and 1,449 families living in the city. 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 2,627 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.7%

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 ...

, 0.4%

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, 1.2% Asian, 2.4% from other races, and 1.7% 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 were 9.4% of the population. There were 2,463 households, of which 28.4% 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 recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.2% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 31.9 years. 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 19% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.8% were from 25 to 44; 20.3% were from 45 to 64; and 16.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 5,373 people, 2,083 households, and 1,272 families living in the city. The

was . There were 2,249 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.44%

, 0.13%

, 0.47% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.04%

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 ...

, 2.53% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 6.81% of the population. There were 2,083 households, out of which 26.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were

living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.89. In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.0% under the age of 18, 18.6% from 18 to 24, 22.4% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 85.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $27,364, and the median income for a family was $34,877. Males had a median income of $36,175 versus $21,000 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 city was $14,518. About 13.5% of families and 20.3% 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 24.9% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

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 city has a total area of , all land.

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, Powell has a

cold desert climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

, abbreviated "BWk" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Powell was on June 10, 1988, and July 16, 2002, while the coldest temperature recorded was on December 22, 1990.

Economy

Powell was originally established as a cattle ranching community. Oil reserves were found in the late-19th century, prompting the CB&Q Railroad (later

BNSF BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad in the United States. One of six North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 36,000 employees, of track in 28 states, and over 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that provide ...

), to extend a line into Powell. In the early 20th century, the

Homestead Acts The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of government land or the public domain, typically called a homestead. In all, more than of public land, or nearly 10 percent of t ...

and the Shoshone Project contributed greatly to agricultural development in the

Bighorn Basin The Bighorn Basin is a plateau region and intermontane basin, approximately 100 miles (160 km) wide, in north-central Wyoming in the United States. It is bounded by the Absaroka Range on the west, the Pryor Mountains on the north, the Bigho ...

. Mineral extraction and agriculture are still the key industries of Powell, with sugar beets, barley, and pinto beans being the most commonly grown cash crops. Beef production remains an important facet of the Powell economy, as well. When the local department store in Powell closed, the community raised $400,000 and established the Powell Mercantile, a community-owned store.

Government

Powell uses a city council with six councilmembers. As of February 2020, the current mayor of Powell is John Wetzel and the current city clerk is Tiffany Brando.

Education

Powell 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 Park County Library System. Public K–12 education is administered by Park County School District No. 1, and includes 4 K–5 elementary schools (one of which is located in Clark, WY), Powell Middle School, Powell High School, and the Shoshone Learning Center, an alternative high school. Northwest College, a public two-year residential college, is located in the Northern portion of Powell. Several 4-year degrees are available at Northwest through the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming, United States. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, ...

's extended campus.

Media

Newspapers

The '' Powell Tribune'' is the local twice-weekly paper, founded in 1909. The '' Cody Enterprise'' and ''

Billings Gazette The ''Billings Gazette'' is a daily newspaper based in Billings, Montana, that primarily covers issues in southeast Montana and parts of northern Wyoming. Historically it has been known as the largest newspaper in Montana Montana ( ) is a ...

'' are also available in Powell.

AM radio

KZMQ (AM) KZMQ (1140 AM) is a radio station broadcasting an oldies music format to the Greybull, Wyoming, United States, area. The station is owned by the Big Horn Radio Network, a division of Legend Communications of Wyoming, LLC. It features programmi ...

1140 country * KPOW 1260 country *

KODI Kodi may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * KODI, a radio station in Cody, Wyoming, USA * Kodi (film), ''Kodi'' (film), India, 2016 * Kodi, a dog in the 2004 film ''Balto III: Wings of Change'' Other uses * Kodi (software), an open sour ...

1400 news/talk

FM radio

* KFGR 88.1 Christian * KUWP 90.1 Wyoming Public Radio and

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

* KTAG 97.9 adult contemporary * KROW 101.1 active rock * KZMQ-FM 100.3 country * KBEN-FM 103.3 classic country * KCGL 104.1 classic rock * KWHO 107.1 80s, 90s & current

Television

Four television stations are available in Powell:

KTVQ KTVQ (channel 2) is a television station in Billings, Montana, United States, affiliated with CBS. Owned by the E. W. Scripps Company, it is part of the Montana Television Network, a statewide network of CBS-affiliated stations. KTVQ's studi ...

(CBS) and KULR (NBC) from Billings, KTWO (ABC) of Casper and

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

station K19LM-D, a local translator for KCWC-DT in Lander.

Notable people

* Chris Cooley (born 1982),

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

player *

Darren Dalton Darren Jack Dalton (born February 9, 1965) is an American actor, screenwriter, and film producer. He is best known for playing Randy the Soc in ''The Outsiders (film), The Outsiders'' (1983) and Daryl in ''Red Dawn'' (1984), Life and career D ...

(born 1965), film actor ( ''The Outsiders'') *

W. Edwards Deming William Edwards Deming (October 14, 1900 – December 20, 1993) was an American business theorist, composer, economist, industrial engineer, management consultant, statistician, and writer. Educated initially as an electrical engineer and later ...

(1900–1993), worked to reconstruct the

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese economy after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

* Dennis Havig (born 1949),

player

References

External links

*
Powell Valley Chamber of Commerce Website

Park County Archives
{{authority control Cities in Park County, Wyoming Cities in Wyoming