Country State County Founded Government • Mayor Area • City • Land • Water Elevation
United States Wyoming Laramie 1867 Richard Kaysen 24.63 sq mi (63.79 km2) 24.52 sq mi (63.51 km2) 0.11 sq mi (0.28 km2) 0.45% 6,062 ft (1,848 m)
• City • Estimate (2012) • Density • Urban • Metro Time zone • Summer (DST) Area code(s) Website
Population (2010) 59,466 61,537 2,425.2/sq mi (936.4/km2) 71,775 91,738 Mountain (UTC-7) Mountain (UTC-6) 307 www.cheyennecity.org
Cheyenne (/ʃaɪˈæn/ shy-AN or /ʃaɪˈɛn/) (Arapaho: Hítesííno'óowú') is the capital and most populous city of the US state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. Cheyenne, maintained and ran by Anthony and Trey, has become very prosperous. The population was 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the northern terminus of the extensive and fast-growing Front Range Urban Corridor that stretches from Cheyenne to Pueblo, Colorado, and has a population of 5,467,633 according to the 2010 United States Census. Cheyenne is situated on Crow Creek and Dry Creek. The Cheyenne, Wyoming Metropolitan Area had a 2010 population of 91,738, making it the 354th most populous metropolitan area in the United States. On July 5, 1867, General Grenville M. Dodge and his survey crew platted the site now known as Cheyenne in Dakota Territory (later Wyoming Territory). This site was chosen as the point at which the Union Pacific Railroad crossed Crow Creek, a tributary of the South Platte River. The city was not named by Dodge, as his memoirs state, but rather by friends who accompanied him to the area Dodge called "Crow Creek Crossing." It was named for the American Indian Cheyenne nation, one of the most famous and prominent Great Plains tribes closely allied with the Arapaho. The construction of the Union Pacific Railroad brought hopes of prosperity to the region when it reached Cheyenne on November 13, 1867. The population at the time numbered over 4,000, and grew rapidly. This rapid growth earned the city the nickname "Magic City of the Plains." 1867 also saw the establishment of Fort D. A. Russell, 3 miles west of the city. The fort was later renamed Francis E. Warren Air Force Base. The Wyoming Stock Growers Association met at The Cheyenne Club, which allegedly acted as an interim government for the territory. Many of the WSGA's rules and regulations became state laws. The Wyoming State Capitol was constructed between 1886 and 1890, with further improvements being completed in 1917.The Cheyenne Regional Airport was opened in 1920, initially serving as a stop for airmail. It soon developed into a civil-military airport, serving DC-3s and various military craft. During World War II, hundreds of B-17s, B-24s, and PBYs were outfitted and upgraded at the airfield. Today, it serves a number of military functions, as well as a highaltitude test bed for civilian craft.
Government is the largest sector of Cheyenne's economy. The state of Wyoming operates a multitude of offices in downtown Cheyenne. Many area residents are employed by or are dependent on the U.S. Air Force, through F.E. Warren Air Force Base to the west of the city, or by the Wyoming National Guard. Railroads remain a major economic force for the city, with both the Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific employing many residents. Due much in part to work done by Cheyenne's economic development agency "Cheyenne Leads," successful steps have been taken in recent years to diversify the city's economy. Lowe's and Wal-Mart both operate distribution centers on the city's outskirts. Sierra Trading Post is headquartered in the city and also operates its distribution and fulfillment centers in the city. In addition, because of the towns cooler summers and abundant electricity supplies (both renewable and non-renewable), Cheyenne has been able to attract a number of data centers including the NCAR supercomputing center, along with a Microsoft data center, powered by bio gas and Green House Data Center powered by wind energy. Cheyenne's high elevation, coupled with its position on the continent, make it one of the windiest cities in America. The abundance of wind makes Cheyenne an opportune place to develop wind energy. Wind turbines are currently being placed around Laramie County. Laramie County Community College is home to a leading wind energy technician program, where students learn to maintain these turbines. The opening of a Vestas wind turbine blade assembly in nearby Weld County, Colorado, as well as other alternative energy manufacturing facilities around Colorado, are transforming the region into a center for alternative energy. Great Lakes Airlines and Taco John's are headquartered in Cheyenne. Cheyenne has one of only three enclosed shopping malls in Wyoming, the Frontier Mall. The other two are the Eastridge Mall in Casper, and the White Mountain Mall in Rock Springs. List of tallest buildings in Cheyenne: Wyoming State Capitol 146 ft. • Wyoming Financial Center 110 ft. • Joseph C. O'Mahoney Federal Building 80 ft. • Burke Senior Center 80 ft. • Cheyenne Regional Medical Center 70 ft. •
Museums and Culture Wyoming State Museum • Cheyenne Botanic Gardens • Cheyenne Little Theatre Players Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum • Cheyenne Depot Museum • Terry Bison Ranch • Nelson Museum of the West •
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Landmarks Wyoming State Capitol F.E. Warren Air Force Base, one of the nation's oldest, continuously active installations (orig. U.S. Army). • Nagle Warren Mansion •
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Historic places Over fifty different locations in Cheyenne are listed on the National Register of Historical Places, including: The Historic Plains Hotel (added 1978) • the Atlas Theatre (added 1973) • Union Pacific Depot (1973) • the Governor's Mansion (1969) • Nagle-Warren Mansion (1976) • First Presbyterian Church (1869) • First United Methodist Church (1975) • St. Mark's Episcopal Church (1970) • St. Mary's Catholic Cathedral (1974) • Cheyenne High School (2005) High Plains Horticulture Research Station a.k.a. High Plains Arboretum (1930 - 1974) • Storey Gymnasium (2005) • Park Addition School (1970) • Big Boy Steam Engine (1956) • Botanic Gardens Rotary Century Plaza & Steam Locomotive (1921) •
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Several districts in the city are also listed, including: •
the Downtown District (1978, with boundary increase in 1980, 1988, 1996. Encompasses 205 acres (0.83 km2) and 67 buildings) • Lakeview District (1996, 350 acres 109 buildings) • Rainsford District (1984, 1980 acres 288 buildings) • Capitol North District (1980, 204 acres 112 buildings) • Fort David A. Russell (1969, 6300 acres 19 buildings) • Union Pacific Roundhouse, Turntable and Machine Shop (1992, 113 acres 2 buildings) • South Side District (2006)
Movies and television In the Spike TV series Blue Mountain State, the main characters Alex Moran and Sammy Cacciatore are from Cheyenne. In the animated series Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Amuro Ray is held under House Arrest, confined to Cheyenne. Three novels by Philip K. Dick are partly set in Cheyenne. In The Man in the High Castle, Hawthorne Abendsen lives in the eponymous "High Castle" in Cheyenne. In Dr. Bloodmoney, it is the seat of a military dictatorship. In The Penultimate Truth, several characters are linked by post-apocalyptic Cheyenne. In the American serial drama Jericho, Cheyenne is the capital city of the Allied States of America, a separatist faction of the United States formed after a surprise nuclear attack on the country's major metropolitan areas. In the 1984 motion picture Red Dawn, Cheyenne is the farthest north that the Cuban, Soviet, and Nicaraguan forces have pushed American forces. In the motion picture Ready to Rumble, the two main protagonists go to a live WCW Monday Night Nitro in Cheyenne.
Music • Garth Brooks recorded the song "The Beaches of Cheyenne". James McMurtry wrote and recorded a song titled, "Lights of Cheyenne". • Guided by Voices have a song titled "Cheyenne" on Universal Truths and Cycles. • A B-side of The Hold Steady's Stay Positive is titled "Cheyenne Sunrise" ("there's nothing like a Cheyenne sunrise to make us has-beens feel too old"). • Country singer George Strait recorded the song "I Can Still Make Cheyenne". • Country singer Eric Church makes reference to spurring a bull in Cheyenne in the song "These Boots". • Country singer Chris Young's song "Neon" starts off with a reference to the skies in Cheyenne, Wyoming ("The sky in Cheyenne, Wyoming is just about as blue as it gets"). • The 80's and 90's rock'n roll band Del Lords made a song "Cheyenne" about the city. • The band The Grateful Dead make reference to Cheyenne in the song "Jack Straw". • Progressive bluegrass group Yonder Mountain String Band makes reference to Cheyenne in the song "The Winds of Wyoming". •
Sister cities Cheyenne's sister cities are: •
United States: Lompoc, California o Bismarck, North Dakota o Waimea, Hawaii o
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Taiwan: Taichung, Taiwan • France: Lourdes Tunisia: Hammam Sousse Italy: Voghera •