6 Fascinating Wyoming Facts

1. Casper is the second largest metro area in the state, after Cheyenne (the capital). In 2013, almost 60,000 people lived there.

2. Dick Cheney, former Vice President and Representative for Wyoming, grew up in Casper (as did his wife, Lynne).

3. Most of the state's economic activity is in tourism, agriculture, and energy extraction. Some well know tourist destinations are Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Devil's Tower National Monument, Fossil Butte National Monument, and Independence Rock (which is more a rest stop than a park...but we found it fascinating). Yellowstone, which has around 3,000,000 visitors a year, became the world's first national park in 1872.

4. Wyoming became a state in 1890, and women's right to vote became national law in 1920. Five years later, Wyoming elected the nation's first woman governor, Nelly Tailoe Ross.

5. In 2010, the state's largest religious group was The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (11%), followed by Roman Catholics (10.8%). About 25% of Wyoming residents don't claim any religion.

6. The Continental Divide forks in the south central part of the state, forming the Great Divide Basin. Water that flows or precipitates into the basin sinks into the soil or evaporates rather than flowing to any ocean. Much of the state receives, on average, less than 10 inches of rainfall per year