Rock Springs, Wyoming

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Rock Springs, Wyoming
City
Old City Hall, Downtown Rock Springs
Old City Hall, Downtown Rock Springs
Nickname: 
Home of 56 Nationalities
Motto(s): 
A Great Place to Work and Play!
Location of Rock Springs, Wyoming
Location of Rock Springs, Wyoming
CountryUnited States
StateWyoming
CountySweetwater
Rock Springs1888
Government
 • MayorTim Kaumo
Area
 • Total18.4 sq mi (47.8 km2)
 • Land18.4 sq mi (47.8 km2)
 • Water0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation
6,388 ft (1,947 m)
Population
 (2000)
 • Total18,708
 • Density1,014.4/sq mi (391.7/km2)
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP codes
82901, 82902, 82942
Area code307
FIPS code56-67235Template:GR
GNIS feature ID1593588Template:GR
Websitehttp://www.rswy.net
Rock Springs Coal sign.
Western Wyoming Community College, December 2007.
File:Downtown Sign.jpg
Rock Springs Coal sign looking into downtown.

Rock Springs is a city in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 18,708 at the 2000 census. Rock Springs is the principal city of the Rock Springs micropolitan statistical area, which has a population of 37,975.

One of the worst race riots in American history, known as the Rock Springs Massacre, occurred among miners working near Rock Springs on September 2, 1885.[1] As of 2006, there are still remains of the old coal mining towns outside of Rock Springs, Wyoming.

Rock Springs was featured on "60 Minutes" in 1970, due to corruption within the Police Department and City Government.[2] A follow up was filmed 20 years later for the show "City Confidential". The episode was named "Rock Springs: Deadly Draw in the Wild West". [3]

Rock Springs is also home to Western Wyoming Community College, and Wyoming's Big Show a yearly event featuring a carnival and concerts, held at the Sweetwater County Events Complex.[4]

Rock Springs is located in an energy-rich region that boasts a large number of oil and natural gas wells.

Geography

Rock Springs is located at 41°35′6.38″N 109°13′17.01″W / 41.5851056°N 109.2213917°W / 41.5851056; -109.2213917Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (41.585106, -109.221392).Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 18.45 square miles (47.87 km2), all of it land.

The city is approximately 6759 feet (2060 m) above sea level.

Climate

Rock Springs has a semi-arid climate with cold, snow winters and warm summers. Precipitation is almost evenly spread throughout the year, with most months having between .50 inches (1.3 cm) and .60 inches (1.5 cm), but May is normally the wettest month with 1.20 inches (3.0 cm).

The average January temperatures are a maximum of 29.1 °F (−1.6 °C) and a minimum of 11.2 °F (−11.6 °C). The average July temperatures are a maximum of 83.4 °F (28.6 °C) and a minimum of 53.4 °F (11.9 °C). There an average of 6.4 days annually with highs of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher. There are an average of 195.5 with lows of 32 °F (0 °C) or lower and 14.3 days with lows of 0 °F (−18 °C) or lower. The record high temperature was 112 °F (44 °C) on May 17, 1902, and the record low temperature was −37 °F (−38 °C) on January 12, 1963.

The average annual precipitation is 8.73 inches (22.2 cm). There is an average of 75 days with measurable precipitation. The wettest year was 1973 with 13.29 inches (33.8 cm) and the dryest year was 1953 with 3.79 inches (9.6 cm). The most rainfall in one month was 6.50 inches (16.5 cm) in June 1899. The most rainfall in 24 hours was 3.50 inches (8.9 cm) on June 12, 1899. The average snowfall is 43.6 inches (111 cm). The most snowfall in one year was 94.0 inches (239 cm) in 1975. The most snowfall in one month was 22.5 inches (57 cm) in October 1971.[5]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
187040—
18807631,807.5%
18903,406346.4%
19004,36328.1%
19105,77832.4%
19206,45611.7%
19308,44030.7%
19409,82716.4%
195010,85710.5%
196010,371−4.5%
197011,65712.4%
198019,45866.9%
199019,050−2.1%
200018,708−1.8%
[6]

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 18,708 people, 7,348 households, and 4,930 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,014.4 people per square mile (391.7/km2). There were 8,359 housing units at an average density of 453.3/sq mi (175.0/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.75% White, 1.07% African American, 0.86% Native American, 1.02% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.05% from other races, and 2.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.96% of the population.

There were 7,348 households out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.9% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,584, and the median income for a family was $51,539. Males had a median income of $44,809 versus $22,609 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,396. About 6.4% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education in the city of Rock Springs is provided by Sweetwater County School District #1. Schools serving the city include: Desert View Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, Northpark Elementary, Overland Elementary, Sage Elementary, Walnut Elementary, Westridge Elementary, White Mountain Elementary, East Junior High School, and Rock Springs High School. There is also one alternative campus – Independence High School.

Transportation

Highways

Interstate Highways:

I-80

  • East-West Interstate running from California to New York. Intersects US 191 northeast of Rock Springs.

US Routes:

US 30 (Dewar Drive)

  • East-West route through Rock Springs and business route

US 191

  • North-South through Rock Springs that intersects I-80

Wyoming State Highways:

WYO 370 (Baxter Road/Airport Road)

  • From Interstate 80 and U.S. 30 Exit 111 southeast to the Rock Springs Regional Airport. Signed only as "Airport Road" from the Interstate, with one sign indicating "Baxter Road."

WYO 376 (Circumferential Highway/Rock Springs Beltway)

  • Belt route around Rock Springs, splitting from and then meeting again with Business I-80 through Rock Springs

WYO 430 (Hampshire Street Parkway)

  • Stretch of road running south to the Colorado-Wyoming State Line near Hiawatha Camp, Colorado. The route continues south as an unimproved highway all the way to Colorado 318 near Dinosaur National Monument.

Airports

Rock Springs is serviced by Rock Springs-Sweetwater County Airport.

Railroads

Union Pacific serves Rock Springs

Sister cities

Rock Springs' sister cities are:

Notable residents

Media

The Rock Springs areas is served by four newspapers: Rock Springs Daily Rocket-Miner, The Mustang Express, formerly The Oracle (Western Wyoming Community College newspaper), The Marquee (a media and entertainment supplement published in the Rocket-Miner), The Green River Star (a weekly newspaper published in Green River), and The Sweetwater County Guide (a weekly shopper's guide published by The Green River Star.)

Radio

Rock Springs is serviced by a number of radio stations. These include: KRKK, KSIT, KQSW, KMRZ, KYCS, KZWB, KFRZ, and KUGR.

Television

Rock Springs has a translator of KGWC, titled KGWR on channel 13. KGWC is a CBS affiliate out of Casper, Wyoming. There are a couple of local access stations as well.

Entertainment

Every year during July and August, the city holds a county fair called Wyoming's Big Show. The event includes theme park rides, booths, restaurants, and live entertainment. Rodeos have been a staple of the fair, and famous performers are sometimes a part of the entertainment.

Rock Springs also hosts several festivals throughout the year, including the International Festival (to honor the city's nickname), the Blues and Brews Festival, the Wyoming Chocolate Festival, and the Rod and Rails Festival [8].

References

  1. ^ http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=Article&id=4262
  2. ^ http://www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/rocksprings2.html
  3. ^ http://www.aetv.com/city_confidential/city_episode_guide.jsp?episode=137954
  4. ^ Sweetwater Events Complex Website
  5. ^ http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?wy7840; http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?wy7845
  6. ^ "Historical Decennial Census Population for Wyoming Counties, Cities, and Towns". Wyoming Department of State / U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-06-30.
  7. ^ http://www.kffl.com/player/14919/nfl
  8. ^ http://www.downtownrs.com

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rock_Springs,_Wyoming&oldid=370730882"