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The North Platte River and downtown Casper, with Casper Mountain in the background (Photo from Casper Area Convention and Visitors Bureau).

More About

Casper, Wyoming

Casper is located on the North Platte River in east-central Wyoming at an elevation of 5,150 feet. It is the second-largest city in Wyoming with a population of about 53,000 and is about 280 miles from Denver. Although a fort was built nearby during the mid-19th century, the town was actually established in 1888 as a railhead and crossroads to the west. Casper was early on associated with cowboys, oil, and oil refineries, but today it is a regional banking, commerce, and energy center. As to higher education, the city is home to Casper College, a community college affiliated with the University of Wyoming. With regard to OSM, Wyoming is the nation’s biggest producer of coal with mines in most parts of the state.

Area features include Casper Mountain, the Laramie Mountains, numerous historical sites, national forests, and national grasslands. Farther to the northeast is Devil’s Tower National Monument.

Casper has a semi-arid climate with about 13 inches of annual precipitation, 80 inches of snowfall, low to moderate humidity, and a large amount of sunshine. Precipitation is greatest from spring to mid-summer. Summer average temps range from highs in the middle 80’s to lows in the lower 50’s. Winter average temps range from highs in the lower 30’s to lows in the lower teens.

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WEB Page Last Updated: 02/18/2010
Website Last Updated:
January 25, 2013