High, wide, and windy- all describe Wyoming. The state is second only to Colorado in elevation, averaging 2,044 metres. Winds blow hard across rugged mountains and dry basins, making Wyoming the windiest state. Though ninth largest in area, the state has the lowest population. More people live in the city of Denver, Colorado, than in all of Wyoming.

Wyoming may be short on people, but it is tall on scenery. The opening of Yellowstone National Park in 1872 brought tourists to Wyoming, and this industry is key to Wyoming’s future. Yellowstone National Park contains more geysers than any other places in the world. These and other geothermal features share the park with canyons, waterfalls, forest, and wildlife. In fact, Wyoming’s huge variety of wildlife including elk, moose, pronghorn, bison, bear, dear, coyote, mountain lions and eagles makes the entire state seem like a big game park.

The state’s richest oil deposits were discovered at Salt Creek, north of Casper. The oil industry is still crucial to Wyoming’s economy. Today, the refining of oil and natural gas is the state’s most important industry.

 The Union Pacific Railroad, which reached Wyoming in 1867, brought a boom in settlement and spurred economic activities that are still important to the state. Coal deposits were mined along the early rail route. Now, massive machinery strips vast seams of coal, making Wyoming the nation’s largest producer of this resource. Most is exported by rail to eastern power plants.