Wyoming is often associated with ghost towns and teeny, tiny cities with single-digit populations, but the thing about having so much space and so few people is that there’s plenty of room for growth.
In fact, when Forbes named the small U.S. towns that are the fastest growing, Wyoming cities made up one-quarter of the list. With gorgeous scenery everywhere you look, a ready and willing workforce, and the fact that Wyoming doesn’t have a state income tax as incentives, it’s no wonder big businesses and entrepreneurs alike are attracted to the Cowboy State.
#4 - Jackson, Wyoming
jcsullivan24/Flickr
Ken Lund/Flickr For a fast growing city, Jackson still looks like the charming little mountain town it’s been for decades. To drive through the main streets at the foot of Snow King Mountain, you’d never suspect that the population has grown by over 10.9 percent.
Valerie Lynn/TripAdvisor Skiing is big business in Wyoming, and the two ski resorts in the area employ a majority of the workforce. Plus, they’re popular attractions year-round, offering opportunities for hiking, chairlift and gondola rides, and music festivals when there’s no snow on the ground. What’s more, with two national parks in the immediate vicinity, tourism attracts people to visit, fueling the economy, and many decide to move in permanently when they see everything the Jackson Hole area has to offer.
#3 - Rock Springs, Wyoming
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr Rock Springs has never been what would be described as a “sleepy little town.” Between coal mining and the railroad, it’s always been an industrious place, but Rock Springs is enjoying a new surge in growth, currently at 11.5 percent.
carfull…home from Mongolia/Flickr Mining is still the major industry in Rock Springs, but it’s also got a good employee base for small companies that might want to move in. One thing’s for sure: it’s a great town with affordable housing and a comparatively low cost of living. Plus, it’s near attractions like Fossil Butte National Monument and Flaming Gorge…
TravelingTim Nouchi/Google Maps …and it’s home to a historic downtown filled with museums, shops, and one of the best breweries in the state, Bitterroot Brewing.
#2 - Laramie, Wyoming
City of Laramie - City Government/Facebook
Jim Maurer/Flickr Like many Wyoming small towns, Laramie’s roots are deeply entwined with the railroad. While it’s still an integral part of the city, Laramie has grown in other directions, as well.
Google Maps For example, it’s where the huge car dealership White Cars first opened back in 1914, and Laramie is still where Whitecars.com is headquartered.
MDV/Flickr The University of Wyoming is in Laramie…
Historic Downtown Laramie/TripAdvisor …and it has its own historic downtown that’s a hub for community activity, with museums, a historic theater, antique shops, and saloons. Add to that the Wyoming Territorial Prison Museum, nearby Vedauwoo Recreation Area, and Medicine Bow National Forest, and it’s easy to see why more and more people are coming to Laramie.
#1 - Gillette, Wyoming
J. Stephen Conn/Flickr
City of Gillette/Facebook Gillette is a little town that doesn’t get a lot of press, but you might be hearing more about it in the near future. With 14 percent growth, it’s the fastest growing small town in Wyoming.
Google Maps Known as the Energy Capital of the World, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the mining company Cloud Peak Energy is one of the largest employers in the city - and it’s the second largest in the state.
Frontier Auto Museum/TripAdvisor It’s got a lot of fun, cool places for tourists and locals to visit, too. There’s the Frontier Auto Museum, the Big Lost Meadery, and an assortment of galleries, museums, and antique shops.
What other small Wyoming towns are growing at a surprising rate?
jcsullivan24/Flickr
Ken Lund/Flickr
For a fast growing city, Jackson still looks like the charming little mountain town it’s been for decades. To drive through the main streets at the foot of Snow King Mountain, you’d never suspect that the population has grown by over 10.9 percent.
Valerie Lynn/TripAdvisor
Skiing is big business in Wyoming, and the two ski resorts in the area employ a majority of the workforce. Plus, they’re popular attractions year-round, offering opportunities for hiking, chairlift and gondola rides, and music festivals when there’s no snow on the ground. What’s more, with two national parks in the immediate vicinity, tourism attracts people to visit, fueling the economy, and many decide to move in permanently when they see everything the Jackson Hole area has to offer.
Jimmy Emerson, DVM/Flickr
Rock Springs has never been what would be described as a “sleepy little town.” Between coal mining and the railroad, it’s always been an industrious place, but Rock Springs is enjoying a new surge in growth, currently at 11.5 percent.
carfull…home from Mongolia/Flickr
Mining is still the major industry in Rock Springs, but it’s also got a good employee base for small companies that might want to move in. One thing’s for sure: it’s a great town with affordable housing and a comparatively low cost of living. Plus, it’s near attractions like Fossil Butte National Monument and Flaming Gorge…
TravelingTim Nouchi/Google Maps
…and it’s home to a historic downtown filled with museums, shops, and one of the best breweries in the state, Bitterroot Brewing.
City of Laramie - City Government/Facebook
Jim Maurer/Flickr
Like many Wyoming small towns, Laramie’s roots are deeply entwined with the railroad. While it’s still an integral part of the city, Laramie has grown in other directions, as well.
Google Maps
For example, it’s where the huge car dealership White Cars first opened back in 1914, and Laramie is still where Whitecars.com is headquartered.
MDV/Flickr
The University of Wyoming is in Laramie…
Historic Downtown Laramie/TripAdvisor
…and it has its own historic downtown that’s a hub for community activity, with museums, a historic theater, antique shops, and saloons. Add to that the Wyoming Territorial Prison Museum, nearby Vedauwoo Recreation Area, and Medicine Bow National Forest, and it’s easy to see why more and more people are coming to Laramie.
J. Stephen Conn/Flickr
City of Gillette/Facebook
Gillette is a little town that doesn’t get a lot of press, but you might be hearing more about it in the near future. With 14 percent growth, it’s the fastest growing small town in Wyoming.
Known as the Energy Capital of the World, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the mining company Cloud Peak Energy is one of the largest employers in the city - and it’s the second largest in the state.
Frontier Auto Museum/TripAdvisor
It’s got a lot of fun, cool places for tourists and locals to visit, too. There’s the Frontier Auto Museum, the Big Lost Meadery, and an assortment of galleries, museums, and antique shops.
Many of our towns have more to offer than people realize, but it’s a secret that’s slipping out. In fact, this little Wyoming town was named among the coolest in the entire nation.
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