Casper is a city located in Natrona County, Wyoming. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 49,644. It is a medium-sized city in east-central Wyoming on Interstate 25. It is the county seat of Natrona County⁶ and the second largest city in Wyoming.

The city sits at the foot of Casper Mountain, the north end of the Laramie Mountains along the North Platte River. The city was site of Fort Caspar during the days of the Oregon Trail, which passed along the North Platte through the town. Although small by national standards, its large size within the region make it a banking and commerce center. Since the discovery of crude oil in the region in the 1890s it has been a center of the regional petroleum industry. The famous Salt Creek Oil Field was first drilled in 1889 approximately 40 miles (64 km) north of Casper, and the first refinery in Casper was built in 1895.

With the development of the Wyoming coal fields in recent decades, it has continued its role as an important center of the energy industry. Casper and the rest of Wyoming is served by the Casper Star-Tribune, a newspaper with statewide circulation. Casper is also the site of Casper College.

Geography

Casper is located at 42°50'5" North, 106°19'30" West (42.834665, _106.325062)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 62.8 km² (24.3 mi²). 62.0 km² (24.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.32% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 49,644 people, 20,343 households, and 13,141 families residing in the city. The population density is 800.3/km² (2,073.2/mi²). There are 21,872 housing units at an average density of 352.6/km² (913.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 94.03% White, 0.86% Black or African American, 1.00% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.04% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. 5.35% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 20,343 households out of which 31.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% are married couples living together, 11.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% are non-families. 29.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.38 and the average family size is 2.94.

In the city the population is spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $36,567, and the median income for a family is $46,267. Males have a median income of $34,905 versus $21,810 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,409. 11.4% of the population and 8.5% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 15.4% of those under the age of 18 and 7.3% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External link

• Website Casper Star-Tribune (http://www.casperstartribune.net/)

External links

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from Mapquest (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=42.834665&longitude=_106.325062&zoom=6)
  • Topographic map from Topozone (http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=42.834665&lon=_106.325062&s=200&size=m&layer=DRG100)
  • Aerial photograph from Microsoft Terraserver (http://terraserver.microsoft.com/map.aspx?t=1&s=14&lon=_106.325062&lat=42.834665&w=750&h=500)