So, you're thinking about attending a college or university in Wyoming?

Wyoming is a state located in the western part of the United States. Covering a total of 97,818 square miles, it is the 10th largest state in the U.S. Wyoming is bordered to the north by Montana, to the east by South Dakota and Nebraska, to the south by Colorado and Utach, and to the west by Idaho.

Virtually the entire state of Wyoming is at a high elevation. With the lowest point being at Belle Fourche River, 3,099 feet above sea level, and the highest point of 13,804 feet on the top of Gannett Peak, the state's mean elevation is 6,700 feet above sea level. This is due, in part, to the fact that Wyoming is where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains. The whole state lies on a great plateau, broken sporadically by large mountain ranges. Even so, Wyoming is a very arid state. Much of it receives less than 10 inches of rainfall annually.

The weather in Wyoming is mostly cool, dry, and windy. In the summer, high temperatures average between 85°F and 95°F in most of the state, with some high elevations only averaging around 70°F. At night, however, temperatures throughout the state tend to drop dramatically, reaching an average of 50-60°F. Also, while most of the state receives very little precipitation over the course of a year, some mountain areas can get anywhere from 20 inches to 200 inches, mostly in snow, per year.

Severe weather can also affect Wyoming. In fact, it is one of the leading states in the U.S. for hail damage. The frequency of thunderstorms, as well as the occurrence of tornadoes, decrease as you move from the southeastern section of the state to the west. The western part of Wyoming has very little tornado activity. Even in the southeast, where tornadoes are more likely, they tend to be small and brief in comparison to areas just a little further east of the state.

It was estimated that, in 2005, Wyoming had a population of 509,294. This makes Wyoming the least populous state in the nation, even including the District of Columbia, as well as the state with the lowest population density in the continental 48 states. Only Alaska has a lower population density, though it still has a higher overall population. As of 2004, only approximately 11,000 people, or 2.2% of the population, was foreign-born.

The residents of Wyoming tend to side with the Republican Party, at least in national politics. The state's voter's haven't voted for a Democratic candidate for president since the 1964 election. In 2004, Wyoming gave George W. Bush his third-largest victory, with 69% of the total vote. The governorship of the state, however, has been held by a Democrat for all but eight years since 1975.

Around 78% of Wyoming residents are Christian, with 53% following one of the Protestant beliefs, 16% indentifying themselves as Roman Catholic, and 11% belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, otherwise known as the Mormon faith. Of the 22% of residents still unaccounted for, 1% follow other religious beliefs while 21% say they are non-religious.

Contrary to the practices of most U.S. states, Wyoming doesn't levy an individual or corporate income tax. It does, however, have a state sales tax. The rate is set at 4%. In addition to this, counties are allowed to collect an additional 1% sales tax for general revenue and a 2% tax for a specific purpose, though this must be approved by voters first. Also, along with the state sales tax, Wyoming imposes a use tax at a rate of 5% on items that are purchased outside of the state but brought into it to be used.

Although Wyoming is a fairly large state, its relatively small population means there are only a few colleges and universities based within the state to choose between. A few of the options open to you if you want to attend a college or university in Wyoming are:

• The University of Wyoming

• Wyoming Technical Institute (WyoTech)

• Casper College

• Northwest College

To find more information about universities and colleges in this area, visit the Online College Degrees page on this website.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Wyoming".

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