1. Colorado Greenies Are The Worst People Ever
It is a simple fact of life that Wyomingites just don’t care for Coloradans very much, and you can’t really boil the dislike down to one simple reason.
Whether it’s the intrusions by Coloradans and their green license plates on the roadways and campgrounds of Wyoming, the incursion of left-of-center politics and accusations of political backwardness, or the purchase of Wyoming land and perceived misuse of its resources by its southern neighbors, Wyomingites have plenty of stored animosity – some of it good natured – to unleash upon the greenies when the opportunity presents itself.
2. But The Rodeo Is The Best Thing In The World
Only eleven states in the nation have designated specific sports as their “official sports,” and Wyoming’s is rodeo.
This may seem odd to folks from areas of the U.S. where horseback riding isn’t an integral part of the culture, but when rodeo events like Cheyenne Frontier Days are regularly attracting more than 80,000 employees to watch modern cowboys saddle up and ride, it’s hard to argue that rodeo doesn’t deserve it’s distinction as Wyoming’s official sport.
3. Cool Kids Don’t Drive Porsches To School, They Ride Horses
Okay, so I don’t actually have any evidence that Wyomingites physically ride their horses to school AND tie them up once they get there.
However, with a ratio of one horse for every five people living in the state, and a high rate of horse ownership in general, I would be surprised to hear that there were no students anywhere in the state that rode their horses to school.
At the very least, given that Wyoming has a high school rodeo association that awards state championships in several rodeo disciplines each year at both the junior high and high school levels, it can be said with certainty that several Wyoming students ride their horses while officially representing their schools.
4. Bison Are The True Rulers Of Wyoming
The fact that the Wyoming state flag is adorned by the sacred white buffalo is fitting, because the state’s bison population seems to have a special sense of entitlement.
If you are planning to get through Yellowstone National Park quickly because you are on a tight schedule, prepare to make some adjustments to your plans. The bison will takeover the road like they own it, and give you annoyed stares for getting anywhere near them.
5. Everybody’s Grandma Has A Gun For Every Day Of The Week
All the way over in my home state of Michigan, I’ve heard people say, “Open carrying isn’t necessary here! This isn’t Wyoming!” Well, you can’t really consider yourself The Cowboy State without having tremendous freedoms when it comes to gun ownership.
In Wyoming, there is no waiting period when purchasing a gun, no minimum age requirement to own a gun, and no requirement that a Wyoming resident have a concealed weapons permit. Would-be criminals definitely need to be mindful of who they plan to rob, because Wyoming is a place where you’re likely to be the idiot that brought a knife to a gunfight.
6. Driving In Wyoming Is Like “Grand Theft Auto” With Snow
Only in Wyoming can you be stuck in a Rock Springs hotel cooling your heels because a spring storm dumped three feet of snow on the freeway. Seriously, my cross-country jaunt from San Francisco to Detroit was interrupted by three feet of snow in May. Who can plan for something like that?!
Of course, this type of snowfall can easily result in automotive disasters, and Wyoming has more than its fair share. Wyoming regularly ranks among the national leaders is traffic fatality rate, so everyone is strongly encouraged to buckle up when traversing the Equality State.
7. Wyoming Really Is Where Everyone Goes To Commune With Nature
If you ask someone outside of Wyoming about what you might expect to find there, they’ll probably tell you that it contains very few people, one major freeway, bison, bears, horses, jackalopes (hahaha) and Yellowstone National Park.
Well, they’re wrong about one thing; there is more than one national park. In fact, in addition to Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming also features twelve state parks, five national forests, one national historic landmark, one national historic site, four national wildlife refuges and two national recreation area.
Now, I don’t necessarily know the distinction between many of those things, but it definitely sounds like a whole lot of nature to me.
8. America Can Thank Wyoming For Their Energy
In terms of natural resources, Wyoming has got the goods. The extraction industry is colossal here, and it seems like everyone works supports it in one way or another.
The next time you’re wondering aloud where all of your convenient household energy originates, be sure to thank Wyomingites; they rank number one in the country in the production of coal by a wide margin, and second in the production of natural gas.
9. Diversity Is Kind Of A Mystery In Wyoming
If you asked people to name the whitest state in the country, Wyoming is almost guaranteed to be the first name out of their mouths.
While the distinction of being America’s whitest state is usually contested between Vermont and Maine, the stereotype that Wyoming is white is still valid. With around 94 percent of its population typically identifying as “white alone,” Wyoming is usually within one percentage point of laying claim to the crown as the whitest state west of the Mississippi.
10. Admit It, You’re A Cowboy And So Is Everyone You Know
It’s no mistake that Wyoming’s official symbol is the iconic emblem of a cowboy riding a bucking horse.
In a state where everyone knows how to ride a horse, more than 60 percent of the households own guns, and rodeo is a way of life, the spirit of the Old West is alive and well in Wyoming, and there’s no unofficial state nickname more fitting than “The Cowboy State.”
Did we miss anything? Tell us what you think is unique about Wyoming in the comments below!
