If you’re not from Wyoming, you may be wondering if there are even ten places in the state, not to mention, ten exciting places. Of course locals know that yes, there are more than ten places in Wyoming (granted, some of them are very small places), and yes, many of them are very exciting indeed.
Now this being the Equality State and all, we decided to take a look at each of these places in a completely unbiased way, to determine which was the most exciting. As we often do here at the
Movoto Real Estate Blog, we turned to the power of math, and after a careful analysis, determined the top 10.
Starting with our winner, Jackson, here are the 10 most exciting places in Wyoming:
1. Town of Jackson
2. City of Riverton
3. City of Cody
4. City of Powell
5. City of Sheridan
6. City of Lander
7. City of Torrington
8. City of Evanston
9. City of Casper
10.
City of Gillette
If this list surprises you…well, clearly you don’t live in one of these 10 places. Keep reading to find how we came up with this list in the first place, and just what makes each of these places more exciting than the rest.
Our Methodology
Wyoming may be nicknamed Big Wyoming, among other things, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it has a whole lot of people. So we decided to gather up all of the places in the state with populations of 4,000 or more, which left us a total of 20 places to look at.
Then, we used the 2010 U.S. Census and business listings to research each place according to the following eight criteria:
- Nightlife per capita (bars, clubs, comedy, etc.)
- Live music venues per capita
- Active life options per capita (parks, outdoor activities, etc.)
- Arts and Entertainment per capita (movie theaters, festivals, galleries, theaters, etc.)
- Fast Food restaurants per capita (the fewer the better)
- Percentage of restaurants that are not fast food (the higher the better)
- Percentage of young residents ages 18 to 34 (the higher the better)
- Population density (the higher the better)
Next, we ranked each of these 20 places with a score from one to 20, according to the above criteria, where the lower the number was, the more exciting the place.
We averaged these rankings into an overall
Big Deal Score, again, where the lowest number was our most exciting place, which in this case was Jackson.
If you don’t see your hometown on our list, feel free to make your way to the end of the post for a look at the 20 places in our analysis. Otherwise, grab some snacks and your camera, because we’re taking a virtual trek to each of our top 10.
Or, you know, just sit back and relax. But still, snacks are always a good idea.
1. Jackson
To say that Jackson blew the competition away, like Old Faithful after 91 minutes of stillness, would be an understatement. Jackson came in first in not one, but five of our categories: nightlife, music venues, arts, active life, and population density. Plus, it ranked second for its young population—38.82 percent of residents were between 18 and 34.
In fact, the only area where Jackson didn’t completely dominate was dining out. I know, I know, Jackson has places like Snake River Brewing and Lotus Cafe, which are delicious, but it didn’t have quite the high number of restaurants per capita as some of our others. It also had the highest number of fast food joints per capita, which, no offense Micky D’s, aren’t exactly a culinary adventure.
2. Riverton
This little city in Fremont County may not be quite as young or densely-populated as our No. 1 city (it ranked seventh and 16th in these categories, respectively), but it more than made up for that with its high number of nightlife venues and restaurants per capita.
Of course residents know all you really need are the burgers at Fullmer’s FatBoy Diner—which, if the name is any indication, means it is a really good thing that Riverton ranked so well for its number of active life options.
3. Cody
How could a city named after William Frederick Cody, a.k.a. BUFFALO BILL, not be exciting? Sure, the age of the population here was about as old as Bill himself (just kidding, but really, only 19.53 percent of residents were between 18 and 34), and it wasn’t exactly densely populated, but there were still plenty of exciting things going on here.
For example, Cody had the second highest number of music venues, active life, and arts listings per capita. (If you haven’t checked out the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, it’s a must!) It even ranked fifth overall for its number of nightlife venues per capita, with places like Silver Dollar Bar to the Pat O’Hara Brewing Company.
4. Powell
Chances are, if you’re reading this from Powell, you’re not too surprised to see this city on our list. You’re also probably in college, so, what are you doing reading this? Shouldn’t you be studying?
Kidding. But really, nearly 32 percent of the residents in Powell were aged between 18 and 34, mostly due to the presence of Northwest College. With such a young population, there were, of course, plenty of bars, but where this city really shined was in the food scene.
Not only did Powell have the fourth most restaurants per capita, but it also had the fifth least fast food joints per capita. So, in case you didn’t know, more good food + less bad food = exciting.
5. Sheridan
If you happen to be interested in the arts, dining out, or simply just walking around town, Sheridan is a good place to do it. It ranked sixth overall for its number of arts listings, and with places like Olivia’s Kitchen and Red Velvet Bakery & Tapas dotting the city, it had the second most restaurants per capita in the state.
Between a visit to the Sheridan County Museum and your favorite eatery, you can likely find excitement in just taking a walk. After all, this city was the seventh most densely populated in the state, so you’re bound to run into somebody! (Hopefully somebody fun.)
6. Lander
It may come as no surprise that Lander ranked among the best for its number of active life listings per capita, what with its proximity to so many dude ranches. But this city also had something for those who fancy themselves something other than a cowboy. It ranked fourth for its number of galleries, art supply stores, theaters, and the like per capita.
The cherry on top here is the food—and in the case of Ken and Betty’s Ice Cream, we mean that literally. Lander had the fifth most restaurants per capita. Of course, if you think that’s good, wait til you see the restaurant menu in our next city.
7. Torrington
When it came to a high number of restaurants per capita, there was no place in the state that beat Torrington. Well, at least not that we looked at. That’s because this city of a mere 6,500 people was dotted with places like Sweet Lou’s, Little Moon Supper Club, and Garcia’s Mexican. So there was not only a high ratio of restaurants per person, but a high ratio of delicious per mouth.
Not only did Torrington rank No. 1 for its presence of restaurants, but it ranked No. 3 for its lack of fast food. So, sorry guys, looks like if you want a burger you’ll have to actually get a good one at Deacon’s.
8. Evanston
Even though Evanston’s population was only made up of 23.03 percent people between 18 and 34, that certainly didn’t stop it from having a buzzing night time scene. From Sud’s Brothers Brewery to the hometown favorite, Kate’s, this place had the second most nightlife and third most music venues per capita.
It also ranked pretty well for its number of restaurants per capita, but really, isn’t Jody’s Diner all you need?
9. Casper
Casper may have recently been ranked one of the “best small cities to raise a family” by Forbes Magazine, but don’t let that fool you. There’s plenty of excitement to be had here, even if you’re not ready to settle down.
First of all, with 2,056 people per square mile, Casper was the fourth most densely-populated place in the state, so there are always people to mix and mingle with. It was also the seventh best for its active lifestyle, for its lack of fast food options, and, of course, for its art scene.
So whether you come with kiddos or not, Casper has something exciting for you. Except for fast food, but that’s just boring anyway.
10. Gillette
The final city on our list calls itself the “energy capital of the nation,” and when it comes to a youthful population, we have to say we agree. After all, who has more energy than a whole bunch of 18 to 34 year olds? (Puppies don’t count.)
Aside from the the 29.08 percent of residents under 35, Gillette also ranked pretty well for its number of music venues per capita (seventh here), like Humphrey’s Bar & Grill. Sure it didn’t have as many as, say, Cheyenne, but remember, this is per capita. And with under 30,000 residents, even one venue is looking pretty exciting.
Big Wyoming, Big Excitement
Wyoming may not be the most populated state in the nation, but as you’ve seen with this list, that certainly doesn’t mean it’s lacking in things to do. From nightlife and music to the great outdoors, this place is packed with excitement—it’s just a little more spread out than in some states, but that’s what makes it so beautiful.
If these 10 places are sounding pretty good to you about now, feel free to get in touch. Aside from writing lists like these, and of course bringing you some pretty
super maps, we sell houses. Plus, we hear Jackson is just lovely this time of year.
