Aim for June, when the College National Finals Rodeo comes to Casper, Wyoming's second-largest city, which grew up on oil and has about 59,000 people. It sits on the North Platte River at the foot of Casper Mountain, and it feels like a practical, working town with good access to open country.
The Oregon Trail history is the best reason to visit. The National Historic Trails Interpretive Center and Fort Caspar Museum are the places to start, and Independence Rock and Devils Gate are about 60 miles out. Closer to home you can hike or ski on Casper Mountain, fish and float the river, or spend an afternoon at the Tate Geological Museum or the Nicolaysen Art Museum. The downsides are the wind, which is famous here, heavy winter snow that can close I-25 and I-80, and some property crime along older commercial strips.
Cities with a similar character, anywhere on the site.
Out of 10. Open any score to see how it’s worked out. “Data-based” scores come from published figures; “Hey! En Route estimate” scores are worked out from what we know about the city; “Hey! En Route rating” scores were set by our editors.
- Known as
- The Oil City; Wyoming's second-largest city; Home of Casper Mountain and the North Platte River
- Founded
- 1888 platted as the town of Casper after the railroad arrived; 1889 incorporated; earlier Fort Caspar was established in 1859 on the Oregon Trail
- Languages
- English; Spanish; small communities speaking German, Filipino languages and Navajo
- Airports
- Casper/Natrona County International (CPR), about 8 miles west of downtown; Cheyenne Regional (CYS), about 175 miles southeast; Denver International (DEN), about 290 miles south, for the main connecting hub
- Tipping
- Restaurants 18-20%; bars $1-2 per drink; taxis and rideshare 15-20%; hotel housekeeping $3-5 per night; bellhops $2-5 per bag; counter service optional
About this data
Population (58,771, July 1, 2025), land area (26.55 sq mi, converted to km2), median home value and rent are from Census QuickFacts (ACS 2020-2024). Metro figure about 80,500 is an approximate Casper MSA (Natrona County) estimate from general knowledge, lower confidence. Elevation, coordinates, founding, event names and months (some may not be current), hotel ranges, tipping, cost-of-living index, crime rate and distances are approximate or from general knowledge. Visitor and calendar URLs found in search results but not load-tested.
