Picture a high plains college town at about 7,200 feet, founded in 1868 as a Union Pacific railroad stop. Life in Laramie follows the University of Wyoming, with Cowboys games in the fall, a walkable downtown of shops and breweries, and a friendly, unhurried pace. The outdoors are close. Vedauwoo is a favorite for rock climbing and hiking, the Snowy Range Scenic Byway climbs toward Medicine Bow Peak, and there is skiing and snowmobiling in winter. In town you can tour the old Wyoming Territorial Prison, and July brings Jubilee Days and its rodeo.
Living here is affordable compared with most of the country, and the town is generally safe. The tradeoff is the weather. Winters are cold and windy, and ground blizzards regularly close I-80 toward Cheyenne. Visitors from lower elevations should drink extra water, pace themselves on hikes, and bring sunscreen, since altitude catches people off guard.
Cities with a similar character, anywhere on the site.
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- Known as
- Gem City of the Plains; Home of the University of Wyoming (Cowboys); Wyoming's college town; Jubilee Days rodeo city
- Founded
- 1868 founded as a Union Pacific railroad town; incorporated 1868
- Languages
- English; Spanish; small communities speaking Chinese, Arabic and Korean (university community)
- Airports
- Laramie Regional Airport (LAR), about 3 miles west of downtown, limited commercial service; Cheyenne Regional (CYS), about 50 miles east; Denver International (DEN), about 130 miles south; Fort Collins-Loveland (FNL), about 60 miles south
- Tipping
- Restaurants 18-20%; bars $1-2 per drink; taxis and rideshare 15-20%; hotel housekeeping $2-5 per night; bellhops $2-5 per bag; counter service optional
About this data
Population 32,284 (Census QuickFacts, July 1, 2025), land area 18.36 sq mi (converted to km2), median value and rent from Census QuickFacts. Metro figure about 37,000 is an approximate 2024 estimate for Albany County (2020 Census 36,299, from general knowledge, not retrieved). Elevation, coordinates, founding, events, hotels, cost-of-living, tipping, crime and airport distances are approximate or from general knowledge; lower confidence because search snippets were sparse. Official URLs seen in search results but not load-tested
