Albany County, Wyoming

Albany County, Wyoming
Albany County Courthouse
Location in the U.S. state of Wyoming
Wyoming's location in the U.S.
Founded	1868
Seat	Laramie
Largest city	Laramie
Area
• Total	4,309 sq mi (11,160 km2)
• Land	4,274 sq mi (11,070 km2)
• Water	35 sq mi (91 km2), 0.8%
Population
• (2010)	36,299
• Density	8.5/sq mi (3/km²)
Congressional district	At-large
Time zone	Mountain: UTC-7/-6
Website	www.co.albany.wy.us

Morton Pass (SR34) Albany Co.

Morton Pass (SR34) Albany Co.

Albany County (/ˈɔːlbəniː/ AWL-bə-nee) is a county in the U.S. state of Wyoming. As of the 2010 census, the population was 36,299. Its county seat is Laramie, the site of the University of Wyoming. It is north from the Colorado state line.

Albany County comprises the Laramie, WY Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Albany County was organized December 16, 1868, from Laramie County in Dakota Territory, which at the time had jurisdiction over part of modern-day Wyoming. It became a county in Wyoming Territory when that territory's government was formally organized on May 19, 1869.

Charles D. Bradley, a member of the legislature of the Dakota Territory named the county for Albany, New York, the capital of his native state. In 1875, Albany County lost territory when Crook County and Johnson County were created by the legislature of the Wyoming Territory. Converse County was created with land ceded by Albany County in 1888. The boundaries of the county were final at that time except for minor adjustments in 1911 and 1955.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,309 square miles (11,160 km²), of which 4,274 square miles (11,070 km²) is land and 35 square miles (91 km²) (0.8%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Converse County (north)
• Platte County (east)
• Laramie County (east)
• Larimer County, Colorado (south)
• Jackson County, Colorado (southwest)
• Carbon County (west)

National protected areas

• Bamforth National Wildlife Refuge
• Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge
• Medicine Bow National Forest (part)
• Mortenson Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Major highways

• Interstate 80
• U.S. Highway 30
• U.S. Highway 287

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	2,021		—
1880	4,626		128.9%
1890	8,865		91.6%
1900	13,084		47.6%
1910	11,574		−11.5%
1920	9,283		−19.8%
1930	12,041		29.7%
1940	13,946		15.8%
1950	19,055		36.6%
1960	21,290		11.7%
1970	26,431		24.1%
1980	29,062		10.0%
1990	30,797		6.0%
2000	32,014		4.0%
2010	36,299		13.4%
Est. 2014	37,811		4.2%
U.S. Decennial Census 1870–2000 2010–2014

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 32,014 people, 13,269 households and 7,006 families residing in the county. The population density was 8 per square mile (3/km²). There were 15,215 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.32% White, 1.11% Black or African American, 0.95% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 2.65% from other races, and 2.22% from two or more races. 7.49% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.4% were of German, 11.1% English, 10.2% Irish and 6.1% American ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 13,269 households of which 23.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.2% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.84.

18.4% of the population were under the age of 18, 28.2% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 19.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females there were 106.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.4 males.

The median household income was $28,790 and the median family income was $44,334. Males had a median income of $31,087 compared with $22,061 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,706. About 10.8% of families and 21.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.7% of those under the age of 18 and 8.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 36,299 people, 15,691 households, and 7,430 families residing in the county. The population density was 8.5 inhabitants per square mile (3.3/km²). There were 17,939 housing units at an average density of 4.2 per square mile (1.6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.1% white, 2.8% Asian, 1.2% black or African American, 0.7% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 2.4% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 31.2% were German, 15.3% were Irish, 12.5% were English, and 4.4% were American.

Of the 15,691 households, 21.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.9% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 52.6% were non-families, and 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age was 26.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,890 and the median income for a family was $70,054. Males had a median income of $43,484 versus $33,512 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,622. About 7.2% of families and 21.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Lincoln Monument, near Laramie, off Interstate 80

City

• Laramie (county seat)

Town

• Rock River

Census-designated places

• Albany
• Centennial
• Fox Park
• Woods Landing-Jelm

Unincorporated communities

• Binford
• Bosler
• PhinDeli
• Garrett
• The Buttes
• Tie Siding

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Albany County, Wyoming