Sweetwater County, Wyoming facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sweetwater County
U.S. county
Rock Springs City Hall, 2007
Flag
Location within the U.S. state of Wyoming
Wyoming's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Wyoming
Founded	December 17, 1867
Named for	Sweetwater River
Seat	Green River
Largest city	Rock Springs
Area
• Total	10,491 sq mi (27,170 km2)
• Land	10,427 sq mi (27,010 km2)
• Water	64 sq mi (170 km2)  0.6%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	42,272
• Estimate  (2023)	41,249
• Density	4.02936/sq mi (1.55574/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Area code	307
Congressional district	At-large

Sweetwater County is a county in southwestern Wyoming, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 42,272, making it the fourth-most populous county in Wyoming. Its county seat is Green River. By area, it is the largest county in Wyoming. Its southern boundary line abuts the north lines of the states of Colorado and Utah.

Sweetwater County comprises the Rock Springs, Green River, Wyoming Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Sweetwater County was created on December 17, 1867, as a county within the Dakota Territory. The county was formed of territory partitioned from Laramie County. The county was originally named Carter County for Judge W.A. Carter of Fort Bridger In 1869, the newly established legislature of the Wyoming Territory renamed the county for the Sweetwater River.

Also in 1869, Uinta County was organized with land ceded by Sweetwater County. Johnson County, originally named Pease County, was formed from parts of Sweetwater and Carbon counties in 1875. In 1884, Sweetwater County lost territory when Fremont County was created. Sweetwater County also lost territory when its boundary with Carbon County was adjusted in 1886. County boundaries were also adjusted in 1909, 1911, and 1951.

South Pass City was the county seat from 1867 until 1873, when the county seat was moved to Green River.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 10,491 square miles (27,170 km²), of which 10,427 square miles (27,010 km²) is land and 64 square miles (170 km²) (0.6%) is water. The largest county in Wyoming, Sweetwater County is larger than six states and is the eighth-largest county in the United States (not including boroughs and census areas in Alaska). Most of the Great Divide Basin lies within the county, comprising the county's northeast quadrant. The Continental Divide runs through the county.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

• Interstate 80
• I-80 Bus.
• I-80 Bus.
• U.S. Highway 30
• U.S. Highway 191
• Wyoming Highway 28
• Wyoming Highway 370
• Wyoming Highway 371
• Wyoming Highway 372
• Wyoming Highway 414
• Wyoming Highway 430
• Wyoming Highway 530
• Wyoming Highway 789

National protected areas

• Ashley National Forest (part)
• Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area (part)
• Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 43,806 people, 16,475 ;households, and 11,405 families in the county. The population density was 4.2 people per square mile (1.6 people/km²). There were 18,735 housing units at an average density of 1.8 units per square mile (0.69 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.5% white, 1.0% American Indian, 1.0% black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 6.4% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 15.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 22.4% were German, 19.0% were English, 13.0% were Irish, 7.4% were Italian, and 4.4% were American.

Of the 16,475 households, 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.8% were non-families, and 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.09. The median age was 32.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $69,828 and the median income for a family was $79,527. Males had a median income of $65,174 versus $31,738 for females. The per capita income for the county was $30,961. About 6.1% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

Religion in Sweetwater County,according to ARDA (2020) [1]      Catholic Church (21.1%)     LDS Church (14.7%)     Evangelical Churches (6.7%)     Mainline Protestant Churches (1.9%)     Orthodox Church (0.1%)     Others (0.6%)     None* (54.9%)

• "Nones" is an unclear category. It is a heterogenous group of the not religious and intermittently religious. Researchers argue that most of the "Nones" should be considered "unchurched", rather than objectively nonreligious; especially since most "Nones" do hold some religious-spiritual beliefs and a notable amount participate in behaviors. For example, 72% of American "Nones" believe in God or a Higher Power.

Education

There are three school districts with portions of Sweetwater County: Sweetwater County School District Number 1, Sweetwater County School District Number 2, and Carbon County School District 1.

Some residents of Sweetwater County District 2 attend schools in the Daggett School District of Utah. DSD stated that, as per its agreement with Sweetwater County District 2, "DSD schools are the home school for all students living in Washam, Wyoming." Additionally, students in McKinnon, Wyoming may choose to attend DSD schools.

Sweetwater is also home to Western Wyoming Community College which is located in Rock Springs.

Communities

Cities

• Green River (county seat)
• Rock Springs

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

Ghost towns

Media

Print

Sweetwater County is served by two print publications: Rock Springs Daily Rocket-Miner and The Green River Star (a weekly newspaper published in Green River).

Hyperlocal websites

Sweetwater County is served by a hyperlocal news websites, SweetwaterNOW.com and wyo4news.com.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Sweetwater para niños