Weston County, Wyoming facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Weston County
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Weston County Courthouse in Newcastle
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Location within the U.S. state of Wyoming
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 Wyoming's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Wyoming |
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| Founded | March 12, 1890 | |
| Named for | Jefferson B. Weston | |
| Seat | Newcastle | |
| Largest city | Newcastle | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 2,400 sq mi (6,000 km2) | |
| • Land | 2,398 sq mi (6,210 km2) | |
| • Water | 1.9 sq mi (5 km2) 0.08%% | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 6,838 | |
| • Estimate
(2019)
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6,927 | |
| • Density | 2.85/sq mi (1.100/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) | |
| Congressional district | At-large | |
Weston County is a county in the U.S. state of Wyoming. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 6,838. Its county seat is Newcastle. Its east boundary line abuts the west line of the state of South Dakota.
Contents
History
Weston County was created by the legislature of the Wyoming Territory on March 12, 1890. The county was created out of a portion of Crook County.
Weston County was named for John B. Weston, who was a geologist and surveyor. In 1887, John Weston and Frank Mondell found rich coal deposits north of Newcastle which caused a railroad to be built through the area.
In 1911, Campbell County was formed from portions of Weston County and Crook County. Since then, the boundaries of Weston County have been stable.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,400 square miles (6,200 km2), of which 2,398 square miles (6,210 km2) is land and 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2) (0.08%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Crook County (north)
- Lawrence County, South Dakota (northeast)
- Pennington County, South Dakota (east)
- Custer County, South Dakota (southeast)
- Niobrara County (south)
- Converse County (southwest)
- Campbell County (west)
Major Highways
U.S. Highway 16
U.S. Highway 20
U.S. Highway 85
Wyoming Highway 116
Wyoming Highway 450
Wyoming Highway 585
National protected areas
- Black Hills National Forest (part)
- Thunder Basin National Grassland (part)
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 2,422 | — | |
| 1900 | 3,203 | 32.2% | |
| 1910 | 4,960 | 54.9% | |
| 1920 | 4,631 | −6.6% | |
| 1930 | 4,673 | 0.9% | |
| 1940 | 4,958 | 6.1% | |
| 1950 | 6,733 | 35.8% | |
| 1960 | 7,929 | 17.8% | |
| 1970 | 6,307 | −20.5% | |
| 1980 | 7,106 | 12.7% | |
| 1990 | 6,518 | −8.3% | |
| 2000 | 6,644 | 1.9% | |
| 2010 | 7,208 | 8.5% | |
| 2020 | 6,838 | −5.1% | |
| US Decennial Census 1870–2000 2010–2016 |
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2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 7,208 people, 3,021 households, and 1,957 families in the county. The population density was 3.0 inhabitants per square mile (1.2/km2). There were 3,533 housing units at an average density of 1.5 per square mile (0.58/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.5% white, 1.3% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.9% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 31.7% were German, 19.3% were Irish, 18.5% were English, 6.6% were Norwegian, 6.1% were Swedish, and 5.6% were American.
Of the 3,021 households, 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.2% were non-families, and 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age was 42.3 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $53,853 and the median income for a family was $63,438. Males had a median income of $53,095 versus $28,724 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,463. About 5.8% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.1% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
City
- Newcastle (county seat)
Town
Census-designated places
Other places
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Weston (Wyoming) para niños
