Sundance, Wyoming

Sundance (Lakota: Owíwaŋyaŋg Wačhí;[6] "Sun-Watching Dance") is a town in and the county seat of Crook County, Wyoming, United States.[7] The population was 1,182 at the 2010 census. The town is named after the Sun Dance ceremony practiced by several American Indian tribes.[8]

Sundance, Wyoming

Owíwaŋyaŋg Wačhí
Town
Old wooden jail (left) and stone school building in Sundance
Location of Sundance in Crook County, Wyoming.
Sundance, Wyoming
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 44°24′19″N 104°22′20″W
CountryUnited States
StateWyoming
CountyCrook
Government
 • MayorPaul Brooks
Area
 • Total3.06 sq mi (7.93 km2)
 • Land3.05 sq mi (7.90 km2)
 • Water0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation
4,738 ft (1,444 m)
Population
 • Total1,182
 • Estimate 
(2019)[3]
1,292
 • Density423.47/sq mi (163.49/km2)
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code
82729
Area code(s)307
FIPS code56-74195[4]
GNIS feature ID1603438[5]
Websitehttp://www.cityofsundancewy.com/

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1890515—
1900294−42.9%
1910281−4.4%
192032816.7%
193036912.5%
194068585.6%
195089330.4%
19609081.7%
19701,05616.3%
19801,0872.9%
19901,1394.8%
20001,1611.9%
20101,1821.8%
2019 (est.)1,292[3]9.3%
1890-2010 census[9]

2010 census

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 1,182 people, 532 households, and 326 families living in the town. The population density was 387.5 inhabitants per square mile (149.6/km2). There were 606 housing units at an average density of 198.7 per square mile (76.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.8% White, 0.2% African American, 0.8% Native American, 0.4% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.2% of the population.

There were 532 households, of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.5% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.7% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.76.

The median age in the town was 47.5 years. 19.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.5% were from 25 to 44; 31% were from 45 to 64; and 24% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

2000 census

As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 1,161 people, 476 households, and 318 families living in the town. The population density was 582.2 people per square mile (225.3/km2). There were 545 housing units at an average density of 273.3 per square mile (105.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.64% White, 1.64% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 1.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.60% of the population.

Sundance city limit sign on WYO 585, August 2003

There were 476 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,029, and the median income for a family was $50,598. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $21,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,300. About 3.2% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 13.5% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

Sundance is located at 44°24′19″N 104°22′20″W (44.405230, -104.372131).[10]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.06 square miles (7.93 km2), of which 3.05 square miles (7.90 km2) is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water.[11]

The town is directly south of the Bear Lodge Mountains, part of the Black Hills National Forest.

Skyline
Looking down on the town of Sundance from Moriah Hill, October 2014

Climate

Sundance experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) with higher precipitation than the semi-arid regions surrounding it due to its location in the Black Hills.

Climate data for Sundance, Wyoming (1971–2000; extremes 1893–present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 65
(18)		 80
(27)		 77
(25)		 86
(30)		 101
(38)		 102
(39)		 105
(41)		 101
(38)		 99
(37)		 89
(32)		 77
(25)		 65
(18)		 105
(41)
Average high °F (°C) 30.8
(−0.7)		 35.7
(2.1)		 44.5
(6.9)		 54.5
(12.5)		 65.5
(18.6)		 76.6
(24.8)		 84.5
(29.2)		 83.2
(28.4)		 72.2
(22.3)		 59.6
(15.3)		 41.8
(5.4)		 32.8
(0.4)		 56.8
(13.8)
Daily mean °F (°C) 19.1
(−7.2)		 24.1
(−4.4)		 32.6
(0.3)		 42.1
(5.6)		 52.4
(11.3)		 62.4
(16.9)		 69.2
(20.7)		 68.0
(20.0)		 57.3
(14.1)		 45.6
(7.6)		 30.3
(−0.9)		 21.5
(−5.8)		 43.7
(6.5)
Average low °F (°C) 7.3
(−13.7)		 12.5
(−10.8)		 20.7
(−6.3)		 29.6
(−1.3)		 39.2
(4.0)		 48.2
(9.0)		 53.9
(12.2)		 52.7
(11.5)		 42.3
(5.7)		 31.6
(−0.2)		 18.8
(−7.3)		 10.1
(−12.2)		 30.6
(−0.8)
Record low °F (°C) −39
(−39)		 −42
(−41)		 −24
(−31)		 −11
(−24)		 7
(−14)		 25
(−4)		 30
(−1)		 30
(−1)		 0
(−18)		 −17
(−27)		 −23
(−31)		 −40
(−40)		 −42
(−41)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.69
(18)		 0.68
(17)		 0.97
(25)		 2.29
(58)		 2.76
(70)		 3.07
(78)		 2.13
(54)		 1.65
(42)		 1.31
(33)		 1.56
(40)		 0.94
(24)		 0.73
(19)		 18.78
(478)
Source 1: NOAA (normals, 1971–2000)[12]
Source 2: The Weather Channel (Records)[13]

Education
Crook County Public Library main branch children's section in Sundance

Public education in the town of Sundance is provided by Crook County School District #1. Zoned campuses include Sundance Elementary School (grades K-6), and Sundance Secondary School (grades 7–12).

Sundance has a public library, a branch of the Crook County Public Library System.[14]

Area attractions

Devils Tower National Monument, a 1,267-foot (386 m) high igneous rock intrusion or laccolith in the Bear Lodge Mountains, is a short drive north of Sundance via US‑14 and Wyoming Highway 585. It rises dramatically above the surrounding terrain, with its summit 5,114 feet (1,559 m) above sea level. It was the first United States National Monument, established on September 24, 1906, by President Theodore Roosevelt. It has approximately 400,000 visitors annually.[15]

Highways

Media

Sundance is served by the Sundance Times newspaper which reports on local news.[16]

After his release from the town jail in 1888, Harry Longabaugh, an outlaw and member of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch in the American Old West, acquired the moniker, "the Sundance Kid". His nickname entered the popular culture with release of the 1969 movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which won several Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay. Robert Redford, who portrayed Longabaugh in the movie, later named his Sundance Ski Resort near Provo, Utah, and the Sundance Film Festival after this character.

The town of Sundance is the primary setting of Scumble, a children's novel by Ingrid Law, and a sequel to her earlier children's book, Savvy. Sundance, Wyoming is also the primary setting for Lorelei James' novels in her "Rough Riders" series of 16 books involving the fictional McKay family, eking out a living as multi generational ranchers and the younger generation's accepting who they are individually, the ins and outs of working with family every day and finding love.

See also

References
  1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
  3. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  5. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  6. Ullrich, Jan F. (2014). New Lakota Dictionary (2nd ed.). Bloomington, IN: Lakota Language Consortium. ISBN 978-0-9761082-9-0.
  7. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  8. Moyer, Armond; Moyer, Winifred (1958). The origins of unusual place-names. Keystone Pub. Associates. p. 128.
  9. HISTORICAL DECENNIAL CENSUS POPULATION FOR WYOMING COUNTIES, CITIES, AND TOWNS
  10. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  11. "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2012-01-25. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
  12. "Climatography of the United States NO.81" (PDF). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 13, 2014. Retrieved January 13, 2011.
  13. "Desert Research Institute". Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  14. "Wyoming Public Libraries". PublicLibraries.com. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
  15. Devils Tower NM – Final Climbing Management Plan National Park Service, February 1995, accessed March 13, 2009
  16. "Sundance Times". Sundancetimes.com. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
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