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Converse County, Wyoming facts for kids

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Converse County
Wyoming State Fair
Wyoming State Fair
Flag of Converse County
Flag
Map of Wyoming highlighting Converse County
Location within the U.S. state of Wyoming
Map of the United States highlighting Wyoming
Wyoming's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Wyoming
Founded March 9, 1888
Named for A.R. Converse
Seat Douglas
Largest city Douglas
Area
 • Total 4,265 sq mi (11,050 km2)
 • Land 4,255 sq mi (11,020 km2)
 • Water 10 sq mi (30 km2)  0.2%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 13,751
 • Estimate 
(2019)
13,822
 • Density 3.2242/sq mi (1.24485/km2)
Time zone UTC−7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district At-large
Dave Johnson coal-fired power plant, central Wyoming
Dave Johnston power plant, a large coal-fired generating station at Glenrock, owned by PacifiCorp

Converse County is a county located in the U.S. state of Wyoming. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 13,751. Its county seat is Douglas.

History

Converse County was created on March 9, 1888 by the legislature of the Wyoming Territory. The county was formed from land ceded by Albany County and Laramie County

Converse County was named for A.R. Converse, a banker and rancher from Cheyenne, Wyoming. Converse was a partner with Francis E. Warren in a large ranch in the eastern part of Converse County.

In 1911, Converse County lost territory when Niobrara County was created. The boundaries of Converse County were slightly modified in a special election in 1955, and land from Albany County was added.

The elected county commission governs each Wyoming county. Former Commissioner David R. Edwards resigned in January 2012 after three years of service because of health problems. He was a Republican who had previously served in the Wyoming House of Representatives from 2001 to 2008.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,265 square miles (11,050 km2), of which 4,255 square miles (11,020 km2) is land and 10 square miles (26 km2) (0.2%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Converse county Douglas
Landscape in Converse County

National protected areas

  • Medicine Bow National Forest (part)
  • Thunder Basin National Grassland (part)

Major Highways

  • I-25.svg Interstate 25
  • US 18.svg U.S. Highway 18
  • US 20.svg U.S. Highway 20
  • US 26.svg U.S. Highway 26
  • US 287.svg U.S. Highway 287
  • WY-59.svg Wyoming Highway 59

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1890 2,738
1900 3,337 21.9%
1910 6,294 88.6%
1920 7,871 25.1%
1930 7,145 −9.2%
1940 6,631 −7.2%
1950 5,933 −10.5%
1960 6,366 7.3%
1970 5,938 −6.7%
1980 14,069 136.9%
1990 11,128 −20.9%
2000 12,052 8.3%
2010 13,833 14.8%
2020 (est.) 13,804 −0.2%
US Decennial Census
1870–2000 2010–2016

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 13,833 people, 5,673 households, and 3,860 families in the county. The population density was 3.3 inhabitants per square mile (1.3/km2). There were 6,403 housing units at an average density of 1.5 per square mile (0.58/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.1% white, 0.8% American Indian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 1.7% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 36.8% were German, 19.8% were Irish, 18.0% were English, and 6.2% were American.

Of the 5,673 households, 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.0% were non-families, and 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age was 39.0 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $54,599 and the median income for a family was $69,057. Males had a median income of $54,863 versus $32,025 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,656. About 4.5% of families and 7.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

Towns

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Converse para niños

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