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Sundance, Wyoming

Owíwaŋyaŋg Wačhí
Old wooden jail (left) and stone school building in Sundance
Old wooden jail (left) and stone school building in Sundance
Location of Sundance in Crook County, Wyoming.
Location of Sundance in Crook County, Wyoming.
Sundance, Wyoming is located in the United States
Sundance, Wyoming
Sundance, Wyoming
Location in the United States
Country United States
State Wyoming
County Crook
Area
 • Total 3.06 sq mi (7.93 km2)
 • Land 3.05 sq mi (7.90 km2)
 • Water 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2)
Elevation
4,738 ft (1,444 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 1,032
 • Estimate 
(2019)
1,292
 • Density 423.47/sq mi (163.49/km2)
Time zone UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code
82729
Area code(s) 307
FIPS code 56-74195
GNIS feature ID 1603438
Website http://www.cityofsundancewy.com/

Sundance (Lakota: Owíwaŋyaŋg Wačhí; "Sun-Watching Dance") is a town in and the county seat of Crook County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1,032 at the 2020 census. The town is named after the Sun Dance ceremony practiced by several American Indian tribes.

Sundance in popular culture

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.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1890 515
1900 294 −42.9%
1910 281 −4.4%
1920 328 16.7%
1930 369 12.5%
1940 685 85.6%
1950 893 30.4%
1960 908 1.7%
1970 1,056 16.3%
1980 1,087 2.9%
1990 1,139 4.8%
2000 1,161 1.9%
2010 1,182 1.8%
2020 1,032 −12.7%
2019 (est.) 1,292 9.3%
1890-2010 census

2010 census

As of the census 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.

Geography and climate

Sundance is located at 44°24′19″N 104°22′20″W / 44.40528°N 104.37222°W / 44.40528; -104.37222 (44.405230, -104.372131).

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) of it is land and 0.01 square miles (0.03 km2) is water.

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

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
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 65
(18)
66
(19)
77
(25)
84
(29)
101
(38)
101
(38)
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)
−28
(−33)
25
(−4)
30
(−1)
31
(−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)
Source 2: The Weather Channel (Records)

Area attractions

Devils Tower CROP
Devils Tower National Monument
near Sundance, Wyo.

Devils Tower National Monument, a 1,267-feet high (386 m) igneous rock intrusion or laccolith in the Bear Lodge Mountains, is a short drive north of Sundance via US 14 and Wyo. State Route 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.

Highways

  • I-90
  • I-90 Bus. - Alternate I-90 Business Loop (via Cleveland St. through central Sundance business district.)
  • US 14
  • WYO 585


Education

Crook County Public Library main branch children's section in Sundance, Wyoming
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.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Sundance (Wyoming) para niños

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