Pinedale, Wyoming

Geography

Pinedale is located at (42.866162, −109.864622) and sits at an elevation of 7,175 feet above sea level. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.15 sqmi, all land.

There are 1,300 lakes around the Pinedale area. Fremont Lake, four miles from Pinedale, is the most commonly used lake, and Wyoming's second largest natural lake.

Pine Creek flows from nearby Fremont Lake through the town on its way to the Green River.

Climate

Pinedale has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with summers featuring warm afternoons and cold mornings, plus very cold, dry winters. The average January low is 1.9 F, on average 46.3 mornings fall to or below 0 F and between 1991 and 2020, the temperature dropped to -26 F in an average year. The coldest temperature on record since records started in 1948 is -49 F during the bitter cold wave of December 1990.

Although the winters are dry, there is enough moisture in the cold air for 76.1 in of snow during a typical winter, with the range being from 166.5 in between July 2016 and June 2017 to 28.4 in between July 1962 and June 1963.

|Jan record high F = 55 |Feb record high F = 51 |Mar record high F = 67 |Apr record high F = 77 |May record high F = 85 |Jun record high F = 91 |Jul record high F = 94 |Aug record high F = 91 |Sep record high F = 90 |Oct record high F = 81 |Nov record high F = 70 |Dec record high F = 56 |year record high F =

|Jan avg record high F = 39.5 |Feb avg record high F = 41.5 |Mar avg record high F = 54.1 |Apr avg record high F = 67.1 |May avg record high F = 76.3 |Jun avg record high F = 82.3 |Jul avg record high F = 87.3 |Aug avg record high F = 85.6 |Sep avg record high F = 81.5 |Oct avg record high F = 71.1 |Nov avg record high F = 55.6 |Dec avg record high F = 42.1 |year avg record high F =

|Jan avg record low F = -19.9 |Feb avg record low F = -18.3 |Mar avg record low F = -7.1 |Apr avg record low F = 8.9 |May avg record low F = 17.0 |Jun avg record low F = 27.0 |Jul avg record low F = 33.5 |Aug avg record low F = 28.7 |Sep avg record low F = 20.5 |Oct avg record low F = 7.1 |Nov avg record low F = -5.4 |Dec avg record low F = -18.0 |year avg record low F = -25.6

|Jan record low F = −44 |Feb record low F = −42 |Mar record low F = −32 |Apr record low F = −13 |May record low F = −2 |Jun record low F = 18 |Jul record low F = 23 |Aug record low F = 18 |Sep record low F = 8 |Oct record low F = −17 |Nov record low F = −28 |Dec record low F = −49 |year record low F =

| Jan snow depth inch = 13 | Feb snow depth inch = 15 | Mar snow depth inch = 13 | Apr snow depth inch = 4 | May snow depth inch = 0 | Jun snow depth inch = 0 | Jul snow depth inch = 0 | Aug snow depth inch = 0 | Sep snow depth inch = 0 | Oct snow depth inch = 2 | Nov snow depth inch = 5 | Dec snow depth inch = 9 | year snow depth inch =

Wildlife

Pinedale and the surrounding area are home to a large population of wildlife including both grizzly and black bear, moose, elk, pronghorn, mule deer, whitetail deer, bighorn sheep, and mountain lions. Over seven species of trout, including rainbow and brown can be found in the area lakes.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 2,030 people, 847 households, and 484 families residing in the town. The population density was 944.2 PD/sqmi. There were 1,080 housing units at an average density of 502.3 /mi2. The racial makeup of the town was 90.5% White, 0.7% African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 4.8% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 9.9% of the population.

There were 847 households, of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.9% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.96.

The median age in the town was 33.5 years. 23.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 33.2% were from 25 to 44; 24.9% were from 45 to 64; and 9.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 54.8% male and 45.2% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,412 people, 582 households, and 368 families residing in the town. The population density was 996.5 /mi2. There were 718 housing units at an average density of 506.7 /mi2. The racial makeup of the town was 96.95% White, 0.35% African American, 0.71% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 0.42% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.49% of the population.

There were 582 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.4% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $35,188, and the median income for a family was $40,880. Males had a median income of $31,976 versus $22,143 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,441. About 7.8% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.5% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public education in the town of Pinedale is provided by Sublette County School District #1. Schools serving the town include Pinedale Elementary School (grades K–5), Pinedale Middle School (grades 6–8), and Pinedale High School (grades 9–12) (Pinedale Skyline Academy) grades (9–12)

Tourism

The region offers many outdoor activities with its close proximity to the Wind River Range. These activities include fishing, hiking, camping, boating, four-wheeling, hunting, skiing/snowboarding, snowmobiling, ice fishing, and ice skating. The town hosts the Green River Rendezvous, a reenactment of historic fur trader gatherings at the Upper Green River Rendezvous Site in nearby Daniel. During Rendezvous, rodeos take place at the rodeo grounds and many businesses and vendors set up booths around town.

Hazards

Main article: Hazards of outdoor recreation, Mountaineering#Hazards

Encountering bears is a concern in the Wind River Range. There are other concerns as well, including bugs, wildfires, adverse snow conditions and nighttime cold temperatures.

There have been accidental deaths due to falls from steep cliffs (a misstep could be fatal in this class 4/5 terrain) and due to falling rocks, over the years, including 1993, 2007 (involving an experienced NOLS leader), 2015 and 2018. Other incidents included a seriously injured backpacker being airlifted near SquareTop Mountain in 2005, and a hiker fatality from an apparent accidental fall in 2006 that involved state search and rescue.

References

References

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