Sundance, Wyoming

History

Sundance was established in 1875 as a trading post. The Sundance Kid was arrested for a theft he committed here in 1887, the only time he was ever incarcerated, and he took the town's name as a nickname.

Demographics

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2010 census

As of the census of 2010, 1,182 people, 532 households, and 326 families lived in the town. The population density was 387.5 PD/sqmi. The 606 housing units had an average density of 198.7 /sqmi. 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. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.2% of the population.

Of the 532 households, 25.0% had children under 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 not families. About 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 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 18; 6.1% were between 18 and 24; 19.5% were from 25 to 44; 31% were from 45 to 64; and 24% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, 1,161 people, 476 households, and 318 families resided in the town. The population density was 582.2 people per square mile (225.3/km2). The 545 housing units had 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. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.60% of the population.

Of the 476 households, 27.7% had children under 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 not families. About 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.34, and the average family size was 2.91.

In the town, the age distribution was 24.1% under 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 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,029, and 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 18 and 13.5% of those 65 or over.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.06 sqmi, of which 0.01 sqmi is covered by water.

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

Skyline

Climate

Sundance experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb) with higher precipitation than the semiarid regions surrounding it due to its location in the Black Hills. | Jan record high F = 65 | Feb record high F = 66 | Mar record high F = 77 | Apr record high F = 86 | May record high F = 101 | Jun record high F = 102 | Jul record high F = 105 | Aug record high F = 102 | Sep record high F = 99 | Oct record high F = 93 | Nov record high F = 77 | Dec record high F = 65 | year record high F = 105

|Jan avg record high F = 51.4 |Feb avg record high F = 52.7 |Mar avg record high F = 65.9 |Apr avg record high F = 74.8 |May avg record high F = 83.4 |Jun avg record high F = 91.1 |Jul avg record high F = 96.0 |Aug avg record high F = 94.4 |Sep avg record high F = 89.6 |Oct avg record high F = 78.5 |Nov avg record high F = 63.9 |Dec avg record high F = 52.1 |year avg record high F = 97.3

|Jan avg record low F = -10.3 |Feb avg record low F = -10.0 |Mar avg record low F = -1.0 |Apr avg record low F = 12.7 |May avg record low F = 25.0 |Jun avg record low F = 37.0 |Jul avg record low F = 44.6 |Aug avg record low F = 41.9 |Sep avg record low F = 29.9 |Oct avg record low F = 13.7 |Nov avg record low F = 0.6 |Dec avg record low F = -9.3 |year avg record low F = -19.7

| Jan record low F = −39 | Feb record low F = −42 | Mar record low F = −24 | Apr record low F = −11 | May record low F = 7 | Jun record low F = 25 | Jul record low F = 30 | Aug record low F = 30 | Sep record low F = 6 | Oct record low F = −17 | Nov record low F = −23 | Dec record low F = −40 | year record low F = −42 | access-date = October 28, 2021}} | access-date = October 28, 2021}}

Education

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

Sundance has a public library, a branch of the Crook County Public Library system.

Area attractions

Devils Tower National Monument, a 1267 ft 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 5114 ft above sea level. It was the first U.S. National Monument, established on September 24, 1906, by President Theodore Roosevelt. It receives about 400,000 visitors annually.

Highways

• • (via Cleveland St. through central Sundance business district)

Media

Sundance is served by the Sundance Times newspaper, which reports on local news.

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 multigenerational ranchers and the younger generation's accepting who they are individually, the ins and outs of working with family every day, and finding love.

References

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
2. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
3. {{GNIS. 1603438
4. Ullrich, Jan F.. (2014). "New Lakota Dictionary". Lakota Language Consortium.
5. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
6. (1958). "The origins of unusual place-names". Keystone Pub. Associates.
7. (May 24, 2020). "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau.
8. [http://eadiv.state.wy.us/demog_data/cntycity_hist.htm HISTORICAL DECENNIAL CENSUS POPULATION FOR WYOMING COUNTIES, CITIES, AND TOWNS]
9. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
10. "US Gazetteer files 2010". [[United States Census Bureau]].
11. "Wyoming Public Libraries". PublicLibraries.com.
12. [https://www.nps.gov/deto/planyourvisit/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=514740 Devils Tower NM – Final Climbing Management Plan] [[National Park Service]], February 1995, accessed March 13, 2009
13. "Sundance Times". Sundancetimes.com.