Cody, Wyoming

Cody is a city in and the county seat of Park County, Wyoming, United States.

The population was 10,028 at the 2020 census, making Cody the eleventh-largest city in Wyoming by population. Cody is served by Yellowstone Regional Airport.

History

The Shoshone and Crow people lived in the area before European settlers came. John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, was likely the first to travel through the land that would become Cody. The 1868 Treaty placed the Crow Reservation to the north and Wind River Reservation to the South. His Shoshone Irrigation Company, through George T. Beck, laid out the town. He was personally involved in developing the town doing things like making sure the streets were wide and recommending liquor license fees were high enough to keep away rough trade.

Named for his daughter, Cody built the Irma Hotel in 1902. It was one of only two foundries in Wyoming.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

The Shoshone River flows through Cody in a canyon. There are four bridges over this river in the Cody vicinity, one at the north edge of town that allows travel to the north, and one about east of Cody that allows passage to Powell and the areas to the north and east. The other two are west of town; one allows access to the East Gate of Yellowstone National Park, and the other is used by fishermen in Shoshone Canyon and as access to the Buffalo Bill Dam.

Cody is located at the western edge of the Bighorn Basin, a depression surrounded by the Big Horn, Owl Creek, Bridger, and Absaroka ranges. At the western edge of Cody, a deep canyon formed by the Shoshone River provides the only passage to Yellowstone's Eastern Entrance. At its mouth and rising above Cody are Rattlesnake Mountain on the north side and Cedar Mountain on the south side. Much of Cody has views of Heart Mountain, whose peak is directly north of Cody, and the Carter Mountain massif, which forms a line with peaks above , some to the south.

Climate

Cody enjoys about 300 days of sunshine per year, and is in USDA plant hardiness zone 5a ().

The Buffalo Bill Dam between Rattlesnake and Cedar mountains forms a large reservoir about to the west of Cody. This reservoir (among others) feeds the Shoshone Project, a large irrigation water distribution system.

The wettest calendar year has been 2014 with and the driest 1956 with . The most rainfall in one month was in June 1992. The most rainfall in 24 hours was on July 22, 1973. There are an average of 72.3 days with measurable precipitation. The most snow in one year was between July 1916 and June 1917. The most snow in one month was in February 2014.

|source 2 = National Weather Service

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Cody had a population of 10,028 and 4,596 households. The population density was 981.7 people per square mile.

The median age was 42.8 years. 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18, 6.6% were under 5, and 23.5% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.3 males age 18 and over. of 2010, there were 9,520 people, 4,278 households, and 2,502 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 4,650 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.9% White, 0.2% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.0% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 3.1% of the population.

There were 4,278 households, of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.5% were non-families. 34.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.82.

The median age in the city was 42.4 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.1% were from 25 to 44; 28.9% were from 45 to 64; and 18.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2000 census

As of the census The town relies on the J-1 visa to bring in additional employees for their hotels and restaurants.

Cattle and sheep operations are near town.

Government

Cody has a mayor and town council. There is also a City Administrator. The Administrator is appointed by the Council. The city council consists of six members who represent three wards. They serve four year terms.

In the 2024 elections Lee Ann Reiter was elected mayor. She replaced Matt Hall who chose not to run for a third term.

Arts and culture

thumb|Cody Nite Rodeo

The Buffalo Bill Center of the West features the Draper Natural History Museum, the Plains Indian Museum, the Cody Firearms Museum, the Whitney Western Art Museum and the Buffalo Bill Museum, which chronicles the life of William F. Cody, for whom the center is named. Old Trail Town is a restoration of more than 25 historic Western buildings and artifacts.

Cody calls itself the "Rodeo Capital of the World", and the Cody Nite Rodeo is an annual amateur rodeo event. The Cody Stampede Rodeo is a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeo, one of the largest rodeos in the United States. It features a stampede, parades, rodeos, and fireworks.

Cody has a public library, a branch of the Park County Library System.

The Whitney Western Arts Museum, and the Cody Country Art League are local galleries.

Rendezvous Royale art festival features the Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale. The Concert in the Park series features the Cody Cattle Company. The Rocky Mountain Dance Theatre is a local dance company.

The town has more than twenty developed parks. There are also developed pathways throughout the town.

Education

Public education in the city of Cody is provided by Park County School District #6. Three elementary schools – Eastside, Glenn Livingston, and Sunset - serve students in grades kindergarten through five. The district's three secondary campuses are Cody Middle School (grades 6–8), Cody High School (grades 9–12), and Heart Mountain Academy (grades 9–12).

Media

AM Radio:

KZMQ (AM) 1140 (country)
KPOW 1260 (country)
KODI 1400 (news talk)

FM Radio:

KOFG 91.1 (religious)
KUWP 90.1 (Wyoming Public Radio and NPR), University of Wyoming
KTAG 97.9 (adult contemporary)
KZMQ-FM 100.3 (country)
KROW 101.1 (contemporary Christian)
KBEN-FM 103.3 (classic country)
KCGL 104.1 (classic hits)
KWHO 107.1 (classic rock)

Television:

KTVQ (CBS) from Billings
KULR (NBC) from Billings
K19LM-D (PBS) (translator for KCWC-DT in Lander)

Newspaper

The twice-weekly Cody Enterprise was founded by "Buffalo Bill" Cody and Col. John Peake in August 1899. The paper has a paid circulation of 7,050, and is owned by SAGE Publishing of Cody.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Highways

U.S. 14
U.S. 16
U.S. 20
U.S.14A - Powell Highway
120
291 - South Fork Road

Airport

The Yellowstone Regional Airport offers passenger service.

Railroad

Cody is served by the Cody Branch of the BNSF Railway, which runs south-west from Frannie for about . The branch terminates in Cody.

Notable people

Laura Bell, author, currently residing in Cody
Luke Bell (1990–2022), country musician, raised in Cody
Eric Bischoff (born 1955), former President of World Championship Wrestling
William Frederick Cody a.k.a. "Buffalo Bill", namesake of city
Larry Echo Hawk, former attorney general of Idaho
Frank Tenney Johnson (1874–1939), western artist
John Linebaugh, gunsmith; cartridge inventor
Jackson Pollock (1912–1956), abstract expressionist painter
Colin M. Simpson (born 1959), former Wyoming State Representative
Milward Simpson (1897–1993), former governor of Wyoming and U.S. senator
Pete Simpson (born 1930), historian; former administrator at the University of Wyoming
Mark Spragg (born 1952), author, born in Cody
Craig L. Thomas (1933–2007), former United States Senator from Wyoming
Mike Leach (1961–2022), football coach