Wyoming is the least populated state in the US. As a New Yorker, my perspective is that The Equality State has barely more people than Staten Island, the least populated of the Big Apple's five boroughs. And only Alaska is more sparsely populated.
Why is Wyoming nicknamed "The Equality State"? Well, in 1869--twenty-one years before it became a state, and fifty-one years before the Nineteenth Amendment was passed--the then-territory of Wyoming became the first government in the world to give women the right to vote. The reasons for this have long been debated, but almost everyone seems to agree that one motivation was that Wyoming's legislators wanted their territory to become a state and, because there were so few people, women's votes were necessary to get Congress to consider the territory for statehood.
But I digress. Wyoming's stunning vistas and open spaces mean that people travel great distances for work, school or almost anything else in their lives. So, getting the state to invest in bike or pedestrian lanes can't be the easiest "sell" in the world. And that is what the Bicycle and Pedestrian System Task Force is telling the state to do.
Although people often vacation in, or even move to, places like Wyoming because they believe the environment is pristine, there are environmental problems not found in the larger, denser coastal cities. Like neighbors Colorado and Montana, much of the state lies two kilometers or more above sea level. Since the air is thinner at such high altitudes, it doesn't take very many vehicles to pollute the air. (Denver has some of the worst smog of major American cities.) So, perhaps, Wyoming needs to encourage people to walk and cycle as much as, or more than, even Los Angeles--especially if more people decide to move there and enjoy its "rustic" charms.
Why is Wyoming nicknamed "The Equality State"? Well, in 1869--twenty-one years before it became a state, and fifty-one years before the Nineteenth Amendment was passed--the then-territory of Wyoming became the first government in the world to give women the right to vote. The reasons for this have long been debated, but almost everyone seems to agree that one motivation was that Wyoming's legislators wanted their territory to become a state and, because there were so few people, women's votes were necessary to get Congress to consider the territory for statehood.
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| Cheyenne resident Dave Flores riding in his hometown. |
But I digress. Wyoming's stunning vistas and open spaces mean that people travel great distances for work, school or almost anything else in their lives. So, getting the state to invest in bike or pedestrian lanes can't be the easiest "sell" in the world. And that is what the Bicycle and Pedestrian System Task Force is telling the state to do.
Although people often vacation in, or even move to, places like Wyoming because they believe the environment is pristine, there are environmental problems not found in the larger, denser coastal cities. Like neighbors Colorado and Montana, much of the state lies two kilometers or more above sea level. Since the air is thinner at such high altitudes, it doesn't take very many vehicles to pollute the air. (Denver has some of the worst smog of major American cities.) So, perhaps, Wyoming needs to encourage people to walk and cycle as much as, or more than, even Los Angeles--especially if more people decide to move there and enjoy its "rustic" charms.
