CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
County Profile
The county encompasses 6942.39 square miles and is located in north central
Wyoming. Open range and mountainous areas are the dominant land types. The
county borders Yellowstone National Park on the west and shares its northern border
with Montana.
Figure I.1 Park County Map
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Table 1.1 Land Ownership in Park County
Owner
Acres
National Forest System
National Park Service
Private
Bureau of Land Management
State of Wyoming
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
1,704,156
1,116,055
783,490
624,693
158,757
65,135
Source: Cody Field Office, Bureau of Land Management, January 2011
Neighboring counties within Wyoming include; Bighorn, Fremont, Hot Springs, Teton,
and Washakie. The following major land uses are found in Park County: grazing and
livestock production, agriculture, energy production, recreation, and developed areas.
The federal government holds mineral rights on 3,774,801 acres. There are 584,754
acres of non-federal mineral rights in the county. (Cody Field Office, BLM)
According to the Census Bureau, the estimated population for the County in 2009 was
27,976. Between April 1, 2000 and July 1, 2009, the population grew 8.5%. (Source:
Quickfacts.census.gov) There are three incorporated communities in the county,
Cody—the county seat, Powell, and Meeteetse.
According to data from the Economic Profile System, the population in Park County is
not generally impacted by national recessions. Population growth in the county has
been slightly slower than the state as a whole, but faster than the nation. The
population density based on the 2000 census was 3.7 people per square mile.
Park County’s population has gotten older since 1990. The median age in 2000 was
39.8 years compared to 34.0 years in 1990. The largest age category is 15-19 years
old. The age group that has grown the fastest as a share of total is 50-59 years. The
Census Bureau estimated in 2009, that 17.2% of the population in the county was 65
years of age or older.
The county had an estimated 13,491 housing units in 2009 according to the Census
Bureau with a home ownership rate of 71.4%. This is an increase of 13.67% in housing
units from 2000 to 2009. The average number of people per household was 2.42 in
2000.
The unemployment rate in Park County in 2009 was 6.4%. (Source: Bureau of Labor
Statistics and State Employment Security Agencies Quarterly Census of Employment
and Wages, August 31, 2010.) Median household income in 2008 was $47,803.
(Source Quickfacts.census.gov) The total number of firms in the County in 2002 was
3,589.
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Geography
Most of the developed areas in Park County are situated in the eastern half of the
county. The western half of the county is largely mountainous, high-elevation, public
lands along the mountain front of the Absaroka Range. The highest point in the county
is Sunlight Peak north and west of Cody, at 11,810 feet above sea level.
Development that has occurred in the western areas of the county is largely along river
valley bottoms such as the unincorporated areas of Wapiti along the North Fork of the
Shoshone River and Clark along the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River. The lowest
point in the county is 3,910 feet above sea level in the north end of the county near
Clark.
The more eastern areas of the county are relatively flatter, more arid, and less densely
timbered or not timbered at all. Agriculture--where water is developed--and grazing
lands dominate the eastern areas in the county.
This is also where oil and gas
resources have been developed. The Bureau of Land Management owns just over 3.5
million acres of land in the eastern portions of Park County.
Major surface water features in the county include the North Fork of the Shoshone, the
Greybull, and the Clarks Fork Rivers. The county general drains towards the east and
north. While the high country is dotted with small lakes, there are no sizeable lakes in
the county. Buffalo Bill Reservoir managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
impounds the North Fork of the Shoshone and lies just west of Cody. Sunshine
Reservoir is west of Meeteetse on the Greybull. Not counting National Forest or
National Park lands, there are 6754 acres of surface waters in the county.
Climate
The average annual precipitation in Cody is 10.89 inches. The average annual wind
speed is 7.4 miles per hour. Average annual temperatures for January range from a
low of 13.6 to 35.4 degrees and in June from 54.1 to 83.1 degrees.
Transportation
Transportation in Park County is
provided by highway, rail, and air.
U.S. Highway 14/16/20 crosses
through Cody and the center of
the county running east-west.
This highway connects Cody with
Greybull to the east and the east
entrance of Yellowstone National
Park to the west. U.S. Alternate
Highway 14 connects Powell and
Cody.
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Wyoming State Highway 120 runs north south through the county connecting Meeteetse
and Cody with Thermopolis to the south and Montana to the north. State Highways 294
and 296 depart from 120 north of Cody to Powell and Sunlight Basin/Cooke City,
Montana respectively. Highway 296 is known as the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway.
Powell is also accessed by north-south State Highway 295 and from the north and east
by State Highway 114.
The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad operates a line from the north and east,
through Powell, dead-ending in Cody. The Yellowstone Regional Airport in Cody offers
daily commercial service with flights to hubs in Salt Lake City and Denver. Powell has
an airport located seven miles north of the city. This airport has no commercial service.
Development Trends
The following county profile information (available as of October 2010) was compiled by
Headwaters Economics based upon data from the U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor
Statistics and is contained in the Park County, Wyoming SocioEconomic Profile.
(www.headwaterseconomics.org) Compared to other U.S. counties, Park County has
the following characteristics:
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Population growth (annualized rate, 1970-2006) was somewhat fast.
Employment growth (annualized rate, 1970-2006) was somewhat fast.
Personal Income growth (adjusted for inflation, annualized rate, 1970-2006) was
somewhat fast.
Non-labor income share of total in 2006 was somewhat high.
Median age based on the 2000 census was somewhat old.
Per capita income (2006) was high.
Average earnings per job (2006) was roughly average.
Education rate (% of population 25 and over with a college degree) was high.
Education rate (% of population 25 and over who have less than a high school
diploma) was somewhat low.
Employment was roughly average.
Rich-poor ratio (for each household that made over $100K, how many
households made less than $30K) was roughly average.
Housing affordability was somewhat less affordable.
Government share of total employment was somewhat high.
Unemployment rate in 2007 was somewhat low.
According to the Wyoming Housing Database Partnership (Final Report: August 31,
2010) single-family building permit authorizations in Park County decreased from 177 in
2008 to 126 in 2009. Total residential units authorized decreased from 201 in 2008 to
144 in 2009. The real value of single-family building permits also decreased during this
period. According to the Park County Assessor’s Office, the average sales price of
existing single-family homes in the county in 2009 was $207,333. This represented a
3.9% decrease from the previous year.
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None of the incorporated municipalities currently has a planner on staff. Responsibility
for the planning function for Cody and Powell reside with the City Engineer’s Office.
Both engineers were provided briefing information about the project and invited to offer
input. Park County Planner, Linda Gillett, made the following observations (phone
interview, December 15, 2010.)
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The county has experienced a steady decline in new subdivisions and residential
construction that continues today. A local realtor estimates that the county has
enough platted lots to accommodate the next 17 years of demand.
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The county is not seeing any applications for commercial development. This is
not atypical because this type of development would typically occur in the Cody
or Powell city limits. Cody annexed the one area identified by the county (north
of Cody) that would be best suited for commercial industrial development.
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Energy development continues out in the county. Most of the lands on which
there is oil and gas exploration, development, and production are managed by
the Bureau of Land Management. The county is not involved in review of these
actions.
Greybull River east of Meeteetse
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