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Moorcroft, Wyoming
Bighorn Avenue in Moorcroft
Bighorn Avenue in Moorcroft
Location of Moorcroft in Crook County, Wyoming.
Location of Moorcroft in Crook County, Wyoming.
Country United States
State Wyoming
County Crook
Area
 • Total 1.26 sq mi (3.27 km2)
 • Land 1.26 sq mi (3.27 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
4,226 ft (1,288 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 946
 • Estimate 
(2019)
1,084
 • Density 858.27/sq mi (331.37/km2)
Time zone UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code
82721
Area code(s) 307
FIPS code 56-54185
GNIS feature ID 1601528

Moorcroft is a town in Crook County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 946 at the 2020 census.

History

Grain elevator in Moorcroft, Wyoming
Grain elevator in Moorcroft
The Peoples Bank of Moorcroft, Wyoming, completed this building in 1919, but the bank itself stayed in business less than a decade; it was owned by a parent bank in Cheyenne that failed, causing its LCCN2015634191
Old Peoples Bank of Moorcroft

Moorcroft was incorporated on October 2, 1906. The exact meaning of Moorcroft is unknown but over the years has several suggested origins for the name. The town was named in 1876 after Alexander Moorcroft, an early settler from Northern England who built a cabin in the Black Hills of Wyoming. The name Moorcroft was chosen by the community’s first postman Stocks Millar (1858-1890) after his home town in Scotland.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.26 square miles (3.26 km2), all land.

Climate

Climate data for Moorcroft (4,230 feet above sea level)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 66
(19)
68
(20)
78
(26)
89
(32)
94
(34)
107
(42)
108
(42)
105
(41)
101
(38)
90
(32)
77
(25)
66
(19)
108
(42)
Average high °F (°C) 32
(0)
35
(2)
45
(7)
54
(12)
64
(18)
75
(24)
86
(30)
85
(29)
73
(23)
58
(14)
43
(6)
33
(1)
57
(14)
Daily mean °F (°C) 21.5
(−5.8)
24.5
(−4.2)
33.5
(0.8)
41.5
(5.3)
51
(11)
61.5
(16.4)
70.5
(21.4)
69
(21)
58
(14)
44.5
(6.9)
32
(0)
21.5
(−5.8)
44.1
(6.8)
Average low °F (°C) 11
(−12)
14
(−10)
22
(−6)
29
(−2)
38
(3)
48
(9)
55
(13)
53
(12)
43
(6)
31
(−1)
21
(−6)
10
(−12)
31
(0)
Record low °F (°C) −37
(−38)
−43
(−42)
−26
(−32)
−4
(−20)
4
(−16)
23
(−5)
29
(−2)
28
(−2)
17
(−8)
−17
(−27)
−26
(−32)
−46
(−43)
−46
(−43)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.33
(8.4)
0.36
(9.1)
0.84
(21)
1.42
(36)
2.49
(63)
2.06
(52)
1.95
(50)
1.53
(39)
0.99
(25)
1.30
(33)
0.49
(12)
0.31
(7.9)
14.07
(356.4)
Source: Weather Channel

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1910 178
1920 420 136.0%
1930 341 −18.8%
1940 387 13.5%
1950 517 33.6%
1960 826 59.8%
1970 981 18.8%
1980 1,014 3.4%
1990 768 −24.3%
2000 807 5.1%
2010 1,009 25.0%
2020 946 −6.2%
2019 (est.) 1,084 7.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 1,009 people, 392 households, and 254 families residing in the town. The population density was 800.8 inhabitants per square mile (309.2/km2). There were 442 housing units at an average density of 350.8 per square mile (135.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.7% White, 0.9% Native American, 0.1% Asian, 1.0% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.5% of the population.

There were 392 households, of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.2% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.20.

The median age in the town was 32.6 years. 30.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.7% were from 25 to 44; 26.4% were from 45 to 64; and 9.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 49.8% male and 50.2% female.

Education

Public education in the town of Moorcroft is provided by Crook County School District #1. Zoned campuses include Moorcroft K-8 (grades K-8) and Moorcroft Secondary School (grades 9-12).

Moorcroft has a public library, a branch of the Crook County Public Library System.

Public Safety

Police

Moorcroft is served by the Moorcroft Police Department which is composed of three officers and one clerk.

Notable people

  • Chancey Williams (born 1981), country music singer-songwriter, former saddle bronc rider, born in Moorcroft, Wyoming

In popular culture

Moorcroft was depicted in the 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind as an evacuation point for crowds escaping a supposed military nerve gas leak near Devils Tower.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Moorcroft (Wyoming) para niños

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