Lost Springs, Wyoming

Lost Springs, Wyoming
Town

Road Sign in Lost Springs, 2007

Location of Lost Springs, Wyoming
Coordinates: 42°45′57″N 104°55′37″W / 42.76583°N 104.92694°W / 42.76583; -104.92694Coordinates: 42°45′57″N 104°55′37″W / 42.76583°N 104.92694°W / 42.76583; -104.92694
Country United States
State Wyoming
County Converse
Year of incorporation 1911
Government
 • Mayor Leda Price
Area[1]
 • Total 0.09 sq mi (0.23 km2)
 • Land 0.09 sq mi (0.23 km2)
 • Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation 4,997 ft (1,523 m)
Population (2010)[2]
 • Total 4
 • Estimate (2012[3]) 4
 • Density 44.4/sq mi (17.1/km2)
Time zone Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
 • Summer (DST) MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code 82224
Area code(s) 307
FIPS code 56-47805[4]
GNIS feature ID 1597388[5]

Lost Springs is a town in Converse County, Wyoming, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4.[6]

History

Lost Springs was first inhabited in the 1880s, when it received its name from railroad workers who could not find the springs shown on survey maps of the area.[7] The town was incorporated in 1911, and it originally had 200 residents, most of whom worked at the nearby Rosin coal mine. After the coal mine closed around 1930, the population of Lost Springs steadily declined.

By 1960, the population of the town had dropped to five.[8] In 1976, both the state of Wyoming and the U.S. Bicentennial Commission designated Lost Springs as the smallest incorporated town in America; its population was then eleven.

In 1983, Lost Springs became involved in a court battle with the Chicago and North Western Transportation Company. The railroad, which ran adjacent to the town, attempted to seize 5.2 acres (2.1 ha) of land to build a 22-foot (6.7 m) railway embankment. Lost Springs Mayor Leda Price alleged that the embankment, which would lie between the town and U.S. Highways 18 and 20, would separate the town from traffic on the highway. A Wyoming district judge ruled in the town's favor, and the railroad ultimately agreed to build an unobstructing track bed and use its own land for track.[9]

Geography

Lost Springs is located on the High Plains.[10] According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.09 square miles (0.23 km2), all of it land.[1]

Climate

Lost Springs has a semi-arid climate under the Köppen Climate Classification. The town experiences cold, dry winters and warm, slightly wet summers.

Climate data for Lost Springs, Wyoming
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 34
(1)		 39
(4)		 47
(8)		 56
(13)		 66
(19)		 78
(26)		 86
(30)		 85
(29)		 75
(24)		 62
(17)		 44
(7)		 36
(2)		 59
(15)
Average low °F (°C) 11
(−12)		 16
(−9)		 22
(−6)		 29
(−2)		 38
(3)		 47
(8)		 53
(12)		 52
(11)		 43
(6)		 32
(0)		 20
(−7)		 13
(−11)		 31.3
(−0.6)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.50
(12.7)		 0.46
(11.7)		 0.76
(19.3)		 1.69
(42.9)		 2.09
(53.1)		 1.78
(45.2)		 1.89
(48)		 1.02
(25.9)		 1.24
(31.5)		 1.10
(27.9)		 0.62
(15.7)		 0.45
(11.4)		 13.6
(345.3)
Source: The Weather Channel[11]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1910207—
1920121−41.5%
193066−45.5%
194038−42.4%
19509−76.3%
19605−44.4%
1970740.0%
1980928.6%
19904−55.6%
20001−75.0%
20104300.0%
Est. 20144[12]0.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census[2] of 2010, there were 4 people, 3 households, and 0 families residing in the town. The population density was 44.4 inhabitants per square mile (17.1/km2). There were 3 housing units at an average density of 33.3 per square mile (12.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 100.0% White.

There were 3 households of which 100.0% were non-families. 66.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 1.33.

The median age in the town was 59.5 years. 100% of residents were between the ages of 45 to 64. The gender makeup of the town was 50.0% male and 50.0% female.

2000 census

For the 2000 census, only one person resided in Lost Springs, Wyoming. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town is one of only four places in the United States to have a population of one person. Since 2000, the population of Monowi, Nebraska also fell to one. However, Lost Springs mayor Leda Price claims the census was inaccurate, and that Lost Springs had four residents in 2000.[13] The population reached five by 2002.[14] By 2009, the population had dropped to three.[15] According to the 2010 Census, the population was four.[6]

Education

Public education in the town of Lost Springs is provided by Converse County School District #1.

References

  1. 1 2 "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
  2. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-14.
  3. ↑ "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-06-01.
  4. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  5. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  6. 1 2 "2010 City Population and Housing Occupancy Status". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  7. ↑ Wright, Elisabeth; Robert Black (10 June 2001). "A Town Refuses to Go Down for the Count - Lost Springs, Wyo., Fights for Correct Census Tally of the Few Residents It Has Left". Washington Post. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  8. ↑ World Book Encyclopedia 19. Field Enterprises Educa. 1961. p. 432.
  9. ↑ Blonston, Gary (24 August 1983). "Lost Springs vs. the Railroad: 6-Person Wyo. Town Wins a Court Battle to Protect Business". Detroit Free Press.
  10. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  11. ↑ "Monthly Averages for Lost Springs, Wyoming". The Weather Channel Interactive, Inc. Retrieved May 22, 2009.
  12. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Hometown U.S.A.: Lost Springs, Wyo.: Town's population tally quadruples in a decade -- to 4" by David Kelly", Los Angeles Times
  14. ↑ Vitez, Mike (25 July 2002). "Every vote counts in America's smallest town, where the mayor elected herself. Still, controversy is brewing.". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved May 20, 2009.
  15. ↑ Williamson, Michael; Theresa Vargas (8 Aug 2009). "Meet Lost Springs, WY (Won't Take But A Minute)". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 8, 2009.
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