Cheyenne

Generally speaking, the climate is largely similar to the rest of Cheyenne, and Downtown is under the classification of mid-latitude steph and semi-arid .

In summer, you can expect warm to hot temperatures (usually around 75 °F (24 °C)), however the rest is chaotic. Dry treacherous days are mixed with severe storms and heavy rains.

For winter, it's cold, but not always snowy. The fact is, the snowiest month is in Spring. Then there is the in between seasons. Autumn is cool, crisp, but generally peaceful. Spring, however, is a mixture of everything. If you wanted all four seasons in one week, consider visiting between March and May. However, be wary of spring storms that can leave you stuck in town for a day. One day is sunny, the next it's snowing, the next there is a tornado.

Typically though, temperatures are jacket weather, usually above 30 °F (−1 °C), even in winter.

The original town was founded in 1867 by Major General Grenville Dodge, the chief engineer of the Union Pacific Railroad. In 1869, Cheyenne became the capital of the Territory of Wyoming. It became the state capital in 1890.

The original town plot was laid in 1866 when General Dodge of the Union Pacific railroad had built a tent town overnight for the workers. This was the start of Cheyenne. Something noticeably different about the grid is that an area from 15th to Pershing is tilted 45 degrees so north is really north-west, and even stranger is that 1st street is not in downtown, but south of it. When the railroad was placed, many towns, including Fresno, and Denver, was parallel to the tracks, which didn't always run east-west. As for the streets, Cheyenne started downtown, but rapidly expanded before street names were assigned, thus Cheyenne's borders were already at where I-80 (and 1st street) is today.

Later on, notable buildings were put up, such as the Cheyenne Depot Plaza, the Hynds Building and Nagle Warren Mansion. Cheyenne, particularly downtown, became the wealthiest city in the world per capita, and these brick and mortar mansions prove this wealth, as did the Intercontiental hotel (which burned down in 20th century). Cheyenne was not only wealthy, but the fastest growing American city of the 19th century. It earned the nickname "magic city of the plains". Soon, when Wyoming became a state in 1890, the golden capitol was built. It remains the tallest building in the city.

Growth had slowed to a near halt in the 1900s as Denver became the seat of the region. While downtown did okay by expanding into other parts of Cheyenne (namely Lakeside and Capital North), things remained stagnant. However, various oil booms proved prosperous over the decades. By the 1970s though, the economies of Downtown and of the city had diversified, and the district became the tourism center of Southeast Wyoming. This helped avoid the problems Casper and Gillette was facing at the time, and Casper relented the title of largest city in Wyoming to Cheyenne.

The city and its downtown were prosperous by the late 20th century. Many businesses had developed, the streets had been revitalized, and there was an overall positivity about the future. The California Zephyr train began running through the depot, resulting in growth. And the Wyoming Financial Center (134 ft tall) became the tallest office building of the state in 1990. The California Zephyr moved away in 1982, as did the Pioneer in 1997. However, hope for growth never stopped.

In the 21st century, Downtown Cheyenne is quickly reemerging as the city's cultural and shopping center. Several worn-down buildings have been revitalized or replaced, there are frequent events in Depot Plaza, and new stores have been popping up, such as the Metropolita. Grill, and a grocery store. Even though the spirit of the 1860s or the 1980s may be gone, a new one is coming up that is opening up the Downtown area to become alive and well.

• 🌍 Cheyenne Municpal City Hall, 2101 O Neil Ave (attached to the Civic Center on 20th Street). A good place to start, with itineraries, city ordinances, and civic center next door. (updated May 2019)
• 🌍 Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce, 1601 Capitol Ave, ☏ +1 307 433-9730. M-F 9AM-4PM. Here you can obtain guides, itineraries, and audio walking tours. Through these audio tours, one can learn all about Downtown Cheyenne. The chamber allows for past, present, and future to meet in one place. (updated Apr 2020)

Cheyenne is at the crossroads of Interstates 80 and 25 in southeastern Wyoming, about 40 miles west of the Nebraska border, 180 miles south of Casper, 50 miles east of Laramie, and 8 miles north of the Colorado border.

Cheyenne is 90 miles directly north of Denver. The trip takes approximately 1½ hours, depending on Denver traffic. Inside of Cheyenne, there is minimum traffic, except during rush hour on Dell Range Boulevard, Lincoln-way, and Central Avenue/I-180, where urban traffic jams actually occur, thanks to influx from Colorado. If you're looking to really avoid traffic, avoid CFD (last week of July), which sees 200,000 visit the capital city, and I-25 is screwed.

• 🌍 Cheyenne Regional Airport/Jerry Olsen Field (CYS  ^IATA). For the adventurous, small 15-seat prop planes fly from Denver International Airport. The flight is not recommended for those with weak stomachs or those who hate roller coaster rides. However, if you would like both an aisle and a window seat you are in luck. Great Lakes Airlines operates the 40-minute flights (about 20 minutes of flying time) and code shares with Frontier and United. 

In some cases, hotels will give you rides to the airport, like Fair-field on West Lincolnway. Check your hotel's website to see if it offers this service. Additionally, arranged taxis and other transits will get you there.

Denver International Airport (DEN ^IATA) is the closest major airport to Cheyenne, for those that want to go international. Rental cars are available at the airport, which is 90 mi (140 km) from Cheyenne, via E-470.

Alternatively, Allegiant Air serves Fort Collins (FNL ^IATA) (about 47 miles south of Cheyenne and 61 miles north of Denver) from Las Vegas.

Cheyenne has no Amtrak services. In the summer, the Denver Post runs a train for tourists up to Cheyenne, particularly often during Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD).

The Colorado Department of Transportation is contemplating a high-speed rail service along the Front Range and beyond, with service from Cheyenne to Albuquerque.

They may appear few and far in-between, however, a good mantra is "the more you look, the more you see", which is true here. Knowing which miniature (and not necessarily mainline) companies will get you where you want to go for cheaper makes all the difference.

• 🌍 Greyhound (Black Hills Stage Lines), 3306 W College Drive (I-25 Exit 7), ☏ +1 307 635-1327. Greyhound moved in 2019-2020 to share a bus stop with Express Arrow (see below), and now is in Arby's parking lot. Service west to Laramie, Salt Lake City, and Portland, and Service East to Fort Collins and Denver. (updated Feb 2020)
• 🌍 Express Arrow (independent, but linked with Greyhound), 3306 W College Drive, ☏ +1 402 371-3850. Varible. Service to Billings (6AM M W F), Buffalo WYO (3:35PM daily),and Denver (1:55PM daily). (updated Feb 2020)
• Groome Transportation, Hotel/Home pick-up & drop-off and Warren AFB in Cheyenne, ☏ +1 970 226-5533. Scheduled airporter shuttle to Denver International Airport from University of Wyoming and Laramie Airport in Laramie via Cheyenne and Warren AFB. Call to arrange for a specific pick-up location and time. (updated Nov 2023)

Alternatively, check out these mom-and-pop companies:

• Powder River Transit. Coach USA and affiliates run charters to Cheyenne, with nearest official bus line in Lincoln, Nebraska. However, Gillette based Powder-River Transportation (a part of Coach USA now) will sometimes run routes to the Cheyenne Area. (updated Feb 2020)

Cheyenne has a relatively simple street grid, and on-street parking in the city is a breeze due to the lack of paid parking meters. However, time-limited parking exists on many downtown streets and roads, even the medical center. You should always know how long you will stay within a place before you park, or you could pay an unexpected $15 fine.

Rush hour runs from about 4:30PM to 6:30PM, Monday through Friday.

The Cheyenne Transit Program comprises six bus lines each serving their own region of the city. Accessible "Curb to Curb" buses are also available for the mobility-impaired — the wheelchair entrance is found in the rear.

Mostly used by tourists, these buses make a loop of the various downtown landmarks, stopping for about two minutes at each (don't dawdle on your way back in; the next trolley is usually about 90 minutes away).

During the "Christmas"" season, trolleys are arranged for decoration tours, which may take you across the entire city. Ask about pricing.

T&I Shuttle Service is the most comprehensive taxi company in the city.