A Weekend in Casper, Wyoming: Echoes of the Past, Glimpses of the Future

by Felix Wong | 31 May 2025

My trip to Casper, Wyoming, revolved around running the Visit Casper Marathon. But as I made the three-hour drive from Fort Collins along I-25, I couldn’t help but reflect on the similarities between this region and the Front Range of Colorado—particularly with the altitude and mountains to the west.

Despite being Wyoming’s second-largest city—only the state capital of Cheyenne is (very slightly) more populous—Casper is still small with a population of just under 60,000 people. Even my hometown of Pontevedra, Spain—with about 80,000 residents—seems bustling in comparison. While Pontevedra is compact enough to walk across in an hour, Wyoming’s landscape spreads wide, and downtown is relatively distant from the main commercial areas. Driving into town, familiar geographical features appeared to the west, with mountains rising in the distance, much like those that frame Fort Collins. Interestingly, this part of Wyoming sits a couple hundred feet higher in elevation than Fort Collins, giving it a rugged charm.

The name of the city has an intriguing origin. Caspar Collins, son of Lieutenant Colonel William O. Collins, was killed by Native American warriors in the late 19th century. In his honor, the city was named after him—although why it is spelled with ‘-er’ instead of ‘-ar’ is something of a mystery. Fort Collins in Colorado, on the other hand, was named after the lieutenant colonel himself. The historical connection between these two places added an unexpected layer of significance to my visit.

One of the most surprising discoveries of the trip was learning that the Platte River, which winds through the city, is the same river that flows through Denver nearly 300 miles away. The pleasant recreation trail that follows the river comprised nearly half of the Visit Casper Marathon course. The way water connects distant places, shaping landscapes and histories alike, is remarkable.

This place also holds a personal significance for me. The Fort Collins Spanish group, which I lead from 2007 to 2021, was originally founded in 2006 by Tessa, a master’s student at Colorado State University. In 2007, she, her husband and kids moved back to Casper to be closer to family, and remained there ever since. Just days before my trip, I invited out to her for coffee. At our meetup, I was thrilled to tell her that the group she started is still thriving nearly two decades later.

During our conversation, she shared insights into the Casper’s stagnation over the past 40 years. Historically an oil town, growth has been slow, and isolation remains a defining characteristic. The nearest city with over half a million inhabitants is Denver, reinforcing its remoteness.

Despite its size, the city boasts Wyoming’s only “international” airport, though most flights are to Denver. It seemed ironic that despite the title, the airport primarily serves as a connection to a larger hub via United and Delta Airlines. It is, however, authorized to process shipments of goods flown from all over the world.

There’s also a community college and several golf courses. Downtown, there are breweries, restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores, museums, and even a music venue (The Lyric—coincidentally the same name as but unrelated to the independent movie theater in Fort Collins) and bike shop. Naturally, there are big box stores like Home Depot and Walmart, but they are more on the outskirts.

Walking through the city center on both Saturday afternoon and Sunday midday, it didn’t seem particularly lively, which made me wonder if this area today resembles Fort Collins fifty years ago, a city waiting for its moment of transformation.

I mentioned to Tessa that twenty years after my Great American Road Trip, it seems like all the great mountain towns have already been discovered and priced accordingly. But with the perpetual housing shortage in the United States, perhaps Wyoming will be the next frontier.

Neighboring Montana, once overlooked, is now the fifth most expensive state for housing, trailing only Hawaii, California, New York, and Massachusetts. Nearby Colorado is also high on that list. Could this part of Wyoming follow suit in the next fifty or one hundred years?

This city may not be a booming metropolis, but it carries a quiet resilience. Whether it remains small and isolated or eventually transforms into a sought-after destination remains to be seen. For now, it is a place where history lingers, the river flows, and the mountains stand watch, just as they have for centuries.