Cody, Wyoming, United States

🇺🇸 Cody is a city in Northwest Wyoming and the seat of government of Park County, Wyoming, United States. It is named after Buffalo Bill Cody for his part in the founding of Cody in 1896.

Cody is served by Yellowstone Regional Airport.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.43 square miles (27.01 km²), of which 10.20 square miles (26.42 km²) is land and 0.23 square miles (0.60 km²) is water.

Cody's elevation is approximately 4,997 feet (1,523 m) above sea level. The main part of the city is split across three levels, separated by about 60 feet (18 m).

The Shoshone River flows through Cody in a canyon. There are four bridges over this river in the Cody vicinity, one at the north edge of town that allows travel to the north, and one about 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Cody that allows passage to Powell and the areas to the north and east. The other two are west of town; one allows access to the East Gate of Yellowstone National Park, and the other is used by fishermen in Shoshone Canyon and as access to the Buffalo Bill Dam.

Cody is located at the western edge of the Bighorn Basin, a depression surrounded by the Big Horn, Owl Creek, Bridger, and Absaroka ranges. At the western edge of Cody, a deep canyon formed by the Shoshone River provides the only passage to Yellowstone's Eastern Entrance. At its mouth and rising above Cody are Rattlesnake Mountain on the north side and Cedar Mountain on the south side. Much of Cody has views of Heart Mountain, whose 8,123 ft (2,500 m) peak is 9 miles (14 km) directly north of Cody, and the Carter Mountain massif, which forms a line with peaks above 12,000 ft (3,700 m), some 15 miles (24 km) to the south.

Culture Themes surrounding Cody's pioneer and Cowboy and Western history are common in the cultural events and activities in the area.

The Buffalo Bill Center of the West is a large and modern facility located near the centre of the city. It contains five museums in one, including the Draper Natural History Museum, the Plains Indian Museum, the Cody Firearms Museum, the Whitney Western Art Museum and the Buffalo Bill Museum which chronicles the life of William F. Cody, for whom the historical centre is named. The historical centre maintains large collections. It is a favorite stopping point for tourists passing through the town, on their way to or from Yellowstone.

Old Trail Town, a restoration of more than 25 historic Western buildings and artifacts, is located in Cody just off the Yellowstone Highway.

Rodeo is important in the culture in Cody, which calls itself the "Rodeo Capital of the World". The Cody Nite Rodeo is an amateur rodeo every night from June 1 through August 31.

Cody is also host to the Cody Stampede Rodeo. The Stampede is a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeo and is one of the largest rodeos in the nation that is held over the Independence Day Holiday. Many of the top cowboys in the country attend. The stampede has been held from July 1–4 every year since 1919. Cody hosts the Cody Stampede, a weeklong series of events around the 4th of July, featuring several parades where the main street is blocked off, rodeos, fireworks and more. In 2019 Cody Stampede celebrated its 100th year.

The Heart Mountain Relocation Center, was a War Relocation Camp where 14,000 Japanese Americans were interned during World War II (Internment of Japanese Americans). The Interpretive Center is approximately 17 miles east of town and includes surviving buildings from the camp, a war memorial, a walking trail, and a world-class museum.

Arts Cody is also a bustling arts town.

Visual Arts are celebrated and displayed within the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Whitney Western Arts Museum as well as many other collective local/regional galleries around town such as the Cody Country Art League, By Western Hands and more. Many photographers, painters, sculptors, designers, and artists love to capture the surrounding natural wonder and western aesthetics.

For nearly twenty years Cody has also been the home to the Rendezvous Royale art festival. The week-long festival includes the Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale, a nationally renowned art show that features a wide range of interpretations of western art from emerging artists and contemporary masters. Rendezvous Royale features the art show sale, lectures, workshops, and a patrons ball.

The live music scene in Cody is especially vibrant in the summer when the City of Cody hosts an annual Concert in the Park series, The Cody Cattle Company does a nightly show, Dan Miller's Cowboy Music Revue is up and running, and several bars in town host touring artists.

Cody is also the home to several theatre and dance companies that promote community theatre and dance education from pre-k through high school. These companies produce many seasonal projects as well as annual productions. Throughout the year various dance recitals from the companies, as well as musical theatre and theatre productions from community members are produced and performed. The annual performing arts events in Cody are produced from The Rocky Mountain Dance Theatre. They have been doing The Nutcracker annually in December for 25 years, and The Wild West Spectacular Musical for seven seasons.

Education Public education in the city of Cody is provided by Park County School District #6. Three elementary schools – Eastside, Glenn Livingston, and Sunset - serve students in grades kindergarten through five. The district's two secondary campuses are Cody Middle School (grades 6-8) and Cody High School (grades 9-12).

Cody has a public library, a branch of the Park County Library System.

Economy: Industry The primary industry in Cody is tourism. Hotels, restaurants and shops cater to travelers coming to visit the West and Yellowstone Park. Cody has several art galleries, with some notable local painters and artists living in the area.

Cody is fast becoming a hub for outdoor recreation. The Shoshone River runs through town offering class I-V kayaking and whitewater rafting. Shoshone Canyon offers over 300 rock climbing routes, while Cedar Mountain boasts nearly 600 boulder problems. Cody hosts nearly 50 miles of single track, with a large amount of it accessible by bike from town. A bike park was recently completed with jump and drop lines as well as a pump track. Skiing, both downhill and cross-country are very popular sports in Cody, with the local High School boasting competitive cross-country and downhill ski teams. Sleeping Giant Ski Area & Zipline, about an hour west of Cody, is a popular local downhill ski mountain, in close proximity Yellowstone East Entrance.

Another industry is western style furniture, with several small furniture makers producing custom pieces.

The oil industry seems to wax and wane over the years in the Cody area. Husky Energy was founded in Cody in 1938 (as Husky Refining Company), when Glenn Nielson purchased the assets of Park Refining Company, started four years earlier by area oil developer Valentine M. Kirk. Husky operated as refinery until 1980s, the facility being demolished in the 1990s.

Just to the south of Cody are large deposits of gypsum.

Park County School District #6 is another large employer in the area.

Government Cody is governed via a city council and mayor. The mayor is elected in a citywide vote. The city council consists of six members who are elected from one of three wards. Each ward elects two members.

Media: Radio • KZMQ (AM) 1140 (Country), Big Horn Radio Network • KPOW 1260 (Country), MGR Media LLC • KODI 1400 (News/Talk), Big Horn Radio Network; FM Radio • KOFG 91.1 (Religious), Gospel Messengers • KUWP 90.1 (Wyoming Public Radio and NPR), University of Wyoming • KTAG 97.9 (Adult Contemporary), Big Horn Radio Network • KZMQ-FM 100.3 (Country), Big Horn Radio Network • KROW 101.1 (Rock), White Park Broadcasting • KBEN-FM 103.3 (Classic Country), White Park Broadcasting • KCGL 104.1 (Classic rock), Big Horn Radio Network • KWHO 107.1 (80s, 90s & Beyond), White Park Broadcasting

Media: Television • KTVQ - (CBS) from Billings • KULR - (NBC) from Billings • K19LM-D - (PBS) - (translator for KCWC-DT in Lander)

Media: Print Twice-weekly Cody Enterprise. Founded by "Buffalo Bill" Cody and Col. John Peake in August 1899. The paper has a paid circulation of 7,050, and is owned by SAGE Publishing of Cody.

Transport: Road • - North Fork Highway Westbound / Greybull Highway Eastbound U.S. 14, U.S. 16 and U.S. 20 run concurrently through Cody. •

US 14A west (Burgess Junction) - Powell Highway • WYO 120 - Belfry highway northbound / Meeteetse highway southbound • WYO 291 - South Fork Road

Transport: Air The Yellowstone Regional Airport offers full passenger service. Flights are available through SkyWest (United Airlines), connecting through Denver, Colorado. Air cargo services are provided by FedEx and UPS.

Ground transit Cody has four local transportation companies: Cody Over Land Transit, Phidippides Shuttle Service, Cody Town Taxi, and the Cody Shuttle. Cody Over Land operates routes within the city of Cody, from June through September. Phidippides is a full service transportation company with service to Cody, Yellowstone National Park, and airports in Cody, Jackson, and Billings. They also have courier and package service available. Cody Town Taxi and Cody Shuttle operate primarily in Cody.

Intercity bus service to the city is provided by Express Arrow.

Railroad Cody is served by the Cody Branch of the BNSF Railway, which runs south-west from Frannie for about 46 miles (74 km). The branch terminates in Cody near where WY-120 crosses the Shoshone River.