Wyoming is full of towns with names that can baffle outsiders, trip up your GPS, and leave even locals chuckling—or correcting your pronunciation. Here are ten of the strangest, most tongue-twisting, and story-rich town names in the Cowboy State, along with a bit of background on each:
Meeteetse
Pronounced “Me-TEET-see,” this Park County town’s name comes from a Shoshone phrase meaning “meeting place” or “measured distance near and far.” It’s notorious for being one of the hardest to spell and pronounce in the state.
Chugwater
Named after the sound buffalo made when driven off cliffs into water below, “Chugwater” is both literal and odd. The town is famous for its chili and the oldest soda fountain in Wyoming.
Ten Sleep
This Bighorn Mountains town got its name because it was ten “sleeps” (days) between two major Native American camps. The name sounds more like a bedtime command than a destination.
Wamsutter
Originally named Washakie, it was changed to Wamsutter (after a Union Pacific engineer) to avoid confusion with Fort Washakie. The name often gets misread as “Warm Sutter,” but it’s “WAM-sut-ter”.
Dubois
This French name should be pronounced “Du-BWA,” but locals say “Du-BOYS” as a decades-long protest against the senator who named the town after himself.
Bar Nunn
Named for its founder, Ronnie Nunn, this town’s name looks like a typo or a bar joke, but it’s a real place built on an old airport runway.
Jay Em
Named after rancher James Moore (J.M.), this near-ghost town’s name sounds like someone spelling out their initials, which is exactly what it is.
Medicine Bow
Named for the river where Native Americans gathered wood for bows believed to have medicinal qualities, this town’s name is as unusual as its origin.
Recluse
An unincorporated community in Campbell County, its name references a lone post office and fits Wyoming’s wide-open, solitary spaces.
Thermopolis
Meaning “hot city” in Greek, Thermopolis is home to hot springs—and a name that sounds more like a sci-fi metropolis than a Wyoming town.
Honorable Mentions
- Guernsey (pronounced “GURN-zee”), named for a cattle rancher.
- Kemmerer (pronounced “KEM-er-er”), which always tempts people to add extra M’s and ER’s.
- Bairoil (pronounced “BARE-oil”), named after the Bair Oil Company.
- Clearmont (“CLEAR-mont”), named for nearby Clear Creek.
- Crowheart (named after a legendary duel between chiefs).
Wyoming’s town names are as wild and varied as its landscapes—guaranteed to give your GPS, and your tongue, a workout.
Sources:
- https://wakeupwyo.com/the-orgions-of-weird-wyoming-town-names/
- https://mycountry955.com/10-wyoming-places-with-weird-sounding-names/
- https://kingfm.com/wyomings-ten-weirdest-town-names/
- https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/trip-ideas/wyoming/the-strangest-town-names-in-wy
- https://www.worldatlas.com/cities/6-bizarrely-named-towns-in-wyoming.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ghost_towns_in_Wyoming
- https://in.pinterest.com/pin/178032991511558315/