Buford, Wyoming
Encyclopedia
Buford is an unincorporated community
in Albany County, Wyoming
, United States
. It is located between Laramie
and Cheyenne
on Interstate 80
. Buford is at 8000 feet (2500 m) of elevation, making it the highest community on Interstate 80. The community is noted for the Buford Trading Post.
It has a population of 1 person, and like Monowi, Nebraska
(which by contrast is an incorporated town
), it is the smallest locality in the United States of America by population. Don Sammons, who is the only resident, is also the operator of the Buford Trading Post. His son moved out around 2008. Sammons recently said that he was ready to retire.
Buford was established during the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad
in Wyoming. At this time the town boasted a population of 2000 itinerant workers. As the railroad progressed, these workers moved west with the railroad; Buford has shrunk ever since. In 1880 a post office was built, and the community was renamed Buford in honor of Major General John Buford
.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Albany County, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located between Laramie
Laramie, Wyoming
Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 30,816 at the . Located on the Laramie River in southeastern Wyoming, the city is west of Cheyenne, at the junction of Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 287....
and Cheyenne
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
on Interstate 80
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, following Interstate 90. It is a transcontinental artery running from downtown San Francisco, California to Teaneck, New Jersey in the New York City Metropolitan Area...
. Buford is at 8000 feet (2500 m) of elevation, making it the highest community on Interstate 80. The community is noted for the Buford Trading Post.
It has a population of 1 person, and like Monowi, Nebraska
Monowi, Nebraska
Monowi is a village in Boyd County, Nebraska, United States. The village is notable because according to the 2010 census, it has a population of just one person. The only remaining resident of the village is Elsie Eiler.-Overview:...
(which by contrast is an incorporated town
Incorporated town
-Canada:Incorporated towns are a form of local government in Canada, which is a responsibility of provincial rather than federal government.-United States:...
), it is the smallest locality in the United States of America by population. Don Sammons, who is the only resident, is also the operator of the Buford Trading Post. His son moved out around 2008. Sammons recently said that he was ready to retire.
Buford was established during the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad
Transcontinental railroad
A transcontinental railroad is a contiguous network of railroad trackage that crosses a continental land mass with terminals at different oceans or continental borders. Such networks can be via the tracks of either a single railroad, or over those owned or controlled by multiple railway companies...
in Wyoming. At this time the town boasted a population of 2000 itinerant workers. As the railroad progressed, these workers moved west with the railroad; Buford has shrunk ever since. In 1880 a post office was built, and the community was renamed Buford in honor of Major General John Buford
John Buford
John Buford, Jr. was a Union cavalry officer during the American Civil War, with a prominent role at the start of the Battle of Gettysburg.-Early years:...
.