Gillette (, jih-LET) is a city in and the county seat of Campbell County, Wyoming, United States. The town was founded in 1891 as a major railway town on the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad.

The population was estimated at 33,496, as of July 1, 2023, making it the third-most populous city in Wyoming after Cheyenne and Casper. Gillette's population had increased 48% in the ten years after the 2000 census, which counted 19,646 residents, after a boom in its local fossil fuel industries.

Gillette is centrally located in an area devoted to the development of vast quantities of coal, oil, and coalbed methane gas. The city calls itself the "Energy Capital of the Nation", because Wyoming provides nearly 35% of the nation's coal. However, a decline in coal use in the U.S. in the first quarter of the 21st century has affected the state economy. Some local officials are seeking other industries or employment opportunities. As a major economic hub for the county, the city is also a regional center for media, education, health, and arts.

History

Before its founding, Gillette started as Donkey Town, named after Donkey Creek. The settlement moved and was called Rocky Pile, after Rocky Draw.

Gillette was founded in 1891 with the coming of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad and incorporated on January 6, 1892, less than two years after Wyoming became a state. Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad changed the name of the terminus to Gillette, after Edward Gillette, a surveyor for the company.

In November 1895, a fire destroyed most of the town. Only two saloons, two stores, and a restaurant survived. A group of families from Mathews County, Virginia, and Gloucester County, Virginia, settled in the town between 1895 and 1905, all of whom were members of the Episcopal Church. They established an Episcopal congregation, and the church continues to the present.

During this same era, a group of immigrants from County Antrim, Ireland (in what has since become Northern Ireland) also settled in Gillette. They were Presbyterians of Scottish descent; this population was referred to as "Scots-Irish" in the United States. This was not a term used in Ireland.

Norwegian immigrants arrived in the town during the same era, all of whom were Lutheran. There were also a small group of settlers from rural New England, these were old stock "Yankee" New Englanders who were members of the Congregational church.

In 1974, U.S. psychologist ElDean Kohrs used the town as the basic example of what he called the Gillette syndrome This is the social disruption that can occur in a community due to rapid population growth. During the 1960s, Gillette's population had doubled from 3,580 to 7,194 because of growth in the energy industry. Kohrs proposed that this fast increase caused increased crime, high costs of living, and weakened social and community bonds. Some of Kohrs's claims about the energy industry's influence have been disputed, since similar increases in divorce rates, welfare usage, and crime were also seen in other rapidly growing areas of the country, where the catalysts were different..

Rapid growth has taken place in the 21st century. Gillette annexed the census-designated place Antelope Valley-Crestview on January 1, 2018. Antelope Valley-Crestview's population was 1,658 at the 2010 census and it had an area of 4.9 mi2 (12.7 km²).

Geography Gillette is located at (44.282660, −105.505256). It is situated between the Bighorn Mountains to the west and the Black Hills to the east, in the Powder River Basin.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which are land and is water.

Few trees were in Gillette when it was founded. The native trees, box elder and cottonwood, were found along creeks. The oldest surviving non-native trees were planted in the 1940s. The earliest were almost exclusively elm, cottonwood, white poplar, green ash, Colorado blue spruce, and ponderosa pine. In the 1960s, crab apples, honey locust, catalpa, European mountain-ash, and other evergreens were planted. Nurseries started to sell trees in the 1970s, which further increased tree diversity.

Skyline

Climate Gillette has a borderline humid continental (Köppen: Dfa) and cool semi-arid (Köppen: BSk) climate characterised by hot summers with pleasant mornings, and generally very cold, though very variable, winters. The city lies in USDA plant hardiness zone 5a ().

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition Racial makeup 2020 2010 2000 White 85.3% 92.2% 95.5% Black or African American 0.6% 0.4% 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native 1.5% 1.2% 1.0% Asian 0.9% 0.7% 0.4% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.1% 0.0% 0.1% Other race 4.8% 3.2% 1.3% Two or more races 6.8% 2.2% 1.5% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 10.3% 9.5% 3.9%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Gillette had a population of 33,403. The median age was 33.1 years. 28.9% of residents were under the age of 18 and 10.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 101.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 102.1 males age 18 and over.

97.8% of residents lived in urban areas, while 2.2% lived in rural areas.

There were 12,751 households in Gillette, of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 47.2% were married-couple households, 21.3% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 14,089 housing units, of which 9.5% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 13.1%.

+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census Race Number Percent White 28,487 85.3% Black or African American 215 0.6% American Indian and Alaska Native 515 1.5% Asian 288 0.9% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 20 0.1% Some other race 1,616 4.8% Two or more races 2,262 6.8% Hispanic or Latino (of any race) 3,449 10.3%

2010 census As of the census of 2010, 29,087 people, 10,975 households, and 7,299 families resided in the city. The population density was . The 12,153 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the city was 92.2% White, 0.4% African American, 1.2% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 3.2% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 9.5% of the population.

Of the 10,975 households, 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.5% were not families. About 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.09.

The median age in the city was 30.6 years. 28% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.9% were 18 to 24; 30.6% were 25 to 44; 24.8% were 45 to 64; and 5.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 52.3% male and 47.7% female.

2000 census As of 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $69,581, and for a family was $78,377. Males had a median income of $41,131 versus $22,717 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,749. About 5.7% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture The volunteer board called the Mayor's Art Council runs the Avenues of Art program. The program pays artists to display sculptures for sale. Each year newly selected works are shown at the Donkey Creek Festival, where visitors can meet the artists. 113 sculptures are currently on display through the Avenues of Art program and 289 have been shown since 2004. Participating artists have included Jane DeDecker, Gary Lee Price, and Benjamin Victor. This program was dissolved by the Gillette City Council on January 16, 2024.

A second program, Sculpture Walk, is operated by the Sculpture Committee. Started in 2018, it pays artists to display their sculptures for sale at Mount Pisgah Cemetery.

The city chose to increase investment in the arts program during the Great Recession and mayor Louise Carter-King describes the investment as a quality of life one.

Annual cultural events

A free multi-day event, Donkey Creek Festival is held in every June at the Gillette College. It includes the Avenues of Arts reception, concert, car and motorcycle show, disc golf tournament, and 5K run and walk. There are art and food vendors and alcohol is available at a beer garden. The festival has grown significantly since starting in 2006. Initially a jazz concert, it evolved into a multi-day music festival that ran for approximately 16 years, from 2006 to 2022 it was held annually in June at Gillette College. It was suspended in 2022 due to a lack of funding and board members - it was brought back as a one day event starting in 2024 and is now held at Big Lost Meadery in downtown Gillette.

The Gillette chapter of PFLAG hosts an annual pride event to support the local LGBTQ community. Previous years have included a potluck, picnic, and bowling. In 2019, PFLAG held the Pride Drag Show at AVA Community Art Center as part of its pride event.

Tourism In 2021, 7,338 people visited the Gillette Convention and Visitors Bureau. While hunters always use the center, most visitors asked about coal mine tours and museums. Of the 569 visitors in 2018 who identified where they were from, 473 were from 46 states and 96 were from 23 other countries.

Sports

Wyoming Center at the CAM-PLEX

The Wyoming Center at the CAM-PLEX is a 9,000 seat event center located just outside of Gillette. Ground was broken in 2006 and it was completed in 2008.

It hosts both sporting and community events. The center can be divided into 3 rooms by using moveable soundproof walls; which retract if more space is needed for a certain event. More walls can further divide the center into 9 rooms.

The Frontier and Equality Halls (located in the west and middle parts of the center, respectively) are used for various purposes; while the Spirit Hall (located on the east side) is used for ice skating and hockey. As stated before, it can be taken down should an event need more space.

The center currently hosts the National High School Finals Rodeo, amateur wrestling, and are hosts for the Wyoming Cavalry, of American Indoor Football. The Cavalry use the Equality Hall of the CAM-PLEX for their home games. The seating capacity is 4,000 for Cavalry games. It once hosted the Gillette Mustangs, formerly of Champions Indoor Football.

Other facilities

The Campbell County Recreation Center is a 190,000-ft2 facility that was established April 2010. This facility includes a 42-ft climbing wall resembling the Devils Tower National Monument. Also, an 81,000-ft2 field house that contains basketball courts, a six-lane track, swimming and diving facilities, and five indoor tennis courts.

The Campbell County Ice Arena contains an ice rink for ice hockey and ice skating plus an area for curling.

The Energy Capital Sports Complex site has four fast-pitch softball fields that can be converted for Little League baseball. The fields use Slitfilm synthetic turf with sand-rubber infill. A 28,000-ft2 protected spectator viewing area has a grass play area. A 2.4-mi recreation trail runs around the complex. Since the grand opening in 2015, the complex has hosted many tournaments, including the Razor City Showcase softball tournament and the 2016 Wyoming ASA State softball tournament.

Government