University Of Wyoming Plans to Move Campus To Casper by 2020

[Yabadabadoo]

The headline to this thread is obviously fiction - however - as I made my way to Laramie earlier this evening from Sheridan and passed through Casper I started to think about something.

We all mention from time to time the remoteness of Laramie, how it is difficult to get to either by car or by plane - and when inclement weather hits it makes heading to a game extremely difficult if you're not in the immediate vicinity of the Laramie area.

Takes me just about 2 hours to get to Casper from Sheridan, and I thought to myself - - if the University was situated in Casper, what would that mean to in regard to a host of things, among them, attendance at football & basketball games?

Is there any way to hypothetically quantify this impossible scenario?

What would it mean to the University's coffers if the campus and the stadium/arena was located in what is a much more accessible and possibly convenient setting? Would it mean an uptick in attendance to the tune of maybe 5K more for football games on average, or another 2500 per game for Pokes basketball?

It's hardly a doable scenario of course, and I'm not even suggesting such an outlandish maneuver...but it did get me to thinking about this for a while as I made my way down to wonderful Laramie earlier this evening for tomorrow's game.

If there was no University Of Wyoming until right now, I have to believe that the central headquarters would not be Laramie - but probably Casper.

Thoughts?

 

[soccerhead15]

I think that would be beyond a terrible move by the university. Moving away from the front range would really hurt not only attendance but the student enrollment. UW pulls a lot of students from that area because it is close and cheaper then colorado schools. It may make it easier for a portion of people to attend games but would hurt things a lot more.

 

[Yabadabadoo]

I think that would be beyond a terrible move by the university. Moving away from the front range would really hurt not only attendance but the student enrollment. UW pulls a lot of students from that area because it is close and cheaper then colorado schools. It may make it easier for a portion of people to attend games but would hurt things a lot more.

Check it, I'm not suggesting they do this, it's an impossibility, this is only a hypothetical...my question is, would a more centrally located University in Casper equal the potential for higher turnouts and walk up ticket sales for football and basketball games?

 

[WyoBrandX]

I was up at south pass city a few years ago and thought the same thing - what if the capitol was here - and the university was in say - Lander?

Obviously, attendance wise, moving it would be terrible. We pull so much from Colorado in terms of attendance. Cheyenne is pretty big too. I think Casper holds its own, but Cheyenne and the front range are huge compared to the likes of Riverton, Sheridan, etc.

You going to watch the Cowboys play in Billings in November? I swear, the entire city of Billings are Poke fan's when the Pokes show up. When I was living up there, they had a game played at the metra - brown and gold everywhere in town that day.

 

[Yabadabadoo]

I was up at south pass city a few years ago and thought the same thing - what if the capitol was here - and the university was in say - Lander?

Obviously, attendance wise, moving it would be terrible. We pull so much from Colorado in terms of attendance. Cheyenne is pretty big too. I think Casper holds its own, but Cheyenne and the front range are huge compared to the likes of Riverton, Sheridan, etc.

You going to watch the Cowboys play in Billings in November? I swear, the entire city of Billings are Poke fan's when the Pokes show up.

I think people in Cheyenne would still go (this is of course under a scenario in which UW never existed in Laramie in the first place), Casper is one of Wyoming's bigger cities, then factor in places to the north of Casper, in fact all points from Casper's direction. I find it difficult to believe that attendance would not be higher under a scenario where the University was not in such a remote place...like Laramie. I could be wrong of course, which is why I wanted to seek out all other opinions.

 

[Mtpoke89]

The only thing I can say to this being from the big horn basin area I would have liked it being in casper as I would have been to way more games growing up. The convience of being in the middle of the state and having a lot more hotels would make it very accomidating. And casper is only a 4 hour drive from denver so still fairly close to colorado.

 

[WyoBrandX]

An interesting point, never-the-less.

Are they ever going to bring the Casper Shootout back? I'm thinking Basketball wise, we are playing well enough again, I'd think it would be well attended.

It had some decent attendance - but fell off mid way through the 2k's.

 

[Yabadabadoo]

The only thing I can say to this being from the big horn basin area I would have liked it being in casper as I would have been to way more games growing up. The convience of being in the middle of the state and having a lot more hotels would make it very accomidating. And casper is only a 4 hour drive from denver so still fairly close to colorado.

I feel that anything north above the City of Casper and you are making a major commitment to heading out and going to a Pokes game. The 'central' location of Casper would have to make a trip much more enticing to people say in Cody, or in Gillette, Buffalo, Sheridan, Douglas, maybe even to folks in Jackson, to go to games more consistently. Under my scenario I'm assuming that the people of Cheyenne who normally head to Laramie would still go if UW was in Casper. The northern front range of Colorado would be more challenged and perhaps a drop off in numbers there, but I'm thinking their absence would be offset by the uptick in attendance from places not currently in seats for football & basketball games - many people in a pretty healthy population base like Casper itself. Either way it's an interesting/compelling narrative to ponder.

 

[WyoBrandX]

Really, one of the best things that could happen to the University is to have Laramie grow considerably. They need to get into the top 2/3 rankings in the state - eg 50-60k range.

Once it reaches that size (without students included) - it can start to sustain itself by not being so remote - but not being huge either.

 

[Yabadabadoo]

Really, one of the best things that could happen to the University is to have Laramie grow considerably. They need to get into the top 2/3 rankings in the state - eg 50-60k range.

Once it reaches that size (without students included) - it can start to sustain itself by not being so remote - but not being huge either.

Agreed, but I can't realistically see that happening anytime in the next 40-50 years. The infrastructure and job base simply won't push the needle in that direction imo. What is Laramie right now? 30K in terms of population? Of those 30K I'd bet almost half of the people living in this great town either go to or work at UW.

 

[WyoBrandX]

There actually is a pretty big push for it right now. I'll have to go dig up some links - but the LEDC and others are pushing it. It is part of the reason that new business park is going in North of town right now.

The population is 30k roughly. it is debatable if they will get there or not. Cheyenne has no problem with growing. Laramie still has that 'old time wyoming attitude' running through it.

Here is an old thread by Cowboy Junky:
http://www.wyonation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=10507" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://wyomingbusinessreport.com/southeast-economy-on-the-upswing/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[fromolwyoming]

There are houses and apartment buildings going up almost constantly it seems, so Laramie is growing. By how much and what demographic those people make up though, I'm not sure (like retirees, students, people moving here for work, etc). For example, just a few years ago, there was nothing by wal-mart and Bone and Joint. Now there is a growing neighborhood in the area (also where the new high school is being built).

 

[Yabadabadoo]

There are houses and apartment buildings going up almost constantly it seems, so Laramie is growing. By how much and what demographic those people make up though, I'm not sure (like retirees, students, people moving here for work, etc). For example, just a few years ago, there was nothing by wal-mart and Bone and Joint. Now there is a growing neighborhood in the area (also where the new high school is being built).

You have been in Laramie (I'm assuming) for a while? During your time how much growth in terms of population have you seen? I've met some nice people here over the years who tell me that on balance, the Laramie of today isn't too much different from the Laramie when Jim Brandenburg was coaching the Pokes. True?

 

[WyoBrandX]

I had family who lived in laramie in the early 70's. There was pretty much nothing east of 22nd street. I lived there for a decade - and hung out the decade before - and it is the same old town - it just covers alot more space

 

[fromolwyoming]

There are houses and apartment buildings going up almost constantly it seems, so Laramie is growing. By how much and what demographic those people make up though, I'm not sure (like retirees, students, people moving here for work, etc). For example, just a few years ago, there was nothing by wal-mart and Bone and Joint. Now there is a growing neighborhood in the area (also where the new high school is being built).

You have been in Laramie (I'm assuming) for a while? During your time how much growth in terms of population have you seen? I've met some nice people here over the years who tell me that on balance, the Laramie of today isn't too much different from the Laramie when Jim Brandenburg was coaching the Pokes. True?

I was born in 1989, so Brandenburg was just before my time. But in my time, wal-mart used to be where Staples, the dollar store, and snowy range academy now is, LCCC building out there is fairly new, murdoch's used to be JC Penny's. There used to be nothing behind the current wal-mart. The new high school being built is going to be considerably larger than the old one is. Lewis Street used to go all the way to 15th street (been closed off for years). From 22nd street to 26th street along Grand used to be nothing but a field. The rec center out by LCCC was built while I was in high school. The apartment buildings at The Pointe behind McDonald's where just built a couple years ago (and I would not recommend them even to a BYU fan).

That's just off the top of my head. In Cheyenne, the growth has been even more prominent. My great-aunt has lived in the same house since about the 70s or so, and it used to be a bit outside of town. Now, her house is firmly inside the city limits. Between the most current population census and the one prior, Wyoming's population grew by 10% in 10 years.

 

[Yabadabadoo]

Thanks to all so far for the responses and thoughts on this - hopefully more to come.
Have a good night, lets get a win tomorrow.
Go Pokes!

 

[joshvanklomp]

Excuse me if I'm being completely ignorant, not being from Wyoming....

How is travel along I-25 (and I-80) during inclement weather? Would a (hypothetical) move to Cheyenne be more beneficial? It keeps you in the Front Range area (which soccerhead15 mentioned), but gets you in a larger population area. You are also closer to Denver (and the airport), which would help in recruiting. It shouldn't affect travelers from Casper, as it looks like I-25 to Cheyenne takes about the same amount of time as WY-487/US-287 to Laramie.

 

[kansasCowboy]

I think it should be located in Rock Springs... ( I'm biased)

The state has money out the ass. We should build 3 more 30,000 seat stadiums. One in three corners and in the middle of the state. Gillette, Casper, Rock Springs, Laramie. We get six home games a year. Each town gets a home game and Laramie gets two home games... Strictly hypothetical, of course.

Look at me! I'm thinking outside the box like the FCS gurus wanted us all to do!

True state pride. What other school could say that they play in 4 different home stadiums?

 

[ELKMT]

I like the hypotheticals. However it discounts that over 1/5 of the states population are in SE WY. Laramie County is around 100k people. UW just isn't for Wyoming residents. The Laramie location makes it easy for travel from the largest alumni base in the Denver Metro.

Another hypothetical would be to move UW to Cheyenne.

 

[Brew_Poke]

The headline to this thread is obviously fiction - however - as I made my way to Laramie earlier this evening from Sheridan and passed through Casper I started to think about something.

We all mention from time to time the remoteness of Laramie, how it is difficult to get to either by car or by plane - and when inclement weather hits it makes heading to a game extremely difficult if you're not in the immediate vicinity of the Laramie area.

Takes me just about 2 hours to get to Casper from Sheridan, and I thought to myself - - if the University was situated in Casper, what would that mean to in regard to a host of things, among them, attendance at football & basketball games?

Is there any way to hypothetically quantify this impossible scenario?

What would it mean to the University's coffers if the campus and the stadium/arena was located in what is a much more accessible and possibly convenient setting? Would it mean an uptick in attendance to the tune of maybe 5K more for football games on average, or another 2500 per game for Pokes basketball?

It's hardly a doable scenario of course, and I'm not even suggesting such an outlandish maneuver...but it did get me to thinking about this for a while as I made my way down to wonderful Laramie earlier this evening for tomorrow's game.

If there was no University Of Wyoming until right now, I have to believe that the central headquarters would not be Laramie - but probably Casper.

Thoughts?

You'd get less attendance if you moved even further from Colorado's Front Range.