Centennial, WY

Centennial sits 27 miles west of Laramie in the Centennial Valley, on Wyoming 130 as it climbs toward the Snowy Range and Medicine Bow Mountains. The town began as a Union Pacific logging camp: crews cut timber for railroad ties, and the first official train reached Centennial on June 17, 1907. Gold discoveries on Centennial Ridge added a mining chapter, while ranching and mountain travel remain part of the valley's map after the rail tracks were removed. Wyoming 130 now carries the Snowy Range Scenic Byway through town, and the old railroad grade continues into the forest as a trail.

The 1907 depot survives as the main building of the Nici Self Historical Museum, whose exhibits cover mining, ranching, and railroading. Centennial Library, an Albany County Public Library branch at 27 Second Street, handles the everyday side of the town with books, Wi-Fi, computer access, a book club, and seasonal programs. One building holds the transportation story; the other supplies current books, programs, and public access. Centennial's local shape comes from that handoff, with the depot, library, highway, and mountain routes sharing a small high-country center.