The Only Escalators for Miles

Size: 97,914 mi²; population: 563,626; sets of escalators: two. These stats belong to the 9th largest U.S. state: Wyoming. Suspending initial disbelief, your author found no evidence disputing the assertion that the Cowboy State has the same number of senators as it does up and down escalators. In fact, there is a considerable amount of writing on the topic, originating locally with a question posed to the Casper Star-Tribune‘s “Answer Girl” column in 2008.

Ten years ago, Wyoming’s paucity of moving stairs received national attention, meriting an article from The Atlantic and a 3-min story on NPR’s All Things Considered exploring the phenomenon. An opinion piece published by The New Republic went as far as listing the two (four if you uncouple them) escalators among reasons he believed the state didn’t deserve to have two senators — perhaps prompting NPR‘s coverage in the first place.

Media hoopla aside, these solitary escalators are located in Casper, Wyoming. Situated in scenic central Wyoming, Casper is the second-largest city in the state and boasts skiing, golfing, hiking and a variety of indoor recreational opportunities. Could riding the state’s sole escalators — both inside banks — be among these activities? I’m not going to stop you. One set of escalators, made by Otis, is in First International Bank. The other (manufacturer unknown) can be found in Hilltop National Bank.

Reader’s Digest couldn’t resist this piece of vertical-transportation (VT) trivia, running a story back in 2017 that was updated earlier this year. According to “self-professed escalator experts” referenced in the article, there’s no simple explanation for the Equality State’s shortage of moving staircases. An employee of Sheridan, Wyoming’s city planning office noted that it’s often easier to build outward, rather than upward, because of land availability and prices way out West. Another thought is that local fire codes restricting unprotected openings between adjacent floors could discourage installation of this type of equipment.

Wyoming is in good company with nearby South Dakota and Montana both having a minimal number of escalators, which makes sense considering the trio’s relatively low population density.

Wyoming is in good company with nearby South Dakota and Montana both having a minimal number of escalators, which makes sense considering the trio’s relatively low population density. Data compiled in 2017 shows 35,000 escalator units in existence nationwide. Certainly, that number has grown in recent years, with the volume of new construction and modernization products keeping the VT industry active. Time will tell if “Big Wyoming,” the seventh-to-last state admitted into the union, will become a late adopter of the escalator.