Thermopolis, Wyoming

Thermopolis (Arapaho: Xonoú'oo' ) is the largest town in, and the county seat of Hot Springs County, Wyoming, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 3,009.

History

"Thermopolis" (/θɜːrˈmɒpəlɪs/) is from the Greek for "Hot City". It is home to numerous natural hot springs, in which mineral-laden waters are heated by geothermal processes. The town is named for the hot springs located there.

The town claims the world's largest mineral hot spring as part of Hot Springs State Park. The springs are open to the public for free as part of an 1896 treaty signed with the Shoshone and Arapaho Indian tribes.

Thermopolis is also the home of the Wyoming Dinosaur Center, which hosts the only Archaeopteryx fossil outside of Europe.

Geography

Thermopolis is located near the northern end of the Wind River Canyon and Wedding of the Waters, where the north-flowing Wind River becomes the Bighorn River. Thermopolis is ringed by mountains, with the Bridger Mountains to the southeast, the Owl Creek Mountains to the southwest, the Big Horn Mountains to the northeast and the Absaroka Range to the northwest. Thermopolis is the southern-most municipality in the Big Horn Basin.