Founded: Set off from Laramie County.  Organized in 1911.
Origin of Name: French fur trapper named Gosche
County seat: Torrington

Land Area:  2,235 square miles of Wyoming's 97,914 square miles
Persons per square mile, 2000:  5.6
Elevation: 4,104 feet

Time Zone:  Mountain

County Physiography: 

The North Platte valley occupies the west central part of the Great Plains region in the counties of Goshen and Platte in Wyoming, and Scotts Bluff, Sioux, Banner, Cheyenne, Duel, Morrill and Keith in Nebraska. Beginning at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, where the river bursts from a deep gorge, just above the town of Guernsey, and some sixty miles above the Wyoming-Nebraska state line, it extends along the North Platte river, in varying width from one to ten miles, for nearly two hundred miles before it is lost in the general plain.

The valley has been agriculturally-oriented for centuries, primarily for two reasons:  1.) it escapes most of the severe winter storms the surrounding areas experience and, 2.) the soils are quite fertile. The principal industry today is agriculture, however, only 5 percent of the state is cultivated because of low amounts of annual precipitation and a cool growing season that prevails over much of the area.  Water conservation is essential to Wyoming’s towns, industry, and agriculture. Major federal irrigation projects benefiting the state include the North Platte project.  More than nine-tenths of the state is included in soil conservation districts.

The high northern section of Goshen County is dotted with buttes and hills, and descends gradually to the valley of the Platte.  This high land with too little rainfall in a single year to grown any commercial crop, produces hard, red, winter wheat of the highest quality.  The North Platte River crosses Goshen County's midsection and provides a fertile heartland for its broad expanse.  The sandy soil, irrigated now as it is from dams on the Platte above, grows crops of sugar beets, alfalfa, corn, pinto and navy beans, potatoes, onions, small gains such as barley and oats.  A short, tough grass that supports numerous cattle, sheep, and other livestock grows on the suburban plains.  Goshen County can well be classified as part of the bread basket of the nation.

Climate
Average Temperature:  January - 38; July- 73
Average Precipitation:  Rainfall 14"; Snowfall 34"; Sunshine Days 310
Average Growing Season 120-135 days

Newspapers

		Torrington Telegram (twice weekly)
		Scottsbluff Star-Herald (daily)
		Casper Star Tribune (daily)

Population Totals:

In 2004, Wyoming ranked 50th in the nation, with regard to size of population.  Wyoming was one of the fastest-growing states in the country during the 1970s, but its population decreased in the 1980s in part as a result of a slowdown in the state’s mining-dependent economy. Population density was 5.2 per square mile in 2004. Only Alaska was less densely populated. In recent decades, Wyomingites have been moving away from isolated farm areas, and, by 2000, 65 percent lived in cities or towns. Overall, Wyoming remains a land of wide-open spaces checkered by about 100 municipalities, mostly small towns with a few medium-sized cities.

City/Village Population Totals: