[6] It is the principal city of the Cheyenne metropolitan statistical area which encompasses all of Laramie County and had 100,512 residents as of the 2020 census.

Local residents named the town for the Cheyenne Native American people in 1867 when it was founded in the Dakota Territory.

At a celebration on July 4, 1867, Grenville M. Dodge of the Union Pacific Railroad announced the selection of a townsite for its mountain region[failed verification] headquarters adjacent to the bridge the railroad planned to build across Crow Creek in the Territory of Dakota.

[8] At the same celebration, Major General Christopher C. Augur announced the selection of a site three miles (5 km) west of Crow Creek Crossing for a U.S. Army fort to protect the railroad.

[9] The Union Pacific Railroad platted its Crow Creek Crossing townsite on July 5, 1867.

[11] The tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad reached Cheyenne on November 13, 1867, and the first train arrived the following day.

[10] Cheyenne grew so quickly it gained the nickname of "Magic City of the Plains".

Today, it serves a number of military functions, and as a high-altitude testbed for civilian craft.

[16] Lying near the southeast corner of the state, Cheyenne is one of the least centrally located state capitals in the nation (together with cities such as Carson City, Nevada; Juneau, Alaska; Tallahassee, Florida; Topeka, Kansas; and Trenton, New Jersey).

[18] Winters are cold and moderately long, but relatively dry with highs often above freezing, having a normal mean temperature of 27.7 °F (−2.4 °C), highs that fail to breach freezing for 35 days per year, and lows that dip to the 0 °F (−18 °C) mark on 9.2 mornings.

Spring and autumn are quick transitions, with the average window for freezing temperatures being September 29 thru May 14, allowing a growing season of 106 days.

As of the census of 2000,[5] there were 53,011 people, 22,324 households, 14,175 families living in the city, and 81,607 people living in the metropolitan statistical area, making it the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Wyoming.

Shortly after the owner of the team died in December, the Warriors announced that they were forming the new Developmental Football League.

In 2020, the city of Cheyenne was chosen to host the historical match between Canadian Dave Leduc who was defending his Lethwei world title against American challenger Cyrus Washington.

[39][40] The event marked the first time in the history of the ancient Burmese combat sport of Lethwei to be held in North America.

[41][42][43] The event was held at the Outlaw Saloon[44] and was sanctioned by the World Lethwei Federation in partnership with the Wyoming Combat Sports Commission.

In 1996, as a result of the greenway, Cheyenne was named a "Trail Town USA" by the National Park service and the American Hiking Society.

[47] Cheyenne's government consists of a mayor and a city council, elected on a non-partisan basis.

The current Mayor, Patrick Collins, a bicycle shop owner, took office on January 4, 2021.

The mayor's office is responsible for managing the various city departments which consist of Police, Fire Rescue, Planning and Development, Engineering, Public Works, Treasury, Attorney's Office, Human Resources, and Municipal Court.

[50] Public education in all of the city of Cheyenne is provided by Laramie County School District #1.

[54] Intercity bus service to the city is provided by Express Arrow and Greyhound Lines.

By November 2022, Challenger 3985 was moved to its new home at Silvis, Illinois, along with Centennial unit 6936, & 2-10-2 number 5511.