Downtown Laramie Webcam – Wyoming’s Historic Rail Town

The Downtown Laramie Webcam looks west along Ivinson Avenue from the corner of 2nd Street in Laramie, Wyoming. The brick Midwest Block fills the left of the frame, its name set into the cornice, and a row of storefronts runs down the right side of the street. At the far end, Ivinson stops at the Union Pacific tracks, with West Side houses and a low blue ridge beyond them. Crosswalks take up the foreground, and the angled parking along both curbs gives a quick read on how busy the block is. The wide lens bends the horizon a little, which is how the whole intersection fits in one shot. A line along the bottom edge shows the local date and time, so you can tell at a glance when the picture was taken.

About Downtown Laramie

Laramie stands at 2,184 meters (7,165 feet), with the Laramie Range about 11 kilometers (7 miles) to the east and the Snowy Range about 48 kilometers (30 miles) to the west. The railroad reached town on May 4, 1868, and the 2020 census counted 31,407 residents in the home of the University of Wyoming. The downtown on this camera is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

During the spring of 1868, the Midwest Block site held the “Big Tent,” a gambling and saloon hall that moved from one end-of-tracks town to the next as the line was built. The permanent building went up in the 1870s, and Western humorist Bill Nye met upstairs in Ivinson Hall with the “40 Liars Club,” a men’s social group. A remodel around the turn of the century put “Miller Block” in the cornice. Later updates produced the facade you see today.

Look past the Midwest Block for the yellow Buckhorn Bar sign at 114 Ivinson Avenue. That building housed Blair and McCune’s Saloon in 1913, and the Buckhorn settled in during the 1930s. Its mirror still carries a bullet hole left by a jealous lover in 1971. The Kuster Hotel building at 106-110 Ivinson dates from 1869, and the brick building with arched windows on the right of the frame stands on the northwest corner, an Italianate structure from the late 1870s. A second tab carries the Laramie Web Camera listed on Visit Laramie’s webcam page, a still from a high point that looks out across the town.

Weather and Climate in Downtown Laramie

Altitude sets the terms here. Laramie Regional Airport normals for 1991 to 2020 put January highs near 1°C (33°F) and lows near -12°C (10°F), with about 126 centimeters (49.7 inches) of snow across a year. Snow can line the curbs and hide the crosswalks in winter. April is still cold, with highs near 11°C (51°F) and lows near -4°C (25°F).

July brings highs near 27°C (81°F) and cool nights near 9°C (49°F), and October falls back to highs near 13°C (56°F) and lows near -2°C (28°F). Annual precipitation is only 267 millimeters (10.52 inches), so the ridge at the end of the street often stands out clearly. The time of day changes the picture as much as the season does. At midday the storefronts on both sides are evenly lit, while a late October afternoon puts the sun ahead of the lens and washes out part of the frame. After dark, streetlights and shop windows keep the corner readable.

Things to Do Near Downtown Laramie

Visit Laramie publishes a self-guided historic downtown tour with 33 numbered stops, including the Buckhorn, the Kuster Hotel and Hesse Hall, built in 1889 at 1st Street and Ivinson. St. Matthew’s Episcopal Cathedral stands at 4th Street and Ivinson, with a main building finished in 1896 and a clock tower added in 1916. The Union Pacific depot that replaced the original, which burned in 1917, is now a museum at 1st Street and Kearney, close to the 1930 footbridge. The Wyoming Women’s History House is on 2nd Street north of Garfield.

A little farther out, the Laramie Plains Museum occupies the Ivinson Mansion at 603 East Ivinson Avenue, and the University of Wyoming campus has the Geological Museum and Prexy’s Pasture. The Wyoming Territorial Prison is a state historic site of its own. For open country, one local guide puts the rock formations at Vedauwoo about 25 minutes from downtown. To the west, Wyoming Highway 130 climbs from Centennial along the Snowy Range Scenic Byway, and Snowy Range Ski Area is about 51 kilometers (32 miles) from town.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

These cameras cover more Wyoming railroad and town views, plus another historic mountain main street next door in Colorado.

• Cheyenne Train Webcam
• Dubois Webcam
• Crested Butte Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Downtown Laramie located?

Downtown Laramie is in Albany County, Wyoming, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Cheyenne and 209 kilometers (130 miles) north of Denver. This camera watches the corner of 2nd Street and Ivinson Avenue.

What can you see on the Downtown Laramie Webcam?

The Midwest Block on the left, a row of shops on the right, the 2nd Street crosswalks in front and the Union Pacific tracks at the end of Ivinson Avenue. Traffic, parked cars and people on the sidewalks come and go through the day.

Which way does the Downtown Laramie Webcam face?

It faces west along Ivinson Avenue, toward the tracks and the West Side neighborhood. That direction is why the late afternoon sun can shine almost straight into the lens.

What is the weather like in Laramie?

Cold and dry for much of the year. January highs sit near 1°C (33°F) with lows near -12°C (10°F), and July highs reach about 27°C (81°F). Annual snowfall averages about 126 centimeters (49.7 inches).

Can you see trains on the Laramie webcam?

Sometimes, though only at a distance. Visit Laramie notes that Union Pacific railroad cars pass to the west along the historic transcontinental route, and the tracks cross the far end of the street, just past the Buckhorn Bar sign.

What is the oldest bar in Laramie?

Visit Laramie describes the Buckhorn Bar as the oldest bar in town. It sits at 114 Ivinson Avenue on this block, and its yellow sign is visible from the camera.

How high is Laramie above sea level?

The city stands at 2,184 meters (7,165 feet). That elevation explains the long winters and cool summer nights.

Source: Visit Laramie