5 Local Words That Only Cheyenne Folks Will Get

Besides being Wyoming’s capital, Cheyenne.org calls our town the nation’s “rodeo and railroad capital.” You don’t have to be from Cheyenne to know our rich history that's like nowhere else. You do, however, have to be from here to know these 5 terms, defined like nowhere else:

1. “The Roundabout”  For this one, some of us have other words. The roundabout has the same traffic meaning as anywhere, but in Cheyenne, we are likely talking about the convergence of Converse Avenue and Pershing Boulevard and 19th St. It was built to reduce crashes. Some people love it, but most hate it. At least the road really is more efficient, now without lights. Just remember when you get to the roundabout, when it’s open, GO. ... The plan for another roundabout at Frontier Mall Drive and Prairie has been put on hold.

2. “El-Trip” (aka “LCCC”) Laramie County Community College. It’s our gateway to higher learning and the University of Wyoming and a pretty good little version.

3. “The Hole” While the name may have been taken jokingly from the beautiful area southwest of Cheyenne known as “The Big Hole,” this hole is anything but beautiful. Our city planners have been trying to fill “The Hole” since a downtown building burned down in 2004. There have been many ideas to kill it, but “The Hole” still lives.

4. “The Beach” (of Cheyenne) Not just a Garth Brooks song, the Magic City of the Plains does have "beaches" - along Sloans Lake - to walk, fish and rent canoes or paddle boats. Most people won't consider a beach, but hey it's what we have.

5. “The Daddy” is the largest outdoor rodeo in the nation, "The Daddy of 'Em All" is certainly known everywhere. Cheyenne Frontier Days also means concerts at night, pancake breakfasts, western art, sold out hotels and a 10-day population explosion.

Bonus #6. “The Depot,” as in the Union Pacific Railroad’s historic stop, is a Cheyenne nerve center that got a great make-over years ago. It now houses one of our three craft breweries. (We’ll say our whole state's nerve center is on the other end of Capitol Avenue and that golden dome is getting a really big make-over now.)