Hey Answer Girl -

What is the population of Casper and the surrounding areas now? There is so much more traffic and every place you go it is busy, busy, busy. I can't wait for the census …

- Libby

OK, new census data coming your way:

First, Casper. The city itself, the largest in Natrona County and the second largest in Wyoming (right after Cheyenne, but not far behind), holds about 53,003 people, according to the latest available data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

You may remember our neighbor Bar Nunn as one of the tiniest towns around, with only 936 people in the year 2000. However, 2007 census estimates say Bar Nunn has jumped in the last seven years to a whopping 1,700 people. Still small, I suppose, but you have to commend a place that's more than doubled in a decade.

Evansville is a bit bigger, with 2,329 people, and Mills is larger yet with 3,133.

Midwest and Edgerton still come in last place population-wise, with 432 and 175 respectively.

Natrona County as a whole has 71,750 folks, which means a whole lot of people live in unincorporated areas around here.

As for everything being super-busy - I agree. But if we deal with long checkout lines at Wal-Mart and two-hour waits at Red Lobster, maybe some other brand-name businesses will make their way into town to accommodate the new(er) population.

Hey Answer Girl -

Where does a person go to report weeds and unmown properties in Casper? Some of them are pretty bad right now. On that same note, where does a person go to report houses that are about to fall down and are totally unsafe, yet people are still living in them?

- Mary

To report weed problems, unmown lawns and houses that look like they may blow down the next time the Big Bad Wolf huffs and puffs or the Wyoming wind gets a little too wild, call Shelley LeClere, code enforcement supervisor with the City of Casper.

LeClere has a friendly, but small, staff of code enforcement officers who help her patrol within the city limits and eliminate those places that make Casper less beautiful or less safe.

She can be reached at (307) 235-8254.

For pesky problems like these outside of Casper, call one of the Natrona County Commissioners. Their general line is (307) 235-9202, and they'll help you take care of the issue.

Contact reporter Megan Lee at (307) 266-0616 or megan.lee@trib.com

Ask Answer Girl

Answer Girl tackles your questions about Casper, the universe and everything else. Submit your questions by email to megan.lee@trib.com, or call Megan Lee at 266-0616. You can also write to Answer Girl, Box 80, 170 Star Lane, Casper, WY, 82602.