Colorado City, Colorado

History

The first settlement at the site of Colorado City was called Greenhorn after the name of an 18th century Comanche chief (Cuerno Verde in Spanish). In 1845, mountain man John Brown, his wife Luisa Sandoval, and several children established a trading post where the Trapper's Trail to Taos, New Mexico crossed Greenhorn Creek. Brown and his family left Greenhorn for California in 1849. In 1853, Lt. Edward Griffin Beckwith, an army officer, said of Greenhorn, "six New Mexican families had built an irrigation system to divert the water from Greenhorn Creek to water their crops of corn, wheat, beans and watermelon. Their homes were built of adobe which stood shoulder to shoulder and were surrounded by a close fence of high pickets. They also had corrals for the safe keeping of their stock."

The Greenhorn, Colorado Territory, post office operated from December 10, 1866, until December 15, 1911.

Old Colorado City in Colorado Springs used to be Colorado City but was later renamed.

Geography

Colorado City is located in the Greenhorn Valley.

The CDP has an area of 39.030 km2, including 0.295 km2 of water.

Demographics

|1990|1,149 |2000|2,018 |2010|2,193 |2020|2,237

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,018 people, 760 households, and 582 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 58.5 PD/sqmi. There were 845 housing units at an average density of 24.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 92.57% White, 0.99% African American, 1.88% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.38% from other races, and 1.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.17% of the population.

There were 760 households, out of which 36.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.7% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.4% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $37,331, and the median income for a family was $44,758. Males had a median income of $32,396 versus $21,000 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $17,247. About 5.7% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

The United States Census Bureau initially defined the Colorado City CDP for the 1990 United States census.

Government

Colorado City is a metropolitan district, a type of special district established under Colorado law. It is governed by an elected, five-member board of directors and managed by an appointed district manager.

The metropolitan district operates Lake Beckwith, which provides recreational opportunities for residents and visitors. The lake also forms the Lake Beckwith State Wildlife Area, one of several hundred state wildlife areas in Colorado managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Colorado City also has a public golf course and club house.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Colorado City is part of Colorado's Bustang network. It is on the Trinidad-Pueblo Outrider line.

Education

Colorado City is within the Pueblo County School District. The community is home to Craver Middle School. Rye Elementary School and Rye High School in the neighboring town of Rye serve the students of Colorado City.

References

References

1. {{cite gnis
2. "Colorado Counties". [[Colorado Department of Local Affairs]].
3. "State of Colorado Census Designated Places - BAS20 - Data as of January 1, 2020". [[United States Census Bureau]].
4. United States Census Bureau. "Colorado City CDP, Colorado".
5. "ZIP Code Lookup". [[United States Postal Service]].
6. "Greenhorn Chronology". Pueblo City-County Library.
7. (1990). "Colorado Post Offices 1859–1989". [[Colorado Railroad Museum.
8. https://www.shopoldcoloradocity.com/our-history
9. . (2018-05-19). ["Colorado City: Greenhorn Valley's scenic hub"](https://www.chieftain.com/dfc752d3-6d2f-5ebf-8fff-915cf0fa28f8.html). *The Pueblo Chieftain*.
10. . (2019). ["Metro Board"](https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/coloradocitymetro/metro-board). *State of Colorado*.
11. . (2016). ["CCPR—Lake Beckwith information"](https://www.cocityparksandrec.com/beckwith.html).
12. . (2018-01-31). ["Lake Beckwith State Wildlife Area"](https://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Maps/LakeBeckwithSWA_geo.pdf). *Colorado Parks and Wildlife*.
13. . (2018). ["Hollydot Golf Club"](https://www.hollydotgolf.com/).
14. "Bustang Schedule". CDOT.
15. Geography Division. (December 17, 2020). "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Pueblo County, CO". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
16. "Pueblo School District No. 70 Middle School Boundaries". [[Pueblo County School District 70]].
17. "Pueblo School District No. 70 Elementary School Boundaries". [[Pueblo County School District 70]].
18. "Pueblo School District No. 70 High School Boundaries". [[Pueblo County School District 70]].