Woodland Park, Colorado

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City of Woodland Park, Colorado
City
A section of historic downtown Woodland Park.
A section of historic downtown Woodland Park.
Nickname(s): The city above the clouds
Location in Teller County and the state of Colorado
Location in Teller County and the state of Colorado
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country  United States
State  Colorado
County[1] Teller County
Incorporated June 6, 1891[2]
Government
 • Type Home Rule Municipality[1]
 • Mayor Neil Levy[3]
Area
 • Total 5.7 sq mi (14.7 km2)
 • Land 5.7 sq mi (14.7 km2)
 • Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation 8,465 ft (2,580 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 6,515
 • Density 1,143/sq mi (443.2/km2)
Time zone MST (UTC-7)
 • Summer (DST) MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code[4] 80863, 80866 (PO Box)
Area code(s) 719
FIPS code 08-86090
GNIS feature ID 0204768
Website www.citywoodlandpark.org

The City of Woodland Park is a Home Rule Municipality that is the most populous city in Teller County, Colorado, United States and is immediately west of El Paso County and the unincorporated community of Crystola. Many residents in this bedroom community, which is surrounded by the one-million acre (4,000 km²) Pike National Forest, make the 17-mile (27 km) commute to Colorado Springs. Ute Pass lies 12 miles (19 km) to the west of Woodland Park on US 24. The population was 6,515 at the 2000 census. Nearby Douglas County is about a fifteen-minute drive from the city.

Called the "The City Above the Clouds," Woodland Park, at 8,465 feet (2,580 m) above sea level, often enjoys clear skies while weather in neighboring towns may be rainy or overcast. The city has pursued a policy of careful growth, and enjoys dramatic views of Pikes Peak. Woodland Park offers easy access to hiking, climbing, and fishing. Because of the city's location, there is a natural limitation to population growth.

Geography

File:Rampart-range-road.jpg
View of Pikes Peak, from Woodland Park

Woodland Park is located at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (38.998226, -105.056269),[5] at the eastern intersection of U.S. Highway 24 and State Highway 67. (The highways overlap west to Divide.)

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.7 square miles (15 km2), all of it land.

File:WoodlandParkColoradoFromPikesPeakSeptember2011.JPG
Woodland Park as viewed from the summit of Pikes Peak

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1900 269
1910 163 −39.4%
1920 125 −23.3%
1930 194 55.2%
1940 372 91.8%
1950 391 5.1%
1960 666 70.3%
1970 1,022 53.5%
1980 2,634 157.7%
1990 4,610 75.0%
2000 6,515 41.3%
2010 7,200 10.5%
Est. 2014 7,194 [6] −0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]

As of the census[8] of 2000, there were 6,515 people, 2,476 households, and 1,884 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,151.0 people per square mile (444.4/km²). There were 2,642 housing units at an average density of 466.8 per square mile (180.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.89% White, 0.52% African American, 0.72% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.81% from other races, and 2.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.45% of the population.

File:WPLibrary4.png
Library in Downtown Woodland Park

There were 2,476 households out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.3% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $52,279, and the median income for a family was $59,583. Males had a median income of $36,157 versus $27,459 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,780. About 1.8% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

Students are served by Woodland Park School District RE-2.

Local notes

At roughly 8,500 feet (2,600 m), many residents find Colorado winters more tolerable than those in other parts of the country, with blue skies and warm days peppered throughout the season.

A number of full-time musicians reside in Woodland Park and the surrounding areas, and arts festivals have become more frequent in recent years, often held at the Ute Pass Cultural Center. Woodland Park is also the site of the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, a museum devoted to dinosaurs and fossils.

Climate

Woodland Park experiences an Alpine climate, due to its high elevation and its location in the Rocky Mountains. Summers are warm, but much milder than summers at lower elevations, such as in Colorado Springs, Denver, or the plains to the east. Nights are cool, even chilly in the summer. The last frost is usually in late May or early June, and the first frost is usually in early September. Winters can be bitterly cold, with freezing days, and nighttime temperatures often falling below zero. However, the surrounding mountains partially protect Woodland Park from some of the weather systems that often move down from the arctic in the winter. This also prevents Woodland Park from being warmed up in the spring and fall by the warm southerly winds that often raise temperatures in Colorado Springs and Denver. Woodland Park receives some rain in the summer months, and moderate amounts of snow throughout the rest of the year. Overall, the climate is similar to that in Colorado Springs, but substantially cooler and the weather is less prone to rapid change.

Climate data for Woodland Park, Colorado 1981–2010 normals
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 48
(9)
52
(11)
62
(17)
72
(22)
73
(23)
87
(31)
89
(32)
85
(29)
76
(24)
71
(22)
63
(17)
55
(13)
89
(32)
Average high °F (°C) 32.8
(0.4)
40.3
(4.6)
49.1
(9.5)
53.2
(11.8)
62.2
(16.8)
74.6
(23.7)
78.9
(26.1)
76.8
(24.9)
69.6
(20.9)
61.7
(16.5)
50.9
(10.5)
32.3
(0.2)
56.87
(13.83)
Daily mean °F (°C) 14.9
(−9.5)
25.3
(−3.7)
33.2
(0.7)
37.2
(2.9)
46.1
(7.8)
55.3
(12.9)
61.0
(16.1)
60.2
(15.7)
52.1
(11.2)
43.2
(6.2)
32.9
(0.5)
18.2
(−7.7)
39.97
(4.43)
Average low °F (°C) −3.1
(−19.5)
10.3
(−12.1)
17.5
(−8.1)
21.2
(−6)
30.0
(−1.1)
36.1
(2.3)
43.2
(6.2)
43.6
(6.4)
34.6
(1.4)
24.7
(−4.1)
15.0
(−9.4)
3.7
(−15.7)
23.07
(−4.98)
Record low °F (°C) −28
(−33)
−15
(−26)
−12
(−24)
1
(−17)
20
(−7)
28
(−2)
37
(3)
38
(3)
23
(−5)
−2
(−19)
−8
(−22)
−20
(−29)
−28
(−33)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.88
(22.4)
0.18
(4.6)
0.35
(8.9)
0.76
(19.3)
2.15
(54.6)
2.75
(69.9)
3.23
(82)
4.02
(102.1)
1.20
(30.5)
0.39
(9.9)
0.09
(2.3)
0.84
(21.3)
16.84
(427.7)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 13.5
(34.3)
8.3
(21.1)
11.0
(27.9)
6.0
(15.2)
1.7
(4.3)
0.2
(0.5)
0
(0)
0
(0)
0.6
(1.5)
2.8
(7.1)
2.0
(5.1)
11.3
(28.7)
57.4
(145.8)
[citation needed]

Notable residents

See also

References

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External links