Cañon City, Colorado

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Coordinates: 38°26′48″N 105°13′42″W / 38.44667, -105.22833
City of Cañon City, Colorado
Nickname: Climate Capital of Colorado
Location in Fremont County and the State of Colorado
Country	United States
State	State of Colorado
County	Fremont County Seat^[1]
Settled	1860
Incorporated	April 3, 1872^[2]
Government
- Type	Home Rule Municipality^[1]
Area
- Total	12.0 sq mi (31.2 km²)
- Land	12.0 sq mi (31.1 km²)
Elevation	5,332 ft (1,625 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	15,431
- Density	1,284.1/sq mi (495.7/km²)
Time zone	MST (UTC-7)
- Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP codes^[3]	81212 & 81215 (PO Box)
Area code(s)	719
Website: City of Cañon City

Located in Cañon City's National Historic District, the St. Cloud Hotel has stood at the corner of 6th and Main since 1888. It is currently unoccupied after a string of failed attempts to revive the business.

Royal Gorge in 1987

Arkansas Riverwalk in Cañon City

"Canon City" redirects here. For the Canon City meteorite of 1973, see Meteorite falls.

For other similar names see also Canyon City.

The City of Cañon City (IPA: /ˈkænjən ˈsɪti/) is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Fremont County, Colorado, United States.^[4] The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 16,000 in 2005.^[5] Cañon City is famous for being the site of 9 state and 4 federal prisons. It straddles the Arkansas River, and is a popular tourist destination for Whitewater rafting and rock climbing.

In 1994, the Board on Geographic Names approved adding the tilde in the official name of Cañon City, a change from Canon City as the official name in decisions of 1906 and 1975.^[6]

Emory S. Land, U.S. Navy vice admiral and decorated hero, was born in Cañon City.

It is one of the very few U.S. cities to have an eñe in its name.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Places of interest
5 See also
6 References
7 External links
- 7.1 Area Attractions

[edit] History

Cañon City was founded in 1859 during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush as a commercial center for miners.

In 1861 the town raised two companies of volunteers for service with the Second Colorado Infantry in the American Civil War. The regiment fought battles in nearby New Mexico and as far east as Indian Territory (present day Oklahoma) and Missouri before mustering out of service in 1865.

In 1862, A. M. Cassaday drilled for petroleum six miles north of town, near an oil seep. He struck oil at a depth of 50 feet, and completed the first commercial oil well west of the Mississippi. He drilled five or six more wells nearby, and refined kerosene and fuel oil from the petroleum, and sold the products in Denver.^[7]

A number of ore smelters were built in Cañon City following the discovery of gold at Cripple Creek in 1891.

[edit] Geography

Cañon City is located at 38°26′48″N, 105°13′42″W (38.446800, -105.228305)^[8] at an altitude of 5,332 ft (1,625 m).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.0 square miles (31.2 km²), of which, 12.0 square miles (31.1 km²) of it is land and 0.08% is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^[9] of 2000, there were 15,431 people, 6,164 households, and 3,803 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,284.1 people per square mile (495.7/km²). There were 6,617 housing units at an average density of 550.6/sq mi (212.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.15% White, 1.59% African American, 1.04% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.61% from other races, and 2.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.33% of the population.

There were 6,164 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.0% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 100.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,736, and the median income for a family was $42,917. Males had a median income of $31,258 versus $21,849 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,970. About 7.1% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Places of interest

Royal Gorge Route Railroad
Colorado State Penitentiary
Royal Gorge Bridge
Buckskin Joe
The Owl, local eatery converted from turn-of-the-century cigar shop
Canon City Chamber of Commerce

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b Active Colorado Municipalities (HTML). State of Colorado, Department of Local Affairs. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
^ Colorado Municipal Incorporations (HTML). State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives (2004-12-01). Retrieved on 2007-09-02.
^ ZIP Code Lookup (JavaScript/HTML). United States Postal Service. Retrieved on September 7, 2007.
^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005 (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division (2006-06-20). Retrieved on 2007-05-04.
^ USGS Geographic Names Information System[1]
^ Francis M. Van Tuyl and Arthur E. Brainerd (1960) Historical summary, in Mineral Resources of Colorado First Sequel, Denver: Colorado Mineral Resources Board, p.491-492.
^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links

[edit] Area Attractions

Cañon City, Colorado is at coordinates 38°26′49″N 105°13′42″W / 38.4468, -105.228305 (Cañon City, Colorado)Coordinates: 38°26′49″N 105°13′42″W / 38.4468, -105.228305 (Cañon City, Colorado)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Fremont County, Colorado

County seat: Canon City

Cities	Cañon City \| Florence

Towns	Brookside \| Coal Creek \| Rockvale \| Williamsburg

CDPs	Lincoln Park \| Penrose

Unincorporated communities	Coaldale \| Cotopaxi \| Hillside \| Howard