Lamar, Colorado
| Lamar, Colorado | |
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| — City — | |
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| Coordinates: 38°05′10″N 102°37′10″W / 38.08611°N 102.61944°WCoordinates: 38°05′10″N 102°37′10″W / 38.08611°N 102.61944°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  State of Colorado |
| County | Prowers County Seat[1] |
| Incorporated | December 5, 1886[2] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Home Rule Municipality[1] |
| • Mayor | Roger Stagner[3] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.2 sq mi (11 km2) |
| • Land | 4.2 sq mi (11 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation[4] | 3,625 ft (1,105 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 8,869 |
| • Density | 2,111.7/sq mi (806.3/km2) |
| Time zone | Mountain (MST) (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP code[5] | 81052 |
| Area code(s) | 719 |
| FIPS code | 08-43110 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0203835 |
| Website | www.ci.lamar.co.us |
Lamar is a Home Rule Municipality and county seat of Prowers County, Colorado, United States.[6] The city population was 8,869 at the U.S. Census 2000.
Contents |
History[edit]
The northern site of the Pierre Auger Observatory of ultra-high energy cosmic rays is planned to be built near Lamar.[7]
Geography and climate[edit]
Lamar is located at 38°5′10″N 102°37′10″W / 38.08611°N 102.61944°W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.2 square miles (11 km2), all of it land. Lamar is east of Pueblo, on the Arkansas River in southeastern Colorado.
Lamar is antipodal, or globally opposite, to Ile Amsterdam, an island in the southern Indian Ocean, making Lamar one of only three locations in the United States that is opposite another landmass on earth.
| Climate data for Lamar, Colorado (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 45.2 (7.3) |
49.3 (9.6) |
59.5 (15.3) |
69.0 (20.6) |
77.9 (25.5) |
87.6 (30.9) |
93.2 (34) |
90.7 (32.6) |
82.8 (28.2) |
70.3 (21.3) |
56.3 (13.5) |
45.3 (7.4) |
68.9 (20.5) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 14.4 (−9.8) |
18.4 (−7.6) |
27.0 (−2.8) |
36.4 (2.4) |
47.4 (8.6) |
57.1 (13.9) |
62.5 (16.9) |
61.0 (16.1) |
51.4 (10.8) |
36.5 (2.5) |
24.0 (−4.4) |
14.8 (−9.6) |
37.6 (3.1) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 0.43 (10.9) |
0.49 (12.4) |
0.87 (22.1) |
1.32 (33.5) |
2.11 (53.6) |
2.39 (60.7) |
2.35 (59.7) |
2.51 (63.8) |
1.35 (34.3) |
1.01 (25.7) |
0.52 (13.2) |
0.46 (11.7) |
15.82 (401.8) |
| Snowfall inches (cm) | 6.5 (16.5) |
5.3 (13.5) |
4.8 (12.2) |
1.7 (4.3) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.0 (0) |
0.1 (0.3) |
1.4 (3.6) |
3.3 (8.4) |
5.9 (15) |
29.1 (73.9) |
| Source: NOAA[8] | |||||||||||||
Demographics[edit]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1990 | 8,343 |
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| 2000 | 8,869 | 6.3% | |
| 2010 | 7,804 | −12.0% | |
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As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 8,869 people, 3,324 households, and 2,247 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,095.8 people per square mile (809.5/km²). There were 3,656 housing units at an average density of 863.9/sq mi (333.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.24% White, 0.38% African American, 1.48% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 18.81% from other races, and 2.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 36.54% of the population.
There were 3,324 households out of which 36.0% had children living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.18.
In the city the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,660, and the median income for a family was $32,560. Males had a median income of $24,145 versus $20,133 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,900. About 14.4% of families and 19.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.5% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education[edit]
Primary and secondary education[edit]
Lamar is part of School District RE-2.[10]
Lamar is also home to Lamar Community College.
Infrastructure[edit]
Transportation[edit]
Rail[edit]
Lamar receives intercity passenger rail service via Amtrak's Southwest Chief, which runs between Chicago and Los Angeles, stopping twice each day, once in each direction. See Lamar (Amtrak station).
Highways[edit]
US 50 is an east-west highway running from Interstate 80 near West Sacramento, California to an intersection with Maryland State Highway 528 at Ocean City, Maryland. It is also the main route to Pueblo and Las Animas.
Prowers County Road 196 (state has abandoned highway) is a 11.4-mile (18.3 km) stretch that connects around Lamar to Wiley.
US 287/385 are two concurrent highways that run south through Lamar. They connect Lamar to Springfield. US 287 runs from Texas State Highway 87 in Port Arthur, Texas to US 89 at Choteau, Montana. US 385 runs from Big Bend National Park in Texas to US 85 in Deadwood, SD.
Notable people[edit]
- Gordon L. Allott — U.S. Senator from Colorado from 1955–1973, practiced law in Lamar.
- Doug Brocail — Major League Baseball pitcher.
- Ken Curtis — Actor (Festus Haggen on Gunsmoke) and Western music singer, reared in Las Animas near Lamar
- Scott Elarton — Major League Baseball pitcher.
- Wayne R. Grisham — California politician.
See also[edit]
- Outline of Colorado
- State of Colorado
- Lamar Amtrak train station
- Madonna of the Trail monument
- National Old Trails Road
- Santa Fe National Historic Trail
- Autovon[11]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Active Colorado Municipalities". State of Colorado, Department of Local Affairs. Retrieved 2007-09-01.
- ^ "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. 2004-12-01. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
- ^ "2009 - 2011 City Elected Officials". City of Lamar. Retrieved 2011-11-25.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "ZIP Code Lookup" (JavaScript/HTML). United States Postal Service. Retrieved November 13, 2007.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Pierre Auger Observatory - Northern Auger Site
- ^ "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved May 04, 2013.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ Lamar School District
- ^ Former Autovon Switching Centers.
Further reading[edit]
- The National Old Trails Road To Southern California, Part 1 (LA to KC); Automobile Club Of Southern California; 64 pages; 1916. (Download 6.8MB PDF eBook)
External links[edit]
- City of Lamar
- Lamar Ledger, local newspaper
- Lamar City Map, CDOT
- Santa Fe Trail Research Site
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