Eastern Plains
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The Eastern Plains of Colorado refers to a region of the U.S. state of Colorado east of the Rocky Mountains and east of the population centers of the Front Range.
Geography
The Eastern Plains are part of the High Plains, which are the westernmost portion of the Great Plains region. The region is characterized mostly by rolling plains, divided by the South Platte River and Arkansas River valleys. There are also several deciduous forests and a few natural lakes and rivers. The Eastern Plains rise from approximately 3,500 feet at the eastern border of Colorado with Kansas, where the Arkansas river leaves the state, to 6,000 feet east of the Denver Basin.[1]
Most of the Eastern Plains region lies within Colorado's 4th congressional district.
Even though Colorado is considered a quintessential Western state, this region is considered[according to whom?] the Midwest.[citation needed]
Climate
The Eastern Plains have a continental climate and receive a moderate amount of rainfall. Summers are typically hot and humid, often bringing thunderstorms, which are often severe to the area, with some occasionally forming landspouts and tornadoes. Eastern Colorado winters are snowy, icy, windy and bitterly cold. Temperatures have occasionally plummeted to -40 to -30 degrees Fahrenheit in extreme cold waves.[2]
Time zones
All of Colorado is in the Mountain Time Zone. [3]
History
Native Americans
Eastern Colorado was once home to many Native American tribes. The Plains Indians that lived in the region included the Arapahoe, Cheyenne, Comanche, Kiowa, Pawnee, and Sioux. [4]
Settlement
The original settlers of Eastern Colorado were German immigrants who farmed in the area. Many of the family farms in the region are still operated by the descendants of these immigrants, and German is still spoken in some areas.[5][failed verification][dead link]
Population
The Eastern Colorado plains are among the most sparsely populated areas in the continental United States. Some of the region, with the exception of comparatively urban areas like Fort Morgan, are experiencing depopulation, which in some areas began with the influenza pandemic of 1918 and agricultural price collapses after World War I.[6] The Dust Bowl devastated the region and further accelerated this outmigration. Kiowa County demonstrates the population decline and its associated effects.
Eastern Colorado is mainly Caucasian with German as their largest ethnicity.
Most of the people in Eastern Colorado have a Northern or Upper Midwestern accent.[citation needed]
Parks
Both the Pawnee National Grasslands and Comanche National Grasslands are located in the Eastern Plains. They are composed of marginal farmlands that were withdrawn from agriculture and consolidated under federal control beginning in the Dust Bowl.[7]
Agriculture
Eastern Colorado is largely covered in farmland and is very agricultural, with many small farming communities. The major cash crops are corn, wheat, hay, oats, and soybeans. As well as crop farming there is also significant livestock farming, including both cattle farming and hog farming. There is also a lot of dairy farming, and poultry farming, including chicken for meat and egg production and turkey farming. Most of the towns in the region have grain elevators and prominent water towers. [8]
Education
In Eastern Colorado most small towns have their own schools and sports teams, but in some parts where depopulation has been the worst, a single school is shared among surrounding towns. There are also a number of schools serving students in grades K-12 run by religious groups our public school districts. Eastern Colorado is one of the few remaining places in the United States with still operating one room school houses. [9]
Transportation
Eastern Colorado roads span the gamut from paved roads to gravel roads to dirt roads. The unpaved roads are typically county or local roads that do not receive enough traffic to be paved. Some of the major paved roads include:
- US Route 6
- US Route 24
- US Route 36
- US Route 40
- US Route 50
- US Route 160
- US Route 287
- US Route 350
- US Route 385
- CO Highway 10
- CO Highway 11
- CO Highway 36
- CO Highway 59
- CO Highway 71
- CO Highway 86
- CO Highway 94
- CO Highway 96
Religion
The most prominent religion in Eastern Colorado is Christianity, with Roman Catholicism as the largest denomination. There are also a few Traditional Catholic churches in the area.
See also
References
- ^ "Eastern Plains" (HTML). Colorado State University. Retrieved December 5 2007.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|dateformat=ignored (help) - ^ http://climate.colostate.edu/climateofcolorado.php
- ^ "Standard Time Zone Boundaries". United States Government Printing Office. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
- ^ http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~conamer/
- ^ http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:OhxbFFWsYDoJ:encarta.msn.com/text_761587483___0/German_Americans.html+german+americans+msn+encarta+printer+friendly&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
- ^ "Pawnee National Grassland History" (HTML). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. March 24 2004. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Chronological History of National Grasslands" (PDF). U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. Retrieved 2007-12-05.
- ^ http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Ag_Overview/AgOverview_CO.pdf
- ^ http://profiles.nationalrelocation.com/profiles/search