Marble, Colorado

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Blocks of cut marble at the historic quarry in Marble

Marble is a town in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The population was 105 at the 2000 census. The community is located in a valley of the upper Crystal River along the Elk Mountains, accessible by a gravel road from Colorado State Highway 133. Unlike most of Gunnison County, the town is located on the north side of McClure Pass in the valley of the Crystal, and is thus somewhat separated geographically from the rest of the county.

The town is noted as the location of a historic marble quarry along the mountains that began operations in the late 19th century, and from which the town draws its name. The marble of the quarry is considered to be of exceptional quality and has been used for the Tomb of the Unknowns, as well as for parts of the Lincoln Memorial and civic buildings in San Francisco. It was also used for the construction of the Equitable Building, a historically important early skyscraper in New York City.

The quarry has enjoyed an important renaissance since its acquisition in 2004 by Polycor, a Canadian-based dimension stone company. In spite of significant transportation costs, this high-quality stone is now exported in large quantities to Europe and Asia for transformation and use throughout the world, as well as being sold into the US market. In the late 20th century the community has also become a small summer resort destination, benefiting from the quarry's renown.

[edit] Geography

Marble is located at 39°4′20″N, 107°11′22″W (39.072274, -107.189516)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 105 people, 45 households, and 27 families residing in the town. The population density was 109.6/km² (282.2/mi²). There were 74 housing units at an average density of 77.2/km² (198.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.05% White, 0.95% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.95% of the population.

There were 45 households out of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples living together, and 40.0% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the town the population was spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 2.9% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 42.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 118.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 133.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $46,094, and the median income for a family was $47,292. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $20,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,509. There were no families and 2.7% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.