Windsor, Colorado
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Windsor is a small town located in northern Colorado in the counties of Weld and Larimer. [1] According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 14,874.[1]
It is located on the western edge of the county, the Cache la Poudre River runs through the town, on a high ground suitable for a railroad. It is approximately half-way between Fort Collins and Greeley on the BNSF Railway, and somewhat near the midpoint of a triangle formed by those two cities and Loveland. The centralized location of the town has given rise to rapid growth in the last two decades.
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[edit] Description
Windsor was founded in the late 19th century by German-American immigrant settlers near a stop on the Greeley, Salt Lake, and Pacific Railway in western Weld County between Fort Collins and Greeley. Throughout most of its history, the town economy was based on agriculture, in particular the cultivation of sugar beets. The Great Western Sugar plant provided the basis of town employment for much of the 20th century until its closure in the late 1960s. A Kodak manufacturing facility built southeast of town in the following years took its place as the mainstay of the town economy.
In the last two decades, Its central location among the population centers of northern Colorado, together with its proximity to Interstate 25, have made it the site of rapid urban growth, pariticularly on the western edge of town, as it grows towards the interchange on I-25. In the 1990s, the town limits were westward into Larimer County. The incorporated town limits west of Interstate 25 are now contiguous with Loveland, and are separated from southeast Fort Collins by the Fossil Creek Open Space [2], public lands of Larimer County acquired through a county-wide vote-approved sales tax.
The main business district of town is east-west, along Colorado Highway 392, which also serves as Windsor's Main Street. The oldest Main Street buildings are Victorian two-story commercial structures, dating from the late 19th century. The BNSF line runs north of Main Street. The historic early grid of the town extends for roughly ten blocks south of Main, with a vibrant square green, called Main Park southeast of downtown. The park is surrounded by one-story residences, and by the Town Hall (formerly a school), at the north end.
Windsor Lake [3], a small reservoir in the irrigation system of Weld County, is one block north of the BNSF tracks. The lake is a popular spot for fishing. In the last decade, part of the perimeter of the lake has been rimmed with a bikepath. The current plans for a bicycle trail throughout the Colorado Front Range include a segment that connects to the local paths, and then to Fort Collins and Greeley along the north bank of the Poudre.
The town is served by a twice-weekly newspaper, the Gannett-owned Windsor Beacon, and a weekly paper, the Windsor Tribune. The Beacon is the oldest publication in town, dating back to 1896 when it was called the Windsor Leader. Windsor's high school mascot is the Wizards. In 1924 the then-Bulldogs won the United States Interscholastic Basketball Championship with a 25-6 victory over Yankton, S.D. After the first round of play, a newspaper story from Chicago described the team as the "western boys," the "Rocky Mountain team," and "wizards" with the ball - 'the Windsor Wizards.'" The school's official mascot name was the Bulldogs, but would soon change to the Wizards. Chimney Park, which features three baseball diamonds and an outdoor swimming pool, sits on the eastern edge of town and includes the historic property of an early 20th century mill. The scenic vista of Longs Peak and other Front Range mountain available from nearly all the town is widely considered one of the catalysts for new residential growth.
The recent 1990s development on the western edge, on the bluff overlooking the Poudre, is of modern subdivision type, and includes a golf course. The residential population of the new development includes day commuters to Fort Collins, Denver, Loveland, and other communities in the area.
[edit] Geography
Windsor is located at (40.477333, -104.911812)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 38.7 km² (15.0 mi²). 37.9 km² (14.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.8 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (2.07%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 9,896 people, 3,563 households, and 2,697 families residing in the town. The population density was 260.8/km² (675.6/mi²). There were 3,692 housing units at an average density of 97.3/km² (252.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.75% White, 0.45% African American, 0.74% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 4.26% from other races, and 2.21% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.50% of the population.
There were 3,563 households out of which 42.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.2% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.3% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.8% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 35.1% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 7.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $54,976, and the median income for a family was $60,305. Males had a median income of $42,543 versus $29,280 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,957. About 3.9% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] References
- ^ Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Colorado (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division (June 21, 2006). Retrieved on November 17, 2006.
[edit] External links
- Town of Windsor (official website)
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
