Silverton, Colorado
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Town of Silverton, Colorado | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  State of Colorado |
| County[1] | San Juan County - seat[2] |
| Established | 1876 |
| Incorporated | November 15, 1885[3] |
| Government | |
| - Type | Statutory Town[1] |
| - Mayor | Greg Swanson |
| Area | |
| - Total | 0.8 sq mi (2.1 km²) |
| - Land | 0.8 sq mi (2.1 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²) |
| Elevation [4] | 9,308 ft (2,837 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 531 |
| - Density | 656.0/sq mi (253.3/km²) |
| Time zone | Mountain (MST) (UTC-7) |
| - Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP code[5] | 81433 (PO Box) |
| Area code(s) | 970 |
| FIPS code | 08-70580 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0204750 |
| Website: Town of Silverton | |
| Silverton Historic District | |
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| (U.S. National Historic Landmark) | |
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| Location: | Silverton, Colorado |
| Built/Founded: | 1874 |
| Architect: | Multiple |
| Architectural style(s): | Late Victorian (original) Other (increase) |
| Designated as NHL: | July 04, 1961[6] |
| Added to NRHP: | October 15, 1966 (original) April 03, 1997 (increase) |
| NRHP Reference#: | 66000255 (original) 97000247 (increase) |
| Governing body: | Local (original) BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT (increase) |
The historic Town of Silverton is a Statutory Town that is the county seat of, and the only incorporated municipality in, San Juan County, Colorado, United States.[8] Silverton is a former silver mining camp, most or all of which is now included in a federally designated National Historic Landmark District. The town population was 531 at U.S. Census 2000.[9]
Silverton is linked to Durango by the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, a National Historic Landmark. Silverton no longer has active mining, but subsists by tourism, maintenance of US 550 (which links |Montrose with Durango via Silverton)), mine pollution remediation, and retirees.
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[edit] Geography
Silverton is located at (37.812545, -107.662994)[10].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), all of it land. Silverton is one of the highest towns in the United States, at 9,305 feet (2,836 m) above sea level.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 531 people, 255 households, and 149 families residing in the town. The population density was 656.0 people per square mile (253.1/km²). There were 430 housing units at an average density of 531.2/sq mi (205.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.36% White, 0.75% Native American, 0.38% Pacific Islander, 0.75% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.72% of the population.
There were 255 households out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.2% were non-families. 36.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.06 and the average family size was 2.63.
In the town the population was spread out with 20.7% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 39.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 108.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $30,486, and the median income for a family was $39,375. Males had a median income of $30,588 versus $19,886 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,839. About 14.0% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.4% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
The local school system has a total of 53 K-through-12 students as of November, 2006.
[edit] Notable residents
- Robert Baer, author and former case officer at the Central Intelligence Agency
[edit] Silverton in Popular Culture
In the novel The Christopher Killer by Alane Ferguson, the main setting is in Silverton.
[edit] See also
- Alpine Loop National Scenic Back Country Byway [1]
- Animas River
- Colorado municipalities
- Durango-Silverton Narrow-Gauge Railroad National Historic District
- Million Dollar Highway
- San Juan County, Colorado
- San Juan Mountains
- San Juan Skyway National Scenic Byway
- Shenandoah-Dives (Mayflower) Mill
- Silverton National Historic District
- State of Colorado
- Hardrock Hundred Mile Endurance Run
[edit] References
- ^ a b Active Colorado Municipalities (HTML). State of Colorado, Department of Local Affairs. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
- ^ Colorado County Seats (HTML). State of Colorado, Department of Public Health and Environment. Retrieved on 2007-12-31.
- ^ Colorado Municipal Incorporations (HTML). State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives (2004-12-01). Retrieved on 2007-09-02.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ ZIP Code Lookup (JavaScript/HTML). United States Postal Service. Retrieved on 2008-01-02.
- ^ Silverton Historic District. National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved on 2007-10-13.
- ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2007-01-23).
- ^ 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 2007-05-29.
- ^ 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
- Town of Silverton website
- Silverton history and photos at Western Mining History
- Silverton Historic District photos and documentation from Historic American Buildings Survey
- Durango Herald Newspaper Durango Herald Newspaper
- Silverton, Colorado photograph by Ansel Adams in 1951
- Silverton, Colorado is at coordinates Coordinates:
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