| City of Brush, Colorado | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| Location in Morgan County and the State of Colorado | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | State of Colorado |
| County | Morgan County[1] |
| Incorporated | November 24, 1884[2] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Statutory City[1] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.4 sq mi (6.3 km2) |
| • Land | 2.4 sq mi (6.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation[3] | 4,229 ft (1,289 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 5,117 |
| • Density | 2,132.1/sq mi (812.2/km2) |
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP code | 80723[4] |
| Area code(s) | 970 |
| FIPS code | 08-09555 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0204723 |
| Website | City of Brush |
The City of Brush is a Statutory City located in Morgan County, Colorado, United States. The population was 5,117 at the 2000 census.
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Brush is located at (40.257836, -103.628109)[5].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km2), all of it land.
Brush is a small city where agriculture and ranching still make up a large part of the local economy. The major community events of the year are the Morgan County Fair and the Brush Rodeo. The Brush Rodeo, held July 2–5, is known as the largest amateur rodeo in the world and brings contestants from all over the West. The County Fair is the showcase for the local youth and adult's 4-H projects and livestock.
The Brush city mascot is the Beetdigger[6]- the name derives from the importance of the annual sugar beet crop. Beetdigger Stadium fills for each football game, and over the years Beetdiggers have brought home numerous state championships.
Brush is home to many retirees that move into the town from the outlying farms in northeastern Colorado. The town is home to several retirement communities, including Ebenezer and Sunset Manor.
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 5,117 people, 1,836 households, and 1,233 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,120.0 people per square mile (819.8/km²). There were 1,923 housing units at an average density of 796.7 per square mile (308.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.81% White, 0.39% African American, 0.51% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 20.19% from other races, and 2.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 37.21% of the population.
There were 1,836 households out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.29.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,333, and the median income for a family was $39,094. Males had a median income of $24,431 versus $20,371 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,672. About 5.4% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.1% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.
Brush, Colorado was named for Jared L. Brush. Brush came west to mine gold west of Denver in 1859, making him a "Fifty-Niner". Along with his brothers, William and John, he homesteaded in northeast Colorado on the Big Thompson River north of present day Johnstown. Brush served as Weld County commissioner and sheriff, was elected to the state legislature, and served as Lieutenant Governor twice. The town was named for him in 1882.
Frank Mercer was the longest running announcer of Beetdigger football teams. Mr. Mercer was also a science teacher and auto devotee. He could often be spotted tooling around the streets of Morgan County in one of his old cars at about 20 miles per hour.
Travis McGee, a graduate of Brush High School, is a program manager in the Development and Evolution group at United Launch Alliance. McGee is responsible for several development projects to enhance the reliability of the Atlas V and Delta IV launch systems. Prior to program management role, he was a lead project engineer responsible for development of flight hardware and a standard integration service to deploy up to six auxiliary spacecraft. Before joining ULA, McGee was the lead project engineer at Aerojet on a divert and attitude control propulsion system for a missile defense interceptor. There he led a multidiscipline team from proposal generation, through three major design gates and into production for the latest DACS block upgrade. Travis began his career as an Air Force Officer serving one tour at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, managing the second stage of a propulsion replacement program for the Minuteman III missile. His second tour was at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, as a systems engineer on a complex trade study and system architecture of a space based laser concept. McGee earned his Masters of Science in aerospace engineering from University of Southern California in 2006 and his Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology in 1995.[8]
Another BHS graduate, Chad Friehauf, 6-6, 211 pounds, finished his career at Division II Colorado School of Mines as its all-time leader in passing yards (9,873), touchdown passes (84), attempts (1,183) and completions (773). He was 22-8 (.733) as a three-year starter at CSM, marking the ninth best career winning percentage in Division II history among quarterbacks with a minimum of 25 starts. Friehauf’s 10,679 total yards of offense and 84 touchdown passes rank sixth and 15th, respectively, all-time in Division II annals. In 2004, Friehauf received the Harlon Hill Trophy as the top player in Division II after setting NCAA single-season records in passing yards (4,646) and completions (384). Friehauf, the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year, threw 39 touchdowns in 2004 while rushing for 717 yards with 15 scores as part of a Division II single-season record 5,363 yards of total offense. He led CSM to its first-ever playoff win and accounted for 1,044 of the 1,127 yards gained by CSM in its two postseason games. Friehauf became CSM’s starting quarterback midway through his sophomore season in 2002 and earned honorable mention All-RMAC accolades from 2002-03. A first-team all-state selection in football, basketball and baseball at Brush High School in Brush, Colorado, Chad Friehauf was born August 31, 1982.[9]
Brush Municipal Airport serves the town, but there are no scheduled airlines operating from there. The closest airport with airline service is Denver International Airport, which is 86 miles southwest. The nearby town of Fort Morgan, located 11 miles east, is served by the Amtrak's California Zephyr with a daily departure on each direction.
Brush[10] is governed via the mayor-council system. The mayor is elected by the entire city. The council consists of six members who are elected from wards. Each ward elect two members.
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