Fraser, Colorado

Town of Fraser, Colorado
Statutory Town

Cozens Ranch Museum (1874)

Location in Grand County and the state of Colorado
Coordinates: 39°56′39″N 105°48′48″W / 39.94417°N 105.81333°WCoordinates: 39°56′39″N 105°48′48″W / 39.94417°N 105.81333°W
Country USA
State Colorado
County[1] Grand
Established 1871
Incorporated (town) June 15, 1953[2]
Government
 • Type Statutory Town[1][3]
 • Mayor Peggy Smith[3]
Area
 • Total 1.9 sq mi (4.8 km2)
 • Land 1.9 sq mi (4.8 km2)
 • Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation 8,574 ft (2,613 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 1,224
 • Density 644.2/sq mi (255.0/km2)
Time zone MST (UTC-7)
 • Summer (DST) MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code[4] 80442
Area code(s) 970
Highways US 40
GNIS feature ID 0204701
Website Town of Fraser

The Town of Fraser is a Statutory Town in Grand County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,224 at the 2010 census. The town is in Middle Park in the valley of the Fraser River along U.S. Highway 40. Its location northwest of Winter Park, the location of a popular ski resort, has provided growth in recent years with new condominium and other real estate developments.

History

This town is at an elevation of 8550 feet (2601 m) and was established in 1904 in anticipation of the arrival of the Moffat Railroad. It was laid out on the western high bank of the Fraser River by George Eastom and originally named for him, but this name did not stick, for the town soon resorted to the name given the original rural post office: Fraser. The origin of the name Fraser cannot be confirmed. Rueben Frazier, an early settler in the area, was well known by most of the locals and it wasn't long before people started calling the town Frazier. When the US Postal Authority granted a post office they wanted an easier spelling so took the name of the nearby Fraser River. It was the center of the timber industry until the Forest Service headquarters was moved to Hot Sulphur Springs in 1915, and the Ranger Station to Idlewild. The town was incorporated in 1953.[2]

Geography

Fraser is located at 39°56′39″N 105°48′48″W / 39.94417°N 105.81333°W (39.944158, -105.813355).[5]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2), of which, 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km2) of it (1.07%) is water.

Climate

Fraser, with an annual mean temperature of 32.5 °F (or 34.8 °F (1.6 °C) based on another station in town) is the coldest incorporated town in the lower 48 states. It also has the shortest growing season with an average of only 4 to 7 days (depending on which weather station data is used) and can and does get frost year-round. Both Fraser and International Falls, Minnesota have claimed the title "Icebox of the Nation," which has caused conflict between the two towns over the years.[6] According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Fraser has a subarctic climate, abbreviated "Dfc" on climate maps.

Climate data for Fraser, Colorado
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 50
(10)		 55
(13)		 63
(17)		 72
(22)		 81
(27)		 87
(31)		 94
(34)		 98
(37)		 82
(28)		 75
(24)		 65
(18)		 58
(14)		 98
(37)
Average high °F (°C) 28.5
(−1.9)		 31.8
(−0.1)		 36.8
(2.7)		 46.4
(8)		 57.9
(14.4)		 67.9
(19.9)		 73.4
(23)		 71.6
(22)		 65.3
(18.5)		 54.0
(12.2)		 39.2
(4)		 30.0
(−1.1)		 50.23
(10.13)
Daily mean °F (°C) 11.6
(−11.3)		 14.7
(−9.6)		 20.6
(−6.3)		 31.2
(−0.4)		 41.0
(5)		 48.6
(9.2)		 53.9
(12.2)		 52.1
(11.2)		 45.1
(7.3)		 35.5
(1.9)		 22.6
(−5.2)		 13.2
(−10.4)		 32.51
(0.3)
Average low °F (°C) −5.4
(−20.8)		 −2.4
(−19.1)		 4.1
(−15.5)		 16.0
(−8.9)		 24.1
(−4.4)		 29.4
(−1.4)		 34.4
(1.3)		 31.6
(−0.2)		 24.9
(−3.9)		 16.9
(−8.4)		 5.9
(−14.5)		 −3.5
(−19.7)		 14.67
(−9.63)
Record low °F (°C) −53
(−47)		 −49
(−45)		 −39
(−39)		 −30
(−34)		 −1
(−18)		 12
(−11)		 18
(−8)		 15
(−9)		 −2
(−19)		 −18
(−28)		 −37
(−38)		 −50
(−46)		 −53
(−47)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 1.61
(40.9)		 1.55
(39.4)		 1.67
(42.4)		 1.99
(50.5)		 1.72
(43.7)		 1.49
(37.8)		 1.95
(49.5)		 1.71
(43.4)		 1.50
(38.1)		 1.27
(32.3)		 1.21
(30.7)		 1.46
(37.1)		 19.13
(485.8)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 23.4
(59.4)		 22.9
(58.2)		 21.6
(54.9)		 20.6
(52.3)		 5.6
(14.2)		 0.7
(1.8)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 1.5
(3.8)		 9.3
(23.6)		 16.8
(42.7)		 20.0
(50.8)		 142.5
(362)
Source: http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?cofras''

Icebox of the Nation

Fraser, Colorado have been in a dispute with International Falls, Minnesota since 1956 over use of the trademark "Icebox of the Nation." [7] After several years of legal battles, the United States Patent and Trademark Office officially registered the slogan with International Falls on January 29, 2008. [8]

Demographics

Downtown Fraser, Colorado

As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 910 people, 410 households, and 191 families residing in the town. The population density was 491.1 people per square mile (189.9/km²). There were 622 housing units at an average density of 335.7 per square mile (129.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.51% White, 0.88% African American, 0.88% Native American, 0.88% Asian, 0.22% Pacific Islander, 1.10% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.30% of the population.

There were 410 households out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.2% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.2% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.71.

In the town the population was spread out with 17.9% under the age of 18, 14.2% from 18 to 24, 46.2% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 3.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 129.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 130.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $38,173, and the median income for a family was $39,643. Males had a median income of $29,583 versus $26,346 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,628. About 11.1% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Fraser and nearby Winter Park, operating its California Zephyr daily in each direction between Chicago and Emeryville, California, across the bay from San Francisco.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Active Colorado Municipalities". State of Colorado, Department of Local Affairs. Retrieved 2007-09-01.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. 2004-12-01. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "GOVERNMENT". Fraser, Colorado. Archived from the original on 2007-08-20. Retrieved 2007-09-22.
  4. ↑ "ZIP Code Lookup" (JAVASCRIPT/HTML). United States Postal Service. Retrieved September 22, 2007.
  5. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  6. ↑ Riccardi, Nicholas. "Dueling for ‘Icebox of Nation’." Journal Gazette. March 5, 2007. Retrieved on March 5, 2007.
  7. ↑ Towns fued over claim to be nation's 'icebox', Associated Press, January 14, 2008. Retrieved on May 1, 2015.
  8. ↑ Trademark Status & Document Retrieval, United States Patent and Trademark Office, Accessed May 1, 2015.
  9. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

External links