Alma, Colorado

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Alma, Colorado
Statutory Town
Main Street
Main Street
Location in Park County and the State of Colorado
Location in Park County and the State of Colorado
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[1]
Country United States
State Colorado
County[2] Park County[3]
Incorporated 1873-12-02[4]
Named for Alma James[5]
Government
 • Type Statutory Town[2]
Area
 • Total 0.362 sq mi (0.937 km2)
 • Land 0.360 sq mi (0.933 km2)
 • Water 0.002 sq mi (0.005 km2)  0.5%
Elevation[3] 10,361 ft (3,158 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 270
 • Density 750/sq mi (290/km2)
Time zone MST (UTC-7)
 • Summer (DST) MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code 80420[6]
Area code(s) 719
INCITS place code 0801530
GNIS feature ID 0180003
Highways Colorado 9.svg SH 9
Website townofalma.com
Highest town center in the United States

Alma is a Statutory Town located in Park County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 270 at the 2010 United States Census.

At an elevation of approximately 10,578 feet (3,224 m), it is the highest incorporated municipality in the United States with permanent residents.[3] Alma, which is a town, did not take the title as highest incorporated city from Leadville, Colorado, as is commonly believed. Leadville is still the highest incorporated city in North America. Using administrative boundaries as a measure, not settled areas, in 2006 Winter Park, Colorado became the highest incorporated town due to its annexation of a ski area.[7] Alma, however, has a contiguous residential area (on Mountain View Drive) extending to 11,680 feet (3,560 m) above sea level, while any such area in or near Winter Park reaches only 9,550 feet (2,910 m), Leadville 10,360 feet (3,160 m).

The town was named by a merchant named Mr. James, after his wife.[5]

Geography

Alma is located at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.,[8] along State Highway 9.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.362 square miles (0.94 km2), almost all of it land.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1880 446
1890 367 −17.7%
1900 297 −19.1%
1910 301 1.3%
1920 127 −57.8%
1930 110 −13.4%
1940 469 326.4%
1950 149 −68.2%
1960 107 −28.2%
1970 73 −31.8%
1980 132 80.8%
1990 148 12.1%
2000 179 20.9%
2010 270 50.8%
Est. 2014 275 [9] 1.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[10]

As of the census[11] of 2000, there were 179 people, 94 households, and 40 families residing in the town. The population density was 523.6 people per square mile (203.3/km²). There were 147 housing units at an average density of 430.0 per square mile (166.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.74% White, 2.23% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 3.35% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 3.35% of the population.

There were 94 households, of which 18.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.2% were married couples living together, 2.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 57.4% were non-families. 39.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.90 and the average family size was 2.63.

The age distribution was 12.8% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 53.1% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 4.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 132.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 140.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,563, and the median income for a family was $59,688. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $26,563 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,165. None of the families and 4.3% of the population were living below the poverty line.

Climate

Alma's climate is subarctic (Dfc) and closely borders on an alpine climate with July average of 10.9 C.[12]

Climate data for Alma, Colorado
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 24.7
(−4.1)
28.3
(−2.1)
33.0
(0.6)
38.5
(3.6)
47.2
(8.4)
58.4
(14.7)
63.9
(17.7)
62.4
(16.9)
56.2
(13.4)
45.6
(7.6)
32.4
(0.2)
26.0
(−3.3)
43.1
(6.2)
Average low °F (°C) 0.6
(−17.4)
2.1
(−16.6)
6.8
(−14)
12.8
(−10.7)
23.3
(−4.8)
33.0
(0.6)
37.9
(3.3)
37.7
(3.2)
30.7
(−0.7)
21.1
(−6.1)
8.3
(−13.2)
2.4
(−16.4)
18.1
(−7.7)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 2.04
(51.8)
1.75
(44.4)
2.35
(59.7)
2.38
(60.5)
2.10
(53.3)
1.13
(28.7)
2.24
(56.9)
2.09
(53.1)
1.49
(37.8)
1.42
(36.1)
1.96
(49.8)
1.84
(46.7)
22.79
(578.9)
Source: [12]

Mines

Approximately two miles from Alma are the remains of the defunct Orphan Boy mine (founded 1861), which produced gold, silver, lead, and zinc over a number of decades.[13]

The historic Sweet Home Mine near Alma, formerly a silver mine, now produces spectacular rhodochrosite mineral specimens.

See also

References

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  13. Laura King Van Dusen, "Early Days at the Orphan Boy: Fire in December 2011 Not Only Fire at Mine; Gold Production Worth $486 Million in 2013 Dollars", Historic Tales from Park County: Parked in the Past (Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press, 2013), ISBN 978-1-62619-161-7, pp. 37-43.

External links