Bonanza, Colorado
Encyclopedia
The town of Bonanza is a Statutory Town located in Saguache County
, Colorado
, United States
. Bonanza is a largely abandoned
former silver
mining
town
. Bonanza is a Spanish language
word meaning a rich mineral deposit. The town population was 16 at the U.S. Census 2010
, making Bonanza the second least populous incorporated town in the State of Colorado
. The Villa Grove
Post Office (ZIP Code
81155) now serves Bonanza.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 14 people, 7 households, and 3 families residing in the town. The population density
was 31.9 people per square mile (12.3/km²). There were 33 housing units at an average density of 75.3 per square mile (29.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 71.43% White, 7.14% Asian, and 21.43% from two or more races.
There were 7 households out of which 14.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples
living together, and 57.1% were non-families. 42.9% of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town the population was spread out with 7.1% under the age of 18, 28.6% from 18 to 24, 14.3% from 25 to 44, 50.0% from 45 to 64, . The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 180.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 160.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $63,750, and the median income for a family was $27,000. Males had a median income of $0 versus $0 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $66,857. None of the population and none of the families were below the poverty line.
appeared in The New York Times
on October 27, 2010. The name of the town was not revealed in the essay; it was instead referred to as "Eureka." However, various characteristics of "Eureka" described in the essay, including its status as an incorporated ghost town
, historical silver mine, and Superfund
site, reveal "Eureka" to be Bonanza. In addition, a photo slide show accompanying the essay features structures also photographed on a website dedicated to the Bonanza ghost town.
Saguache County, Colorado
Saguache County is the seventh most extensive of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county name comes from a Ute language word meaning “blue earth” or “water at blue earth”. The county population was 5,917 at U.S. Census 2000...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Bonanza is a largely abandoned
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
former silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
. Bonanza is a Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
word meaning a rich mineral deposit. The town population was 16 at the U.S. Census 2010
United States Census, 2010
The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...
, making Bonanza the second least populous incorporated town in the State of Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. The Villa Grove
Villa Grove, Colorado
Villa Grove is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office located in Saguache County, Colorado, United States. The Villa Grove Post Office has the ZIP Code 81155.- History :...
Post Office (ZIP Code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
81155) now serves Bonanza.
Geography
Bonanza is located at 38°17′42"N 106°8′25"W (38.295138, -106.140158) at an altitude of 9500 feet.According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 14 people, 7 households, and 3 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 31.9 people per square mile (12.3/km²). There were 33 housing units at an average density of 75.3 per square mile (29.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 71.43% White, 7.14% Asian, and 21.43% from two or more races.
There were 7 households out of which 14.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, and 57.1% were non-families. 42.9% of all households were made up of individuals and none had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town the population was spread out with 7.1% under the age of 18, 28.6% from 18 to 24, 14.3% from 25 to 44, 50.0% from 45 to 64, . The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 180.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 160.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $63,750, and the median income for a family was $27,000. Males had a median income of $0 versus $0 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $66,857. None of the population and none of the families were below the poverty line.
Media Coverage
An essay about the town written by resident Antonya NelsonAntonya Nelson
Antonya Nelson is an American author and teacher of creative writing who writes primarily short stories.-Life and education:Antonya Nelson was born January 6, 1961 in Wichita, Kansas....
appeared in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
on October 27, 2010. The name of the town was not revealed in the essay; it was instead referred to as "Eureka." However, various characteristics of "Eureka" described in the essay, including its status as an incorporated ghost town
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
, historical silver mine, and Superfund
Superfund
Superfund is the common name for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 , a United States federal law designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances...
site, reveal "Eureka" to be Bonanza. In addition, a photo slide show accompanying the essay features structures also photographed on a website dedicated to the Bonanza ghost town.