Crowley County, Colorado
Encyclopedia
Crowley County is one of the 64 counties
of the State of Colorado of the United States
. The county population was 5,518 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat
is Ordway
.
. Previously both were parts of Bent County
. The county was named for John H. Crowley, senator from Otero County to the state legislature at the time of the split. Its original inhabitants decades earlier were native Americans
, more Cheyenne
than other tribes at the time the western expansion of the U.S. arrived.
The first significant development and settlement occurred in 1887 when the Missouri Pacific Railroad
came through from the east, on its way to Pueblo
and Colorado's rich gold fields of "Pikes Peak Or Bust".
The county seat is in Ordway
, a town established in 1890 that quickly became the economic hub of the area. Other towns still existing along the Missouri Pacific Railroad's route are Sugar City
, Crowley
, and Olney Springs
.
A few years later, developers brought a canal east from the Arkansas River, with ambitious plans to irrigate a million acres (4000 km²) in Kansas
; instead, the canal petered out in Crowley County but did irrigate 57000 acres (230.7 km²) along its length. This turned early Crowley County into a lush agricultural mecca...at first.
By the 1970s almost all the water rights were sold from what is now called the Twin Lakes Canal to the fast-growing cities of Colorado's Front Range
corridor. The area's economic activity has shifted toward ranching. Much of the land has returned to its original sparse prairie
grassland
conditions.
Crowley County also today hosts a state prison. The 2000 census showed 5,518 county residents, of which 1,955 were prisoners, giving Crowley County the highest percentage of incarcerated prisoners of any county in the U.S. The county maintained this position in the 2010 census, with 2,682 prisoners out of 5,823 residents.
of 2000, there were 5,518 people, 1,358 households, and 957 families residing in the county. The population density
was 7 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 1,542 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.95% White
, 7.05% Black
or African American
, 2.59% Native American
, 0.82% Asian
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
, 4.77% from other races
, and 1.81% from two or more races. 22.54% of the population were Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There were 1,358 households out of which 34.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.10% were married couples
living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.50% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the county the population was spread out with 18.80% under the age of 18, 9.90% from 18 to 24, 39.60% from 25 to 44, 20.80% from 45 to 64, and 10.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 205.40 males (this is the highest of any U.S. county/parish in 2000). For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 240.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,803, and the median income for a family was $32,162. Males had a median income of $20,813 versus $21,920 for females. The per capita income
for the county was $12,836. About 15.20% of families and 18.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.60% of those under age 18 and 13.50% of those age 65 or over.
Census data for Crowley county includes 1,955 prisoners. The prison population is 19.23% Black, and 24.35% Hispanic. Without the prisoners, Crowley County would be 86.72% White, 0.36% Black, and 21.55% Hispanic. As a percentage of its population, Crowley County has more of its Census population in prison than any other county in the country.
Colorado counties
The U.S state of Colorado is divided into 64 counties. Counties are important units of government in Colorado since the state has no secondary civil subdivisions, such as townships...
of the State of Colorado of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The county population was 5,518 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
is Ordway
Ordway, Colorado
The Town of Ordway is a Statutory Town that is the county seat and most populous town of Crowley County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,248 at the U.S...
.
History
Crowley County was created by the Colorado legislature on May 29, 1911, out of the northern portions of Otero CountyOtero County, Colorado
Otero County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county was named for Miguel Antonio Otero, one of the founders of the town of La Junta and a member of a prominent Hispanic family. The county population was 20,311 at U.S. Census 2000...
. Previously both were parts of Bent County
Bent County, Colorado
Bent County is one of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county is named in honor of frontier trader William Bent. The county population was 5,998 at U.S. Census 2000...
. The county was named for John H. Crowley, senator from Otero County to the state legislature at the time of the split. Its original inhabitants decades earlier were native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, more Cheyenne
Cheyenne
Cheyenne are a Native American people of the Great Plains, who are of the Algonquian language family. The Cheyenne Nation is composed of two united tribes, the Só'taeo'o and the Tsétsêhéstâhese .The Cheyenne are thought to have branched off other tribes of Algonquian stock inhabiting lands...
than other tribes at the time the western expansion of the U.S. arrived.
The first significant development and settlement occurred in 1887 when the Missouri Pacific Railroad
Missouri Pacific Railroad
The Missouri Pacific Railroad , also known as the MoPac, was one of the first railroads in the United States west of the Mississippi River. MoPac was a Class I railroad growing from dozens of predecessors and mergers, including the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway , Texas and Pacific...
came through from the east, on its way to Pueblo
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....
and Colorado's rich gold fields of "Pikes Peak Or Bust".
The county seat is in Ordway
Ordway, Colorado
The Town of Ordway is a Statutory Town that is the county seat and most populous town of Crowley County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,248 at the U.S...
, a town established in 1890 that quickly became the economic hub of the area. Other towns still existing along the Missouri Pacific Railroad's route are Sugar City
Sugar City, Colorado
Sugar City is a Statutory Town in Crowley County, Colorado, United States. The population was 279 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sugar City is located at ....
, Crowley
Crowley, Colorado
Crowley is a Statutory Town in Crowley County, Colorado, United States. The population was 187 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Crowley is located at ....
, and Olney Springs
Olney Springs, Colorado
Olney Springs is a Statutory Town in Crowley County, Colorado, United States. The population was 389 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Olney Springs is located at ....
.
A few years later, developers brought a canal east from the Arkansas River, with ambitious plans to irrigate a million acres (4000 km²) in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
; instead, the canal petered out in Crowley County but did irrigate 57000 acres (230.7 km²) along its length. This turned early Crowley County into a lush agricultural mecca...at first.
By the 1970s almost all the water rights were sold from what is now called the Twin Lakes Canal to the fast-growing cities of Colorado's Front Range
Front Range
The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the north-central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountered moving west along the 40th parallel north across...
corridor. The area's economic activity has shifted toward ranching. Much of the land has returned to its original sparse prairie
Prairie
Prairies are considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type...
grassland
Grassland
Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found. Grasslands occur naturally on all continents except Antarctica...
conditions.
Crowley County also today hosts a state prison. The 2000 census showed 5,518 county residents, of which 1,955 were prisoners, giving Crowley County the highest percentage of incarcerated prisoners of any county in the U.S. The county maintained this position in the 2010 census, with 2,682 prisoners out of 5,823 residents.
Geography
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 800.33 square miles (2,072.8 km²), of which 788.99 square miles (2,043.5 km²) (or 98.58%) is land and 11.34 square miles (29.4 km²) (or 1.42%) is water.Adjacent counties
- Lincoln CountyLincoln County, ColoradoLincoln County is the tenth most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 6,087 at U.S. Census 2000...
, ColoradoColoradoColorado 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...
- (north) - El Paso CountyEl Paso County, ColoradoEl Paso County is the most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States, now more populous than Denver County. The United States Census Bureau concluded that the county population was 622,371 in 2010. In recent years, the population had come closer to that of Denver...
, ColoradoColoradoColorado 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...
- (northwest) - Otero CountyOtero County, ColoradoOtero County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county was named for Miguel Antonio Otero, one of the founders of the town of La Junta and a member of a prominent Hispanic family. The county population was 20,311 at U.S. Census 2000...
, ColoradoColoradoColorado 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...
- (south) - Kiowa CountyKiowa County, ColoradoKiowa County is the second least densely populated of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 1,622 at the 2000 census. The county seat is Eads...
, ColoradoColoradoColorado 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...
- (east) - Pueblo CountyPueblo County, ColoradoPueblo County is the tenth most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county was named for the historic city of Pueblo which took its name from the Spanish language word meaning "town" or "village". The United States Census Bureau estimates that the...
, ColoradoColoradoColorado 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...
- (west)
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 5,518 people, 1,358 households, and 957 families residing in the county. 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 7 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 1,542 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 82.95% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 7.05% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 2.59% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.82% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.02% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 4.77% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.81% from two or more races. 22.54% of the population were Hispanic
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 1,358 households out of which 34.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.10% 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, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.50% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the county the population was spread out with 18.80% under the age of 18, 9.90% from 18 to 24, 39.60% from 25 to 44, 20.80% from 45 to 64, and 10.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 205.40 males (this is the highest of any U.S. county/parish in 2000). For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 240.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,803, and the median income for a family was $32,162. Males had a median income of $20,813 versus $21,920 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 county was $12,836. About 15.20% of families and 18.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.60% of those under age 18 and 13.50% of those age 65 or over.
Census data for Crowley county includes 1,955 prisoners. The prison population is 19.23% Black, and 24.35% Hispanic. Without the prisoners, Crowley County would be 86.72% White, 0.36% Black, and 21.55% Hispanic. As a percentage of its population, Crowley County has more of its Census population in prison than any other county in the country.
Cities and towns
- CrowleyCrowley, ColoradoCrowley is a Statutory Town in Crowley County, Colorado, United States. The population was 187 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Crowley is located at ....
- Olney SpringsOlney Springs, ColoradoOlney Springs is a Statutory Town in Crowley County, Colorado, United States. The population was 389 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Olney Springs is located at ....
- OrdwayOrdway, ColoradoThe Town of Ordway is a Statutory Town that is the county seat and most populous town of Crowley County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,248 at the U.S...
(County Seat) - Sugar CitySugar City, ColoradoSugar City is a Statutory Town in Crowley County, Colorado, United States. The population was 279 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sugar City is located at ....
See also
- Colorado census statistical areas
- Colorado countiesColorado countiesThe U.S state of Colorado is divided into 64 counties. Counties are important units of government in Colorado since the state has no secondary civil subdivisions, such as townships...
- Colorado municipalitiesColorado municipalitiesThe U.S. state of Colorado currently has 271 active incorporated municipalities, including 196 towns, 73 cities, and two consolidated city and county governments.-Municipal government:...
- Crowley (disambiguation)
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Crowley County, Colorado
- Pike's Peak Gold Rush