Nunn, Colorado
Encyclopedia
Nunn is a Statutory Town in Weld County
, Colorado
, United States
. The population was 471 at the 2000 census
. The town is small rural agricultural
community located on the Colorado Eastern Plains
north of Greeley
. Somewhat isolated, it is surrounded by flat cultivated countryside of the Colorado Piedmont
in area historically known for raising cattle
, sheep, sugar beet
s, beans and potato
es. The town was founded as a shipping point on the Denver Pacific Railroad in the late 19th century and today sits along the western side of U.S. Highway 85 between Greeley and Cheyenne, Wyoming
. It consists of a small grid of single-family homes on gravel streets. The town has suffered a decline in both its economy and population beginning in the middle 20th century, and today the former storefronts along Logan Street parallel to the highway are largely boarded up. The remaining industry in town consists of a grain elevator
and a cafe, as well as several industrial farm facilities on the outskirts of town. A major landmark is a large water tower emblazoned with the words "watch Nunn grow". The remaining economic activity has largely shifted southward to the towns of Pierce
and Ault
. The town also has a town park and a municipal hall.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 471 people, 158 households, and 118 families residing in the town. The population density
was 266.7 people per square mile (102.7/km²). There were 174 housing units at an average density of 98.5 per square mile (38.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 78.98% White, 0.42% African American, 1.91% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 14.86% from other races
, and 3.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.84% of the population.
There were 158 households out of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.7% were married couples
living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.7% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.50.
In the town the population was spread out with 33.5% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,714, and the median income for a family was $40,357. Males had a median income of $27,292 versus $21,875 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $14,769. About 17.2% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.8% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
In October 2006, Vancouver-based Powertech (USA) Inc. announced preliminary plans to mine uranium
by in-situ leaching and possibly open-pit mining
from a deposit in sandstones of the Fox Hills Formation
several miles west of Nunn.
Some local residents have formed Coloradoans Against Resource Destruction (C.A.R.D.) to oppose the proposed mining. They and a landowners' organization called Stewards of the Land point out that the proposed mining area is only six miles northeast of the Fort Collins
city limit, and that the Fox Hills Formation
is a major water-supply aquifer
. C.A.R.D. and SOTL dispute the safety of both in-situ leaching and open-pit mining
for uranium.
On July 19, 2007, Powertech held an informational meeting at the Nunn Community Center.
Weld County, Colorado
As of the census of 2000, there were 180,936 people, 63,247 households, and 45,221 families residing in the county. The population density was 45 people per square mile . There were 66,194 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...
, 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...
. The population was 471 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. The town is small rural agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
community located on the Colorado Eastern Plains
Colorado Eastern Plains
The Eastern Plains of Colorado refers to a region of the U.S. state of Colorado east of the Rocky Mountains and east of the population centers of the Front Range.-Geography:...
north of Greeley
Greeley, Colorado
The City of Greeley is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Weld County, Colorado, United States. Greeley is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Greeley is situated north-northeast of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. According to the...
. Somewhat isolated, it is surrounded by flat cultivated countryside of the Colorado Piedmont
Colorado Piedmont
The Colorado Piedmont is the geologic term for an area along the base of the foothills of the Front Range in north central Colorado in the United States...
in area historically known for raising cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
, sheep, sugar beet
Sugar beet
Sugar beet, a cultivated plant of Beta vulgaris, is a plant whose tuber contains a high concentration of sucrose. It is grown commercially for sugar production. Sugar beets and other B...
s, beans and potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es. The town was founded as a shipping point on the Denver Pacific Railroad in the late 19th century and today sits along the western side of U.S. Highway 85 between Greeley and Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Cheyenne is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Laramie County. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne, Wyoming, Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Laramie County. The population is 59,466 at the 2010 census. Cheyenne is the...
. It consists of a small grid of single-family homes on gravel streets. The town has suffered a decline in both its economy and population beginning in the middle 20th century, and today the former storefronts along Logan Street parallel to the highway are largely boarded up. The remaining industry in town consists of a grain elevator
Grain elevator
A grain elevator is a tower containing a bucket elevator, which scoops up, elevates, and then uses gravity to deposit grain in a silo or other storage facility...
and a cafe, as well as several industrial farm facilities on the outskirts of town. A major landmark is a large water tower emblazoned with the words "watch Nunn grow". The remaining economic activity has largely shifted southward to the towns of Pierce
Pierce, Colorado
Pierce is a Statutory Town in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The population was 884 at the 2000 census. The town is a rural agricultural community located on the Colorado Eastern Plains along U.S. Highway 85 north of Greeley.-History:...
and Ault
Ault, Colorado
The Town of Ault is a Statutory Town located in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,432 at the U.S. Census 2000.-Geography:Ault is located at , at the intersection of U.S...
. The town also has a town park and a municipal hall.
Geography
Nunn is located at 40°42′14"N 104°46′51"W.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 1.8 square miles (4.7 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 471 people, 158 households, and 118 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 266.7 people per square mile (102.7/km²). There were 174 housing units at an average density of 98.5 per square mile (38.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 78.98% White, 0.42% African American, 1.91% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 14.86% 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 3.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.84% of the population.
There were 158 households out of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.7% 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, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.7% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98 and the average family size was 3.50.
In the town the population was spread out with 33.5% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $35,714, and the median income for a family was $40,357. Males had a median income of $27,292 versus $21,875 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 $14,769. About 17.2% of families and 19.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.8% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.
Uranium-mining controversy
See Centennial projectIn October 2006, Vancouver-based Powertech (USA) Inc. announced preliminary plans to mine uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
by in-situ leaching and possibly open-pit mining
Open-pit mining
Open-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
from a deposit in sandstones of the Fox Hills Formation
Fox Hills Formation
The Fox Hills Formation is a Cretaceous geologic formation in the northwestern Great Plains of North America. It is present from Alberta on the north to Colorado in the south....
several miles west of Nunn.
Some local residents have formed Coloradoans Against Resource Destruction (C.A.R.D.) to oppose the proposed mining. They and a landowners' organization called Stewards of the Land point out that the proposed mining area is only six miles northeast of the Fort Collins
Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, and is the county seat and most populous city of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Fort Collins is located north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. With a 2010 census...
city limit, and that the Fox Hills Formation
Fox Hills Formation
The Fox Hills Formation is a Cretaceous geologic formation in the northwestern Great Plains of North America. It is present from Alberta on the north to Colorado in the south....
is a major water-supply aquifer
Aquifer
An aquifer is a wet underground layer of water-bearing permeable rock or unconsolidated materials from which groundwater can be usefully extracted using a water well. The study of water flow in aquifers and the characterization of aquifers is called hydrogeology...
. C.A.R.D. and SOTL dispute the safety of both in-situ leaching and open-pit mining
Open-pit mining
Open-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
for uranium.
On July 19, 2007, Powertech held an informational meeting at the Nunn Community Center.
See also
- 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:...
- Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical AreaDenver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Areathumb|300px|Map of the 12-county Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical AreaThe Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO Combined Statistical Area is a United States Census Bureau defined Combined Statistical Area located in the Denver region of the state of Colorado...
- Front Range Urban CorridorFront Range Urban CorridorThe Front Range Urban Corridor is an oblong region of urban population located along the eastern face of the Southern Rocky Mountains in the U.S. states of Colorado and Wyoming. The corridor derives its name from the Front Range, the mountain range that defines the west central boundary of the...
- Greeley Metropolitan Statistical Area
- in-situ leaching
- open-pit miningOpen-pit miningOpen-pit mining or opencast mining refers to a method of extracting rock or minerals from the earth by their removal from an open pit or borrow....
- State of Colorado
- uranium miningUranium miningUranium mining is the process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground. The worldwide production of uranium in 2009 amounted to 50,572 tonnes, of which 27% was mined in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia are the top three producers and together account for 63% of world uranium...
- uranium mining in ColoradoUranium mining in ColoradoUranium mining in Colorado, United States, goes back to 1872, when pitchblende ore was taken from gold mines near Central City, Colorado. The Colorado uranium industry has seen booms and busts, but continues to this day...
- Weld County, ColoradoWeld County, ColoradoAs of the census of 2000, there were 180,936 people, 63,247 households, and 45,221 families residing in the county. The population density was 45 people per square mile . There were 66,194 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...