Wellington, Colorado
Encyclopedia
Wellington is a Statutory Town in Larimer County
, Colorado
, United States
. The population was 6,289 at the 2010 census
.
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.
Wellington is I-25's northernmost Colorado town.
of 2000, there were 2,672 people, 932 households, and 693 families residing in the town. The population density
was 1,509.7 people per square mile (582.9/km²). There were 963 housing units at an average density of 544.1 per square mile (210.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 87.39% White, 0.26% African American, 1.05% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 8.23% from other races
, and 2.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.13% of the population.
There were 932 households out of which 46.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% were married couples
living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 17.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the town the population was spread out with 32.7% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 38.2% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 5.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $47,917, and the median income for a family was $48,214. Males had a median income of $34,107 versus $25,991 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $17,783. About 5.1% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.
As of July 2009, 5,899 people live in Wellington.http://www.city-data.com/city/Wellington-Colorado.html
lived in Wellington as a child. He made a point of returning to Wellington on an annual basis for his high school reunions up until 1999 when his physical health worsened significantly.
In the early 20th century, especially during the years of prohibition
, Wellington doubled as a place to drink and a service town for drivers commuting from Cheyenne to Fort Collins and vice versa. The town, more or less, sustained a population of 500 throughout the century which proceeded to build homes, restaurants, churches, and various other elements of small town life.
In 2000, woolly mammoth
remains were discovered by a construction crew while digging home foundations. Colorado State University
sent a team to carefully excavate and preserve the bones of the extinct animals; Wellington residents watched attentively. Unfortunately, after being taken back to Fort Collins for further examination, the tusks were dropped, thus shattering on the floor. Nonetheless, the subdivision where the bones were found named one of its streets in remembrance of the excitement.
Though population remained steady throughout the 20th century, Wellington experienced moderate growth in the 1990s and 2000s, rendering it a sort of bedroom community
for the city of Fort Collins, which lies 10 miles to the South.
celebration which usually comprises a pancake breakfast, a parade, a subsequent car show, live music in the park, and fireworks at dusk. Some residents liken the town's atmosphere to that described in Rascal Flatt's
song "Mayberry".
Some residents enjoy biking around the vast spaces north of the town; at night, avid stargazers
bring their telescopes to marvel at the universe
.
The town's welcome signs call Wellington "a great place to grow."
Larimer County, Colorado
Larimer County is the seventh most populous and the ninth most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county is located at the northern end of the Front Range, at the edge of the Colorado Eastern Plains along the border with Wyoming...
, 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 6,289 at the 2010 census
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...
.
Geography
Wellington is located at 40°42′8"N 105°0′20"W (40.702324, -105.005497).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.
Wellington is I-25's northernmost Colorado town.
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 2,672 people, 932 households, and 693 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 1,509.7 people per square mile (582.9/km²). There were 963 housing units at an average density of 544.1 per square mile (210.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 87.39% White, 0.26% African American, 1.05% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 8.23% 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 2.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.13% of the population.
There were 932 households out of which 46.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% 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, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.6% were non-families. 17.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the town the population was spread out with 32.7% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 38.2% from 25 to 44, 16.5% from 45 to 64, and 5.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $47,917, and the median income for a family was $48,214. Males had a median income of $34,107 versus $25,991 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 $17,783. About 5.1% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 13.4% of those age 65 or over.
As of July 2009, 5,899 people live in Wellington.http://www.city-data.com/city/Wellington-Colorado.html
History
Founded in 1902, incorporated in 1905, and named for C. L. Wellington (an employee of the Colorado and Southern Railroad). U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron WhiteByron White
Byron Raymond "Whizzer" White won fame both as a football halfback and as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Appointed to the court by President John F. Kennedy in 1962, he served until his retirement in 1993...
lived in Wellington as a child. He made a point of returning to Wellington on an annual basis for his high school reunions up until 1999 when his physical health worsened significantly.
In the early 20th century, especially during the years of prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
, Wellington doubled as a place to drink and a service town for drivers commuting from Cheyenne to Fort Collins and vice versa. The town, more or less, sustained a population of 500 throughout the century which proceeded to build homes, restaurants, churches, and various other elements of small town life.
In 2000, woolly mammoth
Woolly mammoth
The woolly mammoth , also called the tundra mammoth, is a species of mammoth. This animal is known from bones and frozen carcasses from northern North America and northern Eurasia with the best preserved carcasses in Siberia...
remains were discovered by a construction crew while digging home foundations. Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
sent a team to carefully excavate and preserve the bones of the extinct animals; Wellington residents watched attentively. Unfortunately, after being taken back to Fort Collins for further examination, the tusks were dropped, thus shattering on the floor. Nonetheless, the subdivision where the bones were found named one of its streets in remembrance of the excitement.
Though population remained steady throughout the 20th century, Wellington experienced moderate growth in the 1990s and 2000s, rendering it a sort of bedroom community
Commuter town
A commuter town is an urban community that is primarily residential, from which most of the workforce commutes out to earn their livelihood. Many commuter towns act as suburbs of a nearby metropolis that workers travel to daily, and many suburbs are commuter towns...
for the city of Fort Collins, which lies 10 miles to the South.
Culture
The town hosts an annual Fourth of JulyIndependence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
celebration which usually comprises a pancake breakfast, a parade, a subsequent car show, live music in the park, and fireworks at dusk. Some residents liken the town's atmosphere to that described in Rascal Flatt's
Rascal Flatts
Rascal Flatts is an American country music band that originated in Columbus, Ohio, United States of America. Since its inception, Rascal Flatts has been composed of three members: Gary LeVox , Jay DeMarcus and Joe Don Rooney...
song "Mayberry".
Some residents enjoy biking around the vast spaces north of the town; at night, avid stargazers
Amateur astronomy
Amateur astronomy, also called backyard astronomy and stargazing, is a hobby whose participants enjoy watching the night sky , and the plethora of objects found in it, mainly with portable telescopes and binoculars...
bring their telescopes to marvel at the universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
.
The town's welcome signs call Wellington "a great place to grow."
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:...
- Fort Collins-Loveland Metropolitan Statistical AreaFort Collins-Loveland Metropolitan Statistical AreaThe Fort Collins-Loveland Metropolitan Statistical Area is a United States Census Bureau defined Metropolitan Statistical Area located in the Fort Collins and Loveland region of the U.S. state of Colorado. The Fort Collins-Loveland MSA is defined as Larimer County, Colorado. The Census Bureau...
- 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...
- Larimer County, ColoradoLarimer County, ColoradoLarimer County is the seventh most populous and the ninth most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county is located at the northern end of the Front Range, at the edge of the Colorado Eastern Plains along the border with Wyoming...
- State of Colorado