Fort Morgan, Colorado
| Fort Morgan, Colorado eponym: 1865 Army fort | |
|---|---|
| Home Rule Municipality | |
|
The Fort Morgan City Hall. | |
 Location in Morgan County and the State of Colorado | |
| Coordinates: 40°15′12″N 103°47′57″W / 40.25333°N 103.79917°WCoordinates: 40°15′12″N 103°47′57″W / 40.25333°N 103.79917°W | |
| Country |
 United States |
| State |
 State of Colorado |
| County | Morgan[1] |
| Incorporated | June 15, 1887[2] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Home Rule Municipality[1] |
| • Mayor | Terry L. McAlister[3] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4.5 sq mi (7.25 km2) |
| • Land | 4.4 sq mi (7.2 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) 1.32%% |
| Elevation | 4,324 ft (1,297 m) |
| Population (2012) | |
| • Total | 11,451 |
| • Density | 2,571.6/sq mi (983.9/km2) |
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP codes[4] | 80701 & 80705 |
| Area code(s) | 970 |
| FIPS code | 08-27810 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0204722 |
| Website | City of Fort Morgan |
Fort Morgan is the Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Morgan County, Colorado, United States.[5] The United States Census Bureau estimated that the city population was 10,844 in 2005.[6]
History
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Camp Wardwell was established in 1865 along the Overland Trail to protect emigrants and supplies going to and from Denver and the mining districts. The fort was renamed in 1866 by General John Pope for one of his staff, Colonel Christopher A. Morgan,[7] who had died earlier that year. The fort closed in 1868 after being used by 19 different companies from 11 cavalry and infantry regiments(~1,300 soldiers).
Town
The town of Fort Morgan was platted just south of the old military fort’s ruins on May 1, 1884 by Abner S. Baker, a member of Greeley's Union Colony. The town became the county seat of the newly formed Morgan County on February 19, 1889.[8]
In World War II, a military school at the Fort Morgan State Armory was part of the West Coast Air Corps Training Center.[9]
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 488 | — | |
| 1900 | 634 | 29.9% | |
| 1910 | 2,800 | 341.6% | |
| 1920 | 3,818 | 36.4% | |
| 1930 | 4,423 | 15.8% | |
| 1940 | 4,884 | 10.4% | |
| 1950 | 5,315 | 8.8% | |
| 1960 | 7,379 | 38.8% | |
| 1970 | 7,594 | 2.9% | |
| 1980 | 8,768 | 15.5% | |
| 1990 | 9,068 | 3.4% | |
| 2000 | 11,034 | 21.7% | |
| 2010 | 11,315 | 2.5% | |
| Est. 2014 | 11,329 | [10] | 0.1% |
As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 11,034 people, 3,887 households, and 2,736 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,472.1 people per square mile (955.2/km²). There were 4,094 housing units at an average density of 917.2 per square mile (354.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.43% White, 0.28% African American, 1.01% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.24% Pacific Islander, 20.62% from other races, and 3.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 39.04% of the population.
There were 3,887 households out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.32.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.2% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,128, and the median income for a family was $36,134. Males had a median income of $27,667 versus $22,346 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,024. About 8.9% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Fort Morgan, for the most part, has an agricultural economy.
Cargill operates a meatpacking plant. As of 2016 many of the employees at the plant were Muslims, many from Somalia.[13]
Transportation
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service through Fort Morgan, operating its California Zephyr daily in both directions between Chicago and Emeryville, California, across the bay from San Francisco.
Although the town is served by Fort Morgan Municipal Airport, there are no scheduled airlines operating from there. Denver International Airport is 76 miles southwest and is the closest airport to provide scheduled services.
Major Highways
Interstate 76 connects Fort Morgan to Denver, located 82 mi (132 km)southwest.[14] To the northeast, Fort Morgan is linked with Interstate 80 in Big Springs, Nebraska, via Sterling, Colorado.
Business Loop 76 runs parallel to Interstate 76, on Platte Avenue, reaching Brush in the east.
US 34 runs east-west from Granby, Colorado to Berwyn, Illinois, passing through Nebraska and Iowa. In Colorado, it connects Fort Morgan to Greeley and Loveland.
State Highway 52 starts at Main Street Fort Morgan and goes north to State Highway 14, near New Raymer. It also serves Fort Morgan Municipal Airport.
State Highway 144 runs northwest from downtown, eventually swinging south to meet Interstate 76 west of Wiggins.
Media
The city newspaper is the Fort Morgan Times.[15]
Notable people
Fort Morgan is the burial place of Philip K. Dick, where he was interred alongside his twin sister who died in early childhood.
Fort Morgan is the boyhood home of Big Band musician Glenn Miller. Miller went to High school in Fort Morgan and was known to have once played trumpet on top of Abner S. Baker School, since destroyed in a fire and now rebuilt, which at the time was the high school campus but is now reserved for fifth and sixth graders.
Robert G. Whitehead (1916–2007) was born in Fort Morgan to a ranching family. He marketed the first-aid ointment known as "Blue Star". Some 50 million jars are sold annually. The product claims to offer relief from psoriasis, ringworm, athlete's foot and various kinds of itching.
Joel Dreessen, tight end for the Denver Broncos, grew up in Fort Morgan and attended Fort Morgan schools. He graduated from Fort Morgan High School in 2000.[16]
Michael Crichton lived in Fort Morgan for a short time during World War II with his family when his father was drafted to serve in the war.[17]
Sam Brunelli, football player
See also
References
- 1 2 "Active Colorado Municipalities". State of Colorado, Department of Local Affairs. Retrieved 2007-09-01.
- ↑ "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. 2004-12-01. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
- ↑ "Terry L. McAlister". City of Fort Morgan. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
- ↑ "ZIP Code Lookup" (JavaScript/HTML). United States Postal Service. Retrieved September 20, 2007.
- ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Colorado" (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. June 21, 2006. Retrieved November 17, 2006.
- ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 129.
- ↑ Jennifer Patten, In View of the Mountains: A History of Fort Morgan, Colorado (Aged Page, 2011).
- ↑ Futrell, Robert F. (July 1947). Development of AAF Base Facilities in the United States: 1939-1945 (Report). ARS-69: US Air Force Historical Study No 69 (Copy No. 2). Air Historical Office. p. 108 (pdf 117).
The West Coast Training Center…during 1942 it had obtained jurisdiction over other contract schools at…Fort Morgan, Colo.
Check date values in:|access-date=(help); - ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ Julie Turkewitz (March 7, 2016). "Prayer Dispute Between Somalis and Plant Reshapes a Colorado Town, Again". The New York Times. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
- ↑ http://www.dot.state.co.us/App_DTD_DataAccess/Downloads/CityMaps/Fort%20Morgan.pdf CDOT map of the City of Fort Morgan
- ↑ http://www.fortmorgantimes.com/ Fort Morgan Times website
- ↑ "Joel Dreessen Thinks Playing For The Broncos Will Take Him To Next Level". World Press.com. Retrieved August 31, 2012.
- ↑ Smith, David (December 3, 2006). "King of the techno-thriller". The Observer (London: The Guardian). Retrieved 17 June 2011.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fort Morgan, Colorado. |
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