Fairplay, Colorado | |
|---|---|
 View of Fairplay and South Park looking south from State Highway 9. The historic buildings ofSouth Park City, an open-air museum, are in the foreground. | |
| Nicknames: The Real South Park South Park City | |
| Motto: "Where History Meets the High Country" | |
 Location of the Town of Fairplay inPark County, Colorado. | |
  Fairplay Location of the Town of Fairplay in theUnited States. | |
| Coordinates:39°13′28″N105°59′53″W / 39.22444°N 105.99806°W /39.22444; -105.99806 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| County | Park[1] |
| Settled | 1859 |
| Incorporated | November 15, 1872[2] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Statutory town[1] |
| • Mayor | Frank Just[3] |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.156 sq mi (2.995 km2) |
| • Land | 1.147 sq mi (2.971 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0093 sq mi (0.024 km2) |
| Elevation | 9,948 ft (3,032 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 724 |
| • Density | 631/sq mi (244/km2) |
| • Metro | 2,963,821 (19th) |
| • CSA | 3,623,560 (17th) |
| • Front Range | 5,055,344 |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
| ZIP code[6] | 80440 & 80456, 80432 (PO Box) |
| Area code | 719 |
| FIPS code | 08-25610 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2412616[5] |
| Website | fairplayco.us |
Fairplay is astatutory town that is thecounty seat of and themost populous municipality inPark County, Colorado, United States.[1][7] The town population was 724 at the2020 United States census.[4] Fairplay is located inSouth Park at an elevation of 9,953 feet (3,034 m). The town is the fifth-highest incorporated place in the State of Colorado.[8] Fairplay is a part of theFront Range Urban Corridor.
A historic gold mining settlement, the town was founded in 1859 during the early days of thePike's Peak Gold Rush.[9][10] The town was named by settlers who were upset by the generous mining claims given to the earliest prospectors and promised a more equitable system for its residents.[11][12] The town of Fairplay was incorporated in 1872.[13]
It is the largest community in the grassland basin of Colorado known asSouth Park, sitting on the west edge of the basin at the junction ofU.S. Highway 285 andState Highway 9. It is on a hillside just east of theMiddle Fork South Platte River, near where Highway 9 ascends the river valley northward toAlma andHoosier Pass. It is a quiet town, and the roads surrounding it have a low volume of traffic. Although it was founded during the initialplacer mining boom, the mines in the area continued to produce gold and silverore for many decades up through the middle of the 20th century.
The town consists of modern retail businesses along the highway, as well as a historic town on the bluff above the river along Front Street. The northern extension of Front Street along the river has been preserved and has become the site of relocated historic structures as an open-air museum calledSouth Park City, intended to recreate the early days of the Colorado Gold Rush. Most of the residences in town are located on the hillside west of US Highway 285 and east of State Highway 9, in the vicinity of the schools and Park County Courthouse. The majority of the streets in town were finally paved in 2005.
As of the2020 United States census, the town had a total area of 740 acres (2.995 km2) including 5.9 acres (0.024 km2) of water.[4]
Fairplay has asubarctic orsubalpine climate (Koppen: Dfc) given its elevation, with short cool summers, and long, windy and cold winters. Temperature ranges between day and night are large, due to the high elevation, low cloud cover, and dryness of the air.
| Climate data for Fairplay, 1991–2020 normals, 2003-2019 snowfall; 9995ft (3046m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 55 (13) | 57 (14) | 60 (16) | 63 (17) | 74 (23) | 83 (28) | 84 (29) | 80 (27) | 77 (25) | 72 (22) | 62 (17) | 53 (12) | 84 (29) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 47 (8) | 46 (8) | 53 (12) | 59 (15) | 68 (20) | 78 (26) | 80 (27) | 76 (24) | 73 (23) | 66 (19) | 55 (13) | 47 (8) | 84 (29) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 30.8 (−0.7) | 30.9 (−0.6) | 38.1 (3.4) | 44.5 (6.9) | 54.5 (12.5) | 65.8 (18.8) | 71.0 (21.7) | 68.3 (20.2) | 62.1 (16.7) | 50.9 (10.5) | 39.1 (3.9) | 30.7 (−0.7) | 48.9 (9.4) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 20.2 (−6.6) | 20.1 (−6.6) | 26.9 (−2.8) | 33.2 (0.7) | 41.8 (5.4) | 51.2 (10.7) | 56.7 (13.7) | 54.6 (12.6) | 48.4 (9.1) | 38.4 (3.6) | 28.0 (−2.2) | 20.2 (−6.6) | 36.6 (2.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 9.7 (−12.4) | 9.3 (−12.6) | 15.6 (−9.1) | 21.9 (−5.6) | 29.1 (−1.6) | 36.6 (2.6) | 42.4 (5.8) | 41.0 (5.0) | 34.7 (1.5) | 25.9 (−3.4) | 16.8 (−8.4) | 9.7 (−12.4) | 24.4 (−4.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −7 (−22) | −11 (−24) | −2 (−19) | 8 (−13) | 15 (−9) | 29 (−2) | 37 (3) | 34 (1) | 26 (−3) | 9 (−13) | −2 (−19) | −11 (−24) | −14 (−26) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −20 (−29) | −28 (−33) | −11 (−24) | −5 (−21) | 2 (−17) | 23 (−5) | 33 (1) | 30 (−1) | 18 (−8) | −14 (−26) | −13 (−25) | −19 (−28) | −28 (−33) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 0.65 (17) | 0.66 (17) | 1.10 (28) | 1.35 (34) | 1.78 (45) | 1.13 (29) | 2.40 (61) | 2.22 (56) | 1.44 (37) | 1.01 (26) | 0.63 (16) | 0.73 (19) | 15.1 (385) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 7.9 (20) | 10.1 (26) | 13.4 (34) | 12.7 (32) | 8.2 (21) | 0.3 (0.76) | trace | trace | 1.0 (2.5) | 6.9 (18) | 7.6 (19) | 11.9 (30) | 80 (203.26) |
| Source 1: NOAA[14] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: XMACIS (snowfall, records & monthly max/mins)[15] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 301 | — | |
| 1900 | 319 | 6.0% | |
| 1910 | 265 | −16.9% | |
| 1920 | 183 | −30.9% | |
| 1930 | 221 | 20.8% | |
| 1940 | 739 | 234.4% | |
| 1950 | 476 | −35.6% | |
| 1960 | 404 | −15.1% | |
| 1970 | 419 | 3.7% | |
| 1980 | 421 | 0.5% | |
| 1990 | 387 | −8.1% | |
| 2000 | 610 | 57.6% | |
| 2010 | 679 | 11.3% | |
| 2020 | 724 | 6.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
As of thecensus[16] of 2000, there were 610 people, 259 households, and 169 families residing in the town. The population density was 576 inhabitants per square mile (222/km2). There were 337 housing units at an average density of 318 per square mile (123/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 93%White, 1.3%African American, 1.0%Native American, 0.3%Asian, 2.8% fromother races, and 1.5% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 4.9% of the population.
There were 259 households, out of which 32% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51% weremarried couples living together, 8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34% were non-families. 26% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.8.
Approximately 24% of the town under the age of 18, 8% from 18 to 24, 37% from 25 to 44, 25% from 45 to 64, and 5% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 110 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $50,385, and the median income for a family was $51,980. Males had a median income of $34,290 versus $26,430 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $21,740. About 6.6% of families and 9.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.
The Burro Days festival is held on the last weekend of July.[17] The event celebrates the town's mining heritage. The main feature of the festival is a 29-mile (46.7 km) burro race over rough terrain and approximately 3,000-ft (914 m) elevation gain from downtown Fairplay to the 13,185-ft (4019 m) summit ofMosquito Pass. Teams consist of one person and oneburro. The race takes about five hours to complete; first prize is $1,000. Previously, the first prize included an ounce of gold. There are several otherburro races in Colorado; the most notable takes place inLeadville.
The Fairplay event is the World Championship of Burro Racing, anultra-marathon and the longest burro race in the state.[18] For many years (in the 1960s and early 1970s) the Burro race took place from Leadville to Fairplay, or vice versa, crossing over Mosquito Pass. This followed the route that FatherJohn Lewis Dyer of theMethodist Episcopal Church used forcircuit riding and for carrying mail. With time, the rivalry between the two cities ended this cooperative endeavor.[citation needed]
Fairplay is part of Colorado'sBustang intercity bus network. It is on the Gunnison-Denver Outrider line.[19]
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Media from Commons
Travel information from WikivoyageMunicipalities and communities ofPark County, Colorado,United States | ||
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