Sterling, Colorado | |
|---|---|
 Main Street in Sterling. | |
| Nickname: A Colorado Treasure | |
 Location of the City of Sterling inLogan County, Colorado. | |
  Sterling Location of the City of Sterling in theUnited States. | |
| Coordinates:40°37′32″N103°12′42″W / 40.62556°N 103.21167°W /40.62556; -103.21167 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Colorado |
| County | Logan County[2] |
| City | Sterling[1] |
| Settled | 1868 |
| Platted | 1890 |
| Incorporated | December 3, 1884[3] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Home rule municipality[1] |
| • Mayor | Matt Foos |
| • City Manager | Kevin L. Blankenship |
| • Police Chief | Tyson Kerr |
| Area | |
• Total | 7.43 sq mi (19.25 km2) |
| • Land | 7.43 sq mi (19.25 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) 0.0% |
| Elevation | 3,937 ft (1,181 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 13,735 |
| • Density | 1,800/sq mi (710/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code[6] | 80751 |
| Area code | 970 |
| FIPS code | 08-73935 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0202901 |
| Website | City of Sterling |
Sterling is ahome rule municipality and thecounty seat andmost populous municipality ofLogan County,Colorado,United States.[7] Sterling is the principal city of theSterling, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city population was 13,735 at the2020 census.[5]
Sterling is the largest city in theEastern Plains region of Colorado and the site of thedomed Logan County Courthouse, built in 1909.
A post office called Sterling has been in operation since 1874.[8] The community was named forSterling, Illinois, the native home of a railroad official.[9]
Sterling is 128 miles (206 km) northeast ofDenver, and is located onInterstate 76, on the 'eastern plains' of northeastern Colorado.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.43 square miles (19.2 km2), all land.
According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Sterling has asemi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.[10]
| Climate data for Sterling, Colorado (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 42 (6) | 46 (8) | 56 (13) | 64 (18) | 74 (23) | 84 (29) | 91 (33) | 89 (32) | 80 (27) | 67 (19) | 53 (12) | 42 (6) | 66 (19) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 14 (−10) | 18 (−8) | 26 (−3) | 35 (2) | 46 (8) | 56 (13) | 61 (16) | 59 (15) | 48 (9) | 35 (2) | 24 (−4) | 15 (−9) | 36 (3) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 0.30 (7.6) | 0.36 (9.1) | 0.96 (24) | 1.33 (34) | 2.31 (59) | 2.76 (70) | 2.66 (68) | 1.88 (48) | 1.18 (30) | 1.09 (28) | 0.54 (14) | 0.34 (8.6) | 15.72 (399) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 4.0 (10) | 4.0 (10) | 3.7 (9.4) | 1.8 (4.6) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.4 (1.0) | 1.0 (2.5) | 4.1 (10) | 5.8 (15) | 24.8 (63) |
| Source: Weather.com[11] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 540 | — | |
| 1900 | 998 | 84.8% | |
| 1910 | 3,044 | 205.0% | |
| 1920 | 6,415 | 110.7% | |
| 1930 | 7,195 | 12.2% | |
| 1940 | 7,411 | 3.0% | |
| 1950 | 7,534 | 1.7% | |
| 1960 | 10,751 | 42.7% | |
| 1970 | 10,636 | −1.1% | |
| 1980 | 11,385 | 7.0% | |
| 1990 | 10,362 | −9.0% | |
| 2000 | 11,360 | 9.6% | |
| 2010 | 14,777 | 30.1% | |
| 2020 | 13,735 | −7.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
As of the 2020 census, there were 13,753 people, 4,604 households, and 2,790 families living in the city. The population density was 1,653.1 inhabitants per square mile (638.3/km2). There were 5,171 housing units at an average density of 752.5 per square mile (290.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 90.75%Caucasian American, 0.75%African American, 0.79%Native American, 0.41%Asian, 0.08%Pacific Islander, 5.60% fromother races, and 1.62% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 14.20% of the population.
There were 4,604 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% weremarried couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 12.9% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,337, and the median income for a family was $39,103. Males had a median income of $27,921 versus $20,508 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $15,287.
Major employers in Sterling include Northeastern Junior College, the RE-1 Valley School system, and the Sterling Correctional Facility.[citation needed]
Sterling is the major shopping hub for most of northeastern Colorado and hosts big box retailers, as well as many local stores located primarily on Main Street. Six different banks have branches in Sterling and there are local AM and FM radio stations as well as a local television station, and a long-established regional newspaper, theSterling Journal-Advocate and South Platte Sentinel[1].
TheColorado Department of Corrections operates theSterling Correctional Facility in Sterling.[12]
Sterling is the home ofNortheastern Junior College. Sterling is also the location of the RE-1 Valley School District.
Crosson Field serves as Sterling's airport, but there are no scheduled commercial flights available from there. The closest airport served by scheduled flights isDenver International Airport, located 121 miles (195 km) away.
Sterling is also served by railroads, although only freight carriers serve the town. The main rail operator isBurlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF), but other operators, likeUnion Pacific, serve Sterling as well. The closestAmtrak station is located inFort Morgan, Colorado, about 47 miles (76 km) away.
Intercity bus service is offered byBurlington Trailways andExpress Arrow with service to Denver, as well as a number of cities in Nebraska includingNorth Platte,Kearney, andOmaha. Sterling is also part of Colorado'sBustang network, as the eastern terminus of the Sterling–Denver and Sterling–Greeley routes, which operate two days per week and three days per week respectively.[13]
Interstate 76 connects Sterling toDenver (128 miles (206 km) southwest) and northeast toInterstate 80, inBig Springs,Nebraska, along theSouth Platte River.
Business Loop 76 starts on the intersection of Interstate 76 and US 6, going through East Chestnut Street, North and South 4th Street, South Division Avenue, returning to US 6, connecting Sterling toAtwood andMerino.
US 6 runs east–west linkingProvincetown,Massachusetts withBishop,California, viaNevada,Colorado,Illinois and 8 other states.
US 138 Runs parallel toInterstate 76, connecting Sterling toUS 30, north ofBig Springs,Nebraska.
State Highway 14 connects Sterling toFort Collins located 102 miles (164 km) to the west.Sterling is a regional center for health care as well and is the home of Sterling Regional MedCenter (SRMC).
Municipalities and communities ofLogan County, Colorado,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
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| Other | |
