Lamar, Colorado | |
|---|---|
 Main Street facing north in downtown Lamar (2007) | |
 Location withProwers County andColorado | |
| Coordinates:38°05′14″N102°37′15″W / 38.08722°N 102.62083°W /38.08722; -102.62083[3] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| County | Prowers County[2] |
| Incorporated | December 5, 1886[4] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Home Rule Municipality[1] |
| • Mayor | Kirk Crespin[5] |
| Area | |
• Total | 5.29 sq mi (13.70 km2) |
| • Land | 5.27 sq mi (13.65 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,619 ft (1,103 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 7,687 |
| • Density | 1,500/sq mi (560/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| ZIP Code[8] | 81052 |
| Area code | 719 |
| FIPS code | 08-43110[3] |
| GNIS ID | 203835[3] |
| Website | City Website |
Lamar is thehome rule municipality that is thecounty seat and themost populous municipality ofProwers County, Colorado.[3] The city population was 7,687 at the2020 United States census.[7] The city was named afterLucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, aConfederate soldier and diplomat who wrote theMississippi Secession Ordinance, and after theCivil War, went on to serve asU.S. Secretary of the Interior andU.S. Supreme Court Justice.[9] Lamar is the home ofLamar Community College, and is the largest city in southeastern Colorado.
Lamar was founded on May 24, 1886, by Issac Holmes.[10] It was named afterLucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II, U.S. Secretary of the Interior, the author of theMississippi Ordinance of Secession, and aConfederate officer and diplomat. The first town elections were held in December, and C. M. Morrison became the town's first mayor. In 1889, Prowers County was established, and Lamar was elected to house the county's government. Throughout its history, Lamar has suffered from fires and floods. The town was also greatly affected by theDust Bowl, and as such, participated in projects led by theCivil Works Administration,Federal Emergency Relief Administration, and theWorks Progress Administration.
The northern site of thePierre Auger Observatory of ultra-high energy cosmic rays is planned to be built near Lamar.[11]
The city lies in southeastern Colorado in northwestern Prowers County on the south side of theArkansas River floodplain.Las Animas is about twenty miles to the west.[12]
The antipode of Lamar is Saint Paul Island (French island in the Indian Ocean). Lamar is one of the rare American places with an antipode located on land and not in the open sea.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.2 square miles (11 km2), all land.
Lamar receives intercity passenger rail service at theLamar Amtrak Station viaAmtrak'sSouthwest Chief, which runs between Chicago and Los Angeles. An intercity bus service is also provided byBustang. Lamar is the last eastbound stop of the Lamar-Pueblo-Colorado Springs Outrider line.
Highways
US 50 is an east–west highway running from California to Maryland. It is also the main route toPueblo and Las Animas.
Prowers County Road 196 (the state has abandoned the highway) is an 11.4-mile (18.3 km) stretch that connects around Lamar toWiley.
US 287/385 are two concurrent highways that run south through Lamar. They connect Lamar toSpringfield. US 287 runs fromTexas State Highway 87 inPort Arthur, Texas, toUS 89 atChoteau, Montana. US 385 runs fromBig Bend National Park in Texas toUS 85 inDeadwood, South Dakota.According to theKöppen climate classification, Lamar is located in acold semi-arid climate (Bsk)
| Climate data for Lamar, Colorado (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 82 (28) | 86 (30) | 94 (34) | 98 (37) | 103 (39) | 111 (44) | 111 (44) | 110 (43) | 106 (41) | 99 (37) | 89 (32) | 82 (28) | 111 (44) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 66.3 (19.1) | 72.3 (22.4) | 82.9 (28.3) | 88.9 (31.6) | 95.7 (35.4) | 102.7 (39.3) | 103.7 (39.8) | 101.6 (38.7) | 98.3 (36.8) | 90.3 (32.4) | 78.6 (25.9) | 66.5 (19.2) | 105.2 (40.7) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 45.1 (7.3) | 49.2 (9.6) | 60.2 (15.7) | 68.4 (20.2) | 77.7 (25.4) | 88.7 (31.5) | 93.3 (34.1) | 90.6 (32.6) | 83.5 (28.6) | 69.9 (21.1) | 56.4 (13.6) | 45.5 (7.5) | 69.0 (20.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 29.4 (−1.4) | 33.1 (0.6) | 43.3 (6.3) | 52.2 (11.2) | 62.2 (16.8) | 73.1 (22.8) | 78.1 (25.6) | 75.7 (24.3) | 67.5 (19.7) | 53.0 (11.7) | 39.9 (4.4) | 30.0 (−1.1) | 53.1 (11.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 13.7 (−10.2) | 17.0 (−8.3) | 26.3 (−3.2) | 36.1 (2.3) | 46.8 (8.2) | 57.5 (14.2) | 62.9 (17.2) | 60.9 (16.1) | 51.5 (10.8) | 36.0 (2.2) | 23.3 (−4.8) | 14.4 (−9.8) | 37.2 (2.9) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −1.5 (−18.6) | 2.1 (−16.6) | 10.3 (−12.1) | 21.4 (−5.9) | 32.7 (0.4) | 45.3 (7.4) | 54.5 (12.5) | 53.0 (11.7) | 37.8 (3.2) | 21.1 (−6.1) | 8.7 (−12.9) | −1.9 (−18.8) | −7.2 (−21.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −29 (−34) | −30 (−34) | −23 (−31) | 8 (−13) | 20 (−7) | 33 (1) | 43 (6) | 40 (4) | 23 (−5) | 1 (−17) | −12 (−24) | −23 (−31) | −30 (−34) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 0.33 (8.4) | 0.42 (11) | 0.72 (18) | 1.46 (37) | 1.93 (49) | 2.53 (64) | 2.81 (71) | 2.78 (71) | 1.19 (30) | 1.08 (27) | 0.48 (12) | 0.46 (12) | 16.19 (411) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 6.3 (16) | 5.4 (14) | 4.7 (12) | 1.7 (4.3) | 0.1 (0.25) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 2.1 (5.3) | 3.6 (9.1) | 5.9 (15) | 29.8 (76) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 2.7 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 5.8 | 7.5 | 7.4 | 8.3 | 7.4 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 61.8 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 2.2 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 10.4 |
| Source:NOAA[13][14] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 566 | — | |
| 1900 | 987 | 74.4% | |
| 1910 | 2,977 | 201.6% | |
| 1920 | 2,512 | −15.6% | |
| 1930 | 4,233 | 68.5% | |
| 1940 | 4,445 | 5.0% | |
| 1950 | 6,829 | 53.6% | |
| 1960 | 7,369 | 7.9% | |
| 1970 | 7,797 | 5.8% | |
| 1980 | 7,713 | −1.1% | |
| 1990 | 8,343 | 8.2% | |
| 2000 | 8,869 | 6.3% | |
| 2010 | 7,804 | −12.0% | |
| 2020 | 7,687 | −1.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
As of the census of 2010[update],[15] there were 7,804 people, 3,102 households, and 1,980 families living in the city. The population density was 1,858.1 inhabitants per square mile (717.4/km2). There were 3,666 housing units at an average density of 872.9 units per square mile (337.0 units/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 78.6%White, 0.7%African American, 1.0%Native American, 0.4%Asian, 0.0%Pacific Islander, 16.3% fromother races, and 3.0% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 39.7% of the population.
There were 3,102 households, of which 42.2% were married couples living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 31.8% of all households were made up of individuals living alone, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.1 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,521, and the median income for a family was $43,588. Males working full-time and year-round had a median income of $31,621 versus $30,148 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $16,944. About 21.4% of families and 24.6% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 34.1% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.
Lamar is part of School District RE-2,[16][17] and it is home toLamar Community College.[18]
Lamar initially had an agriculture-based economy. In 1981, German bus manufacturerNeoplan opened a manufacturing plant employing 650, but it closed in 2006.[19][20] Lamar has increasingly relied on tourism.[10]
Prowers Medical Center, a critical access hospital, serves Lamar and Prowers County. The hospital has an emergency department that is a level IV trauma center.[21]
Notable individuals who were born in or have lived in Lamar include:
Municipalities and communities ofProwers County, Colorado,United States | ||
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| City |  | |
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Former communities | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
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