Parachute, Colorado | |
|---|---|
 Parachute in 2023 | |
| Nickname: "Western Gateway to the Rockies"[2] | |
| Motto: "A Safe Place to Land"[3] | |
 Location of Parachute in Garfield County, Colorado. | |
| Coordinates:39°27′06″N108°03′06″W / 39.45167°N 108.05167°W /39.45167; -108.05167 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| County | Garfield County[1] |
| Incorporated | 1908-04-01, as the Town of Grand Valley[4] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Home rule municipality[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.87 sq mi (4.85 km2) |
| • Land | 1.81 sq mi (4.68 km2) |
| • Water | 0.066 sq mi (0.17 km2) |
| Elevation | 5,089 ft (1,551 m) |
| Population | |
• Total | 1,390 |
| • Density | 769/sq mi (297/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP codes[8] | 81635, 81636 (PO Box) |
| Area code | 970 |
| FIPS code | 08-57400 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2413110[6] |
| Website | www |
Parachute is ahome rule municipality inGarfield County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,390 at the2020 census.[7]
The town is the birthplace ofWillard Libby, recipient of the 1960Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
The town's name comes from Parachute Creek which runs through the township, before it merges with theColorado River. TheUte people originally called the creek Pahchouc (meaning twins), with early settlers mispronouncing the word asparachute. In 1908 the town was renamed Grand Valley, but in the 1980s was changed back to Parachute.[9]
Parachute is on the northwest side of theColorado River where it is joined byParachute Creek.Interstate 70 passes through the town, with access from Exit 75. I-70 leads east 42 miles (68 km) toGlenwood Springs, thecounty seat, and southwest 44 miles (71 km) toGrand Junction. Parachute is bordered to the southeast across the Colorado River by the unincorporated community ofBattlement Mesa.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.67 square miles (4.32 km2), of which 1.61 square miles (4.16 km2) is land and 0.062 square miles (0.16 km2), or 3.70%, is water.[10]
This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Parachute has ahumid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.[11]
| Climate data for Parachute | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 3 (38) | 8 (46) | 13 (56) | 18 (64) | 24 (76) | 31 (88) | 34 (94) | 34 (93) | 28 (82) | 19 (66) | 11 (51) | 5 (41) | 19 (66) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −12 (11) | −7 (19) | −2 (29) | 1 (33) | 6 (43) | 10 (50) | 14 (58) | 14 (57) | 9 (48) | 2 (35) | −3 (27) | −8 (18) | 2 (36) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 18 (0.7) | 18 (0.7) | 46 (1.8) | 43 (1.7) | 30 (1.2) | 25 (1) | 38 (1.5) | 23 (0.9) | 36 (1.4) | 51 (2) | 43 (1.7) | 30 (1.2) | 400 (15.8) |
| Source: Weatherbase[12] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | 268 | — | |
| 1920 | 228 | −14.9% | |
| 1930 | 209 | −8.3% | |
| 1940 | 230 | 10.0% | |
| 1950 | 296 | 28.7% | |
| 1960 | 245 | −17.2% | |
| 1970 | 270 | 10.2% | |
| 1980 | 338 | 25.2% | |
| 1990 | 658 | 94.7% | |
| 2000 | 1,006 | 52.9% | |
| 2010 | 1,085 | 7.9% | |
| 2020 | 1,390 | 28.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
Parachute is served by Garfield County School District 16. The town is home to an elementary, middle, and high school:
Parachute is part ofBustang's West Line that connects Grand Junction to Denver.[13]
Municipalities and communities ofGarfield County, Colorado,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost town | ||
| Geographic | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
