Delta, Colorado

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Delta, Colorado
home rule city [1]
Delta-Main1.jpg
Main Street in Delta (2005)
Nickname: 
City of Murals
Delta County Colorado Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Delta Highlighted 0819850.svg
Location within Delta County and Colorado <
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Delta
Location of Delta
USA Colorado location map.svg
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Delta
Delta (Colorado)
Coordinates: 38°44′32″N108°04′08″W / 38.7422°N 108.0690°W / 38.7422; -108.0690 (Delta, Colorado) [2]
Country United States
State Colorado
County Delta [3]
Incorporated October 24, 1882 [4]
Government
 • Type home rule city [1]
 •  Mayor Kevin Carlson
Area
[5]
 • Total
13.530 sq mi (35.043 km2)
 • Land13.273 sq mi (34.378 km2)
 • Water0.257 sq mi (0.665 km2)
Elevation
[2]
4,961 ft (1,512 m)
Population
 (2020) [5]
 • Total
9,035
 • Density681/sq mi (263/km2)
Time zone UTC−07:00 (MST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−06:00 (MDT)
ZIP code [6]
81416
Area codes 970/748
GNIS place ID 185516
GNIS city ID 2410319
FIPS code 08-19850
Website cityofdelta.net

Delta is a home rule city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Delta County, Colorado, United States. [1] [7] The city population was 9,035 at the 2020 United States census. [5] The United States Forest Service headquarters of the Grand Mesa, Gunnison, and Uncompahgre National Forests are located in Delta.

Contents

History

Delta was built as a trading post for the Ute people and early settlers. Fort Uncompahgre was built in 1828. [8]

The Delta, Colorado, post office opened on January 5, 1882, [9] and the Town of Delta was incorporated on October 24, 1882. [1] The town was named because of its location on the delta where the Uncompahgre River flows into the Gunnison River. [10]

Geography

Delta is located in southwestern Delta County at coordinates 38°44′32″N108°04′08″W / 38.7422°N 108.0690°W / 38.7422; -108.0690 (Delta, Colorado) and elevation 4,961 feet (1,512 m). [2] The downtown area is situated south of the Gunnison River and east of the Uncompahgre River. The city limits extend north across the Gunnison into the area now known as "North Delta", then west 6 miles (10 km) along U.S. Route 50 as far as Westwinds Airport.

At the 2020 United States census, the town had a total area of 8,659 acres (35.043 km2) including 164 acres (0.665 km2) of water. [5]

Delta is part of the Colorado Western Slope region.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1890 470—
1900 81974.3%
1910 2,388191.6%
1920 2,6239.8%
1930 2,93812.0%
1940 3,71726.5%
1950 4,09710.2%
1960 3,832−6.5%
1970 3,694−3.6%
1980 3,9316.4%
1990 3,789−3.6%
2000 6,40068.9%
2010 8,91539.3%
2020 9,0351.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census [11] of 2010, there were 8,915 people, 3,530 households, and 2,337 families living in the city. The population density was 1,682.1 inhabitants per square mile (649.5/km2). There were 3,825 housing units at an average density of 721.7 per square mile (278.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 82.2% White, 0.2% African American, 1.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 12.5% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.1% of the population.

There were 3,530 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49, and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

Art and culture

Historic Egyptian Theatre (2012) Egyptian theatre exterior.jpg
Historic Egyptian Theatre (2012)

Fort Uncompahgre was built in 1828, established as a fur trading post by Antoine Robidoux. Tour guides dress in period attire and trap beavers, make buckskins, knap arrowheads, and work the forge. [12]

Tourism

Parks:

Education

Delta is part of the Delta County Joint School District 50-J, which covers all of Delta County, [14] including Cedaredge, Crawford, Hotchkiss, and Paonia. The school district serves 4,792 students as of the 2020-2021 academic year. [15]

Delta is also home to Technical College of the Rockies, a small trade school serving roughly 300 students annually. [16]

Infrastructure

Transportation

Montrose Regional Airport, located 21 miles (34 km) south of Delta, is the closest airport served by scheduled airlines. In Grand Junction, which is 39 miles (63 km) to the north, there are also scheduled airline services, as well as an Amtrak train station with a daily California Zephyr departure in each direction. Delta is part of Colorado's Bustang network. It is on the Durango-Grand Junction Outrider line. [17]

Major highways

Health care

Delta County Memorial Hospital serves the city and the surrounding area. In addition to the main hospital, seven specialty clinics are available. [18]

Media

The principal newspaper is the Delta County Independent, [19] which is published weekly on Wednesdays. Local readers also enjoy The High Country Spotlight & Shopper, a free paper that distributes over 15,000 copies throughout the county.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Active Colorado Municipalities". Colorado Department of Local Affairs . Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Delta, Colorado". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior . Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Colorado Counties". Colorado Department of Local Affairs . Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. December 1, 2004. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 2, 2007.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Decennial Census P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data". United States Census Bureau, United States Department of Commerce. August 12, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  6. ↑ "ZIP Code Lookup". United States Postal Service . Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  8. ↑ "A History & Heritage Hotbed". Delta County Colorado Tourism. Archived from the original on July 2, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
  9. ↑ Bauer, William H.; Ozment, James L.; Willard, John H. (1990). Colorado Post Offices 1859–1989. Golden, Colorado: Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation. ISBN   0-918654-42-4.
  10. ↑ Dawson, John Frank (1954). Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin. Denver, CO: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 17.
  11. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  12. ↑ "Step back in time…". About Delta Colorado. Archived from the original on October 16, 2022. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. ↑ Geography Division (December 17, 2020). 2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Delta County, CO (PDF) (Map). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved August 4, 2025. - Text list
  15. ↑ "Home - Delta County Joint District No. 50". Delta County School District. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Home - Technical College of the Rockies". tcr.edu.
  17. ↑ "Bustang Schedule". RideBustang. CDOT.
  18. ↑ "Our history". Delta County Memorial Hospital. 2020. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  19. ↑ Delta County Independent.

Further reading

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