Battlement Mesa, Colorado facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battlement Mesa, Colorado
Census Designated Place
The Battlement Mesa Schoolhouse in 2021
Location of the Battlement Mesa CDP in Garfield County, Colorado.
Battlement Mesa, Colorado Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Colorado
County	Garfield County
Government
• Type	unincorporated town
Area
• Total	11.684 sq mi (30.261 km2)
• Land	11.459 sq mi (29.678 km2)
• Water	0.225 sq mi (0.583 km2)
Elevation	5,837 ft (1,779 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	4,471
• Density	390/sq mi (151/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP Code	81635 and 81636
Area code(s)	970
GNIS feature	Battlement Mesa CDP

Battlement Mesa is an unincorporated town, a post office, and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Glenwood Springs, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. The Battlement Mesa post office has the ZIP Codes 81635 and 81636 (for post office boxes). At the United States Census 2010, the population of the Battlement Mesa CDP was 4,471, while the population of the 81635 ZIP Code Tabulation Area was 5,957 including the Town of Parachute. The Battlement Mesa Metropolitan District provides services.

The community, which bills itself as a "covenant-controlled community", is primarily a group of contiguous subdivisions developed in the later decades of the 20th century, catering to families and retirees. It is located on the flank of a hill on the south side of the Colorado River, across from the older town of Parachute. The two communities together are known as "Parachute-Battlement Mesa". The town takes its name from Battlement Mesa, an 11,000-foot-high (3,400 m) basalt-topped mesa that sits to the south of the town.

History

Battlement Mesa Schoolhouse

The community was first developed by an oil company as a residence for its workers in the expectation that the rising price of oil would make shale oil extraction economically viable. When adjusted oil prices fell, the housing estate was left as a stranded asset, and the oil company marketed it to retirees in conjunction with a real estate firm.

The Battlement Mesa Schoolhouse stands as a testimony to education.

Geography

Battlement Mesa is located at 39°26′16″N 108°2′2″W / 39.43778°N 108.03389°W / 39.43778; -108.03389 (39.437904, -108.033769), on the south side of the Colorado River. It is bordered to the northwest, across the river, by the town of Parachute. Interstate 70 passes through Parachute, providing access to Battlement Mesa from Exit 75. I-70 leads east 42 miles (68 km) to Glenwood Springs, the Garfield County seat, and southwest 45 miles (72 km) to Grand Junction. Denver is 200 miles (320 km) east via I-70.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 11.8 square miles (30.6 km²), of which 11.6 square miles (30.0 km²) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²), or 2.02%, is water.

Climate

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 the Köppen Climate Classification system, Mesa has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.

Demographics

The United States Census Bureau initially defined the Battlement Mesa CDP for the 1990 United States Census.

See also

In Spanish: Battlement Mesa (Colorado) para niños