Colorado City, Arizona facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Colorado City, Arizona
|
|
|---|---|
Colorado City sign
|
|
Location in Mohave County, Arizona
|
|
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Mohave |
| Founded | 1913 |
| Incorporated | September 1985 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council–manager |
| Area | |
| • Total | 8.924 sq mi (23.113 km2) |
| • Land | 8.916 sq mi (23.092 km2) |
| • Water | 0.008 sq mi (0.021 km2) |
| Elevation | 4,977 ft (1,517 m) |
| Population
(2020)
|
|
| • Total | 2,478 |
| • Estimate
(2022)
|
2,550 |
| • Density | 269.41/sq mi (107.02/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC–7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| ZIP Code |
86021
|
| Area code(s) | 928 |
| FIPS code | 04-14870 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0003123 |
| Sales tax | 8.6% |
Colorado City is a town in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. It is located in a special area known as the Arizona Strip. In 2020, about 2,478 people lived there. This town has been home to groups who follow older traditions of the Latter Day Saint movement. One of these groups, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), once owned much of the land in and around the town.
Contents
A Look Back at Colorado City's History
Early Days and Short Creek
Colorado City was first called Short Creek. It was started in 1913 by members of a group called the Council of Friends. They were a group that separated from the main The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). This group wanted a quiet place where they could practice a type of marriage that the LDS Church had stopped in 1890.
On July 26, 1953, the Arizona Governor, John Howard Pyle, sent troops to the town. This event was called the Short Creek raid. It was meant to stop certain practices. The legal fight that followed lasted two years. It caused problems for the Governor's career. After this, Arizona generally left the town alone for the next 50 years.
Changes and New Names
After a leader named Joseph W. Musser passed away, the community split. One group, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), stayed in Short Creek. Another group moved to Bluffdale, Utah. The FLDS group changed the town's name to Colorado City. This was done to move away from the past events of the Short Creek raids. On the Utah side of the border, the town became Hildale.
Community Challenges and Changes
In 2004, the FLDS leader, Warren Jeffs, asked some men to leave the community. This included the mayor. People said these men were asked to leave because they disagreed with Jeffs. It was a big split within the community. It is thought that many young men, possibly around 400, were asked to leave by Jeffs between 2001 and 2006. Many left because they did not follow his rules. These young men were often very sheltered and sometimes became homeless in nearby towns.
Most of the land in Colorado City was owned by the United Effort Plan. This was a special trust of the FLDS church. In 2007, the state government started to take over the church's ownership of these lands. The FLDS church and its followers felt targeted because of their beliefs. This made them even more private. Many FLDS followers still see their leader, Warren Jeffs, as a hero.
In 2010, law enforcement looked into how the town's money was being used. As a result, the Hildale-Colorado City Department of Public Safety was closed down. Emergency workers needed county approval to respond to calls.
In 2012, the United States Department of Justice said that the Colorado City government was taking orders from the FLDS Church. The Arizona Attorney General, Tom Horne, then sent the Mohave County Sheriff's Department to patrol the town daily. This was to make sure everyone was treated fairly.
In 2014, a family named Cooke sued Colorado City and Hildale. They said the towns treated them unfairly because they were not part of the FLDS Church. The Cookes were not given access to basic services like utilities. The jury agreed with the Cookes and awarded them $5.2 million. This ruling helped the Attorney General work to stop unfair treatment in the towns.
Where is Colorado City?
Colorado City is located at 36°59′22″N 112°58′41″W / 36.98944°N 112.97806°W.
Location and Area
The town covers about 10.5 square miles (27.2 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a very small part being water.
Weather in Colorado City
Colorado City has a cool, dry climate. Summers are very warm or hot, and winters are cool or cold. The temperature can change a lot between day and night. The hottest day ever recorded was 108°F (42°C) on July 5, 1985. Rainfall is usually low, especially from April to June. Snowfall is not very heavy. The most snow in one month was 29.0 inches (74 cm) in January 1982.
| Climate data for Colorado City, Arizona | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 70 (21) |
78 (26) |
87 (31) |
90 (32) |
97 (36) |
105 (41) |
108 (42) |
105 (41) |
98 (37) |
92 (33) |
80 (27) |
69 (21) |
108 (42) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 48.7 (9.3) |
53.7 (12.1) |
58.9 (14.9) |
66.7 (19.3) |
76.2 (24.6) |
87.2 (30.7) |
92.4 (33.6) |
90.0 (32.2) |
83.5 (28.6) |
72.5 (22.5) |
58.7 (14.8) |
50.3 (10.2) |
69.9 (21.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 23.2 (−4.9) |
27.8 (−2.3) |
31.6 (−0.2) |
37.3 (2.9) |
45.8 (7.7) |
54.5 (12.5) |
61.1 (16.2) |
59.9 (15.5) |
52.9 (11.6) |
41.3 (5.2) |
30.1 (−1.1) |
23.2 (−4.9) |
40.7 (4.9) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −9 (−23) |
−4 (−20) |
6 (−14) |
13 (−11) |
22 (−6) |
28 (−2) |
43 (6) |
46 (8) |
29 (−2) |
6 (−14) |
1 (−17) |
−9 (−23) |
−9 (−23) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.40 (36) |
1.41 (36) |
1.69 (43) |
0.92 (23) |
0.69 (18) |
0.41 (10) |
1.31 (33) |
1.63 (41) |
1.15 (29) |
1.02 (26) |
1.15 (29) |
0.79 (20) |
13.57 (344) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 6.1 (15) |
3.8 (9.7) |
3.3 (8.4) |
1.5 (3.8) |
0.4 (1.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.4 (1.0) |
2.7 (6.9) |
3.7 (9.4) |
21.9 (55.2) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 inch) | 5.7 | 6.2 | 7.0 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 2.1 | 5.5 | 6.6 | 4.2 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 58.5 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 inch) | 2.5 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 10.4 |
| Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration | |||||||||||||
Who Lives in Colorado City?
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1980 | 1,439 | — | |
| 1990 | 2,426 | 68.6% | |
| 2000 | 3,334 | 37.4% | |
| 2010 | 4,821 | 44.6% | |
| 2020 | 2,478 | −48.6% | |
| 2022 (est.) | 2,550 | −47.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2020 Census |
|||
The population of Colorado City has changed over the years. In 2020, the town had 2,478 residents. The population has seen ups and downs, reflecting changes in the community.
Schools and Learning
Colorado City is part of the Colorado City Unified School District. There is one main school in Colorado City called El Capitan School. It used to be called Colorado City K–12 Public School. Some school board members who were part of the FLDS group left their positions. This happened because the state government became more involved in the district.
In 2005, the Arizona state government tried to take over the school district. This was due to concerns about how the district was being managed.
There is also a charter school called Masada Charter School. It serves students from kindergarten to 9th grade. This school is located just outside Colorado City, in a community called Centennial Park.
For older students, the Mohave Community College has a campus in Colorado City. It's called the North Mohave Campus.
Famous Faces from Colorado City
- Carolyn Jessop, an author and social activist.
- Flora Jessop, also an author and social activist.
Sister City
Hildale, Utah – This town is right across the border in Utah.
See also
In Spanish: Colorado City (Arizona) para niños
