Idalia, Colorado facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Idalia, Colorado
Census Designated Place
Idalia, looking east on U.S. Route 36.
Nickname(s):  Jewel of the Plains
Location of the Idalia CDP in Yuma County, Colorado.
Idalia, Colorado Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Colorado
County	Yuma County
Founded	1887
Government
• Type	unincorporated town
Area
• Total	0.085 sq mi (0.220 km2)
• Land	0.085 sq mi (0.220 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0.000 km2)
Elevation	3,966 ft (1,209 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	88
• Density	1,035/sq mi (400/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code	80735
Area code(s)	970
GNIS feature	Idalia

Idalia is an unincorporated town, a post office, and a census-designated place (CDP) located in Yuma County, Colorado, United States. The Idalia post office has the ZIP Code 80735. At the United States Census 2010, the population of the Idalia CDP was 88, while the population of the 80735 ZIP Code Tabulation Area was 405 including adjacent areas.

Geography

Idalia is located at 39°42′15″N 102°17′35″W / 39.70417°N 102.29306°W / 39.70417; -102.29306 (39.704281,-102.293186), along U.S. Highway 36 approximately two miles west of U.S. Highway 385.

History

A post office called Idalia has been in operation since 1888. The community derives its name from Edaliah Helmick, a pioneer settler.

The Town of Idalia in 1913

Idalia School

There is one school, which teaches preschool through twelfth grade. The school mascot is the wolf. The town also has a preschool and daycare.

School Timeline

• (1950) Rex Dean McMcEwen is the first student to graduate from the Idalia school
• (1970's) A high school wing was added to the preexisting school.
• (1995) A new gymnasium is built
• (2012-2013) The old school is completely torn down and a brand new school is built after the State of Colorado awards Idalia the BEST grant.

Establishments

Idalia has a 24-hour self-serve gas station as well as a small motel. There are two restaurants which serve the surrounding community as well as travelers on Highway 36. As such, the name of the town bar & grill is The Grainery. There is also a small cafe open during the morning, the Prairie Vista. Idalia has a grain elevator that is operated in conjunction with the Outback Fuel and Feed gas station. There are other small businesses in town, including a hair cut salon, Pick N'Roll, as well as "T&G Tanning" owned by Tyson. There is also a family grocery store: Carpenter's Mini-Mall. Possibly the most influential town institution has been the Idalia Visions Foundation, Inc. which sponsors student college scholarship donations as well as the primary source of fund-raising and planning for a new gymnasium which was constructed in 1995.

Idalia Days Celebration

Community members headed a project aimed at emulating the summer annual town celebrations of neighboring towns (i.e., Wray Daze). The event, coined Idalia Days, takes place each summer if enough interest is provided. During its inaugural celebration, Idalia Days provided activities and events in which the community could partake. Drawing on themes used in previous town celebrations, events include bed races, an old-time baseball game, old man six-man football, a melodrama illustrating the history of the towns relocation, and a fire hall dance. Fun is had by all.

Idalia High School Football

Due to low enrollment of the high school, Idalia, like hundreds of schools throughout Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, and Texas, plays six-man football, a variation of football involving six players on each side off the ball rather than the traditional eleven. To this end, Idalia has had an extremely successful program over the last decade and has become a staple program in Colorado Classification A 6-Man Football. The team won eight state titles between 1998 and 2010. Their most dominant team was the championship team of 2005.

Demographics

The United States Census Bureau initially defined the Idalia CDP for the United States Census 2010.

Idalia High School Sports Programs

Due to low enrollment of the high school, Idalia, like hundreds of schools throughout Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, and Texas, plays six-man football, a variation of football involving six players on each side off the ball rather than the traditional eleven. Idalia had a dominant program from the late 1990s into the 2000s, winning eight state titles between 1998 and 2010. In recent years, the football program has struggled in the face of low-enrollment and as rival schools have consolidated sports programs in the wake of their own enrollment and budgetary constraints.

However, as the football program continues to rebuild, the Idalia girls' sports teams have had some very successful years. In 2015, the Idalia girls' volleyball team advanced to the Colorado Class 1A volleyball championship match, ultimately falling to Otis High School in five sets. In addition, the girls' basketball program won consecutive state championships in 2015 and 2016.

See also

In Spanish: Idalia (Colorado) para niños