Morrison, Colorado facts for kids
Morrison is a small, friendly town located in Jefferson County, Colorado, in the United States. It's known as a "home rule municipality," which means its citizens have a lot of say in how their town is run. According to the 2020 census, about 396 people call Morrison home.
Quick facts for kids
Morrison, Colorado
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Town of Morrison with Red Rocks Amphitheatre in background
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| Motto(s):
The Nearest Faraway Place
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Location of Morrison in Jefferson County, Colorado
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Colorado |
| County | Jefferson |
| Incorporated | January 29, 1906 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Home rule municipality |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.2 sq mi (4.24 km2) |
| • Land | 2.2 sq mi (4.23 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2) |
| Elevation | 6,368 ft (1,941 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 396 |
| • Density | 180/sq mi (93.40/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code |
80465
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| Area codes | Both 303 and 720 |
| FIPS code | 08-52075 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2413014 |
Contents
Discover Morrison, Colorado
Morrison's Rich History
How Morrison Got Its Name
The town of Morrison is named after a very important person, George Morrison. He was born in 1822 and passed away in 1895. George was a skilled stonemason and a smart businessman. He moved to the area from Canada in 1859. He helped start the town of Mt. Vernon and built the Mt. Vernon House. This house was a key stop for people traveling from Denver to the Rocky Mountains, especially those looking for gold! George Morrison later moved to Bear Creek. There, he started a company and, in 1874, planned out the town we now know as Morrison. He also helped bring the Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad to Morrison in the same year.
George Morrison was also a quarryman. This means he worked with stone. He helped develop the area's famous high-quality building stone. Many important buildings in Morrison and Denver used stone from his quarries. For example, parts of the Brown Palace Hotel and Union Station in Denver were built with Morrison stone. Some of the buildings George Morrison built in Morrison are still standing today. These include the Cliff House, which was his family home and is now a place for guests to stay. The old Morrison Schoolhouse, built in 1875, taught students until 1955 and is now a private home.
Even Mount Morrison, located behind Red Rocks Park, is named after George Morrison! The town also gave its name to a very important rock layer called the Morrison Formation. This rock layer is super famous because it's where scientists first found fossils of three amazing dinosaurs: the Apatosaurus, Diplodocus, and Colorado's state fossil, the Stegosaurus. These dinosaurs lived about 150 million years ago! The Morrison Formation stretches across many western states and has taught us a lot about ancient animals.
Ancient Dinosaurs and Fossils
Morrison is a fantastic place for dinosaur lovers! In 1877, a person named Arthur Lakes found the first fossils of Stegosaurus armatus and Apatosaurus ajax near the town. Many of these amazing fossils were sent to the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University. These discoveries were part of a famous rivalry between two paleontologists, Marsh and Cope, known as the "Bone Wars."
Today, you can visit the Morrison Natural History Museum. It shows off some of the fossils Arthur Lakes found. The museum has even found rare adult and baby Stegosaurus tracks! You can see these tracks at the museum. You can also see dinosaur tracks from the Cretaceous period at Dinosaur Ridge, just east of Morrison. This area is like a giant outdoor museum!
Near Morrison, there's also an important archaeological site called the LoDaisKa site. People lived there for about 7,500 years, leaving behind clues about ancient life.
Life in Morrison: Early 1900s
Morrison officially became a town on January 9, 1906, after everyone voted for it. The town then elected its first leaders. Thomas Cowan Morrison, the son of the town's founder, became the first mayor. The town's first rules, called ordinances, were put in place soon after. These rules helped the new leaders manage the town.
A famous person from Morrison was Pete Morrison. He was the grandson of the town's founder. In the early 1900s, Pete became a well-known cowboy movie star in silent films! He even had his own movie studio in Hollywood.
In 1976, the Morrison Historic District was recognized as a special historic place. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Morrison Today: New Developments
In April 2024, plans for The Red Hotel were approved. This is Morrison's first new hotel and business project in 60 years! Construction on the three-story hotel started in May 2025. It will have 22 special themed rooms, a coffee shop, and a rooftop area. The hotel is expected to open around the time of the Red Rocks concert season in 2026.
Exploring Morrison's Geography
Morrison is a small town, covering about 2.2 square miles of land. It's located about 20 miles southwest of Denver. You can find it along State Highway 470 and Morrison Road. The town's ZIP code (80465) covers a larger area than just the town itself. This means that some places and people who say they are from "Morrison" might actually live just outside the official town limits.
Understanding Morrison's Population
Here's how Morrison's population has changed over the years:
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1880 | 186 | — | |
| 1890 | 254 | 36.6% | |
| 1910 | 251 | — | |
| 1920 | 195 | −22.3% | |
| 1930 | 177 | −9.2% | |
| 1940 | 216 | 22.0% | |
| 1950 | 306 | 41.7% | |
| 1960 | 426 | 39.2% | |
| 1970 | 439 | 3.1% | |
| 1980 | 478 | 8.9% | |
| 1990 | 465 | −2.7% | |
| 2000 | 430 | −7.5% | |
| 2010 | 428 | −0.5% | |
| 2020 | 396 | −7.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
How Morrison is Governed
Morrison's local government is led by a mayor, a town manager, and a board of trustees. These leaders work together to make decisions for the town.
The town used to have its own police department. Before it was disbanded in 2025, this department focused a lot on making sure people followed traffic laws. Now, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office helps keep the town safe and enforces laws.
Famous Faces from Morrison
- Adolph Coors III, CEO of Coors Brewing Company
- Margaret Feinberg, Christian writer
- Pete Morrison, silent film actor
- Patrick Park, folk singer
- Trey Parker, co-creator of South Park
- Ricky Rahne, Penn State football offensive coordinator
- Jim Suttle, former mayor of Omaha, Nebraska
- Robert Hall Tinker, former mayor of Rockford, Illinois
See also
In Spanish: Morrison (Colorado) para niños
- Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO Combined Statistical Area
- Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
- Arthur Lakes discovers first Stegosaurus and Apatosaurus fossils near Morrison in 1877
- Morrison Fossil Area National Natural Landmark
- Morrison Natural History Museum
- Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre
