Penrose, Colorado facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Penrose, Colorado
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Looking east along Broadway, Penrose's main street
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| Nickname(s):
"Model Rocket Capital of the World"
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Location of the Penrose CDP in Fremont County, Colorado.
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 Penrose, Colorado
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Colorado |
| County | Fremont County |
| Government | |
| • Type | unincorporated town |
| Area | |
| • Total | 17.846 sq mi (46.221 km2) |
| • Land | 17.846 sq mi (46.221 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.000 km2) |
| Elevation | 5,308 ft (1,618 m) |
| Population
(2010)
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| • Total | 3,582 |
| • Density | 201/sq mi (77/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP Code |
81240
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| Area code(s) | 719 |
| GNIS feature | Penrose CDP |
| Website | https://www.penrosechamber.org/ |
Penrose is a small community in Fremont County, Colorado, United States. It's known as an unincorporated town, which means it doesn't have its own local government like a city does. Instead, it's managed by the county. Penrose also has its own post office and is recognized as a census-designated place (CDP) for counting people.
This area is part of the larger Cañon City Micropolitan Statistical Area. The Penrose post office uses the ZIP code 81240. In 2010, about 3,582 people lived in the Penrose CDP. The wider area covered by the 81240 ZIP Code had about 4,323 residents. Penrose is sometimes called the "Model Rocket Capital of the World"!
Contents
History
The community of Penrose was named after Spencer Penrose. He was a well-known businessman and philanthropist in Colorado.
Geography
Penrose is located in the eastern part of Fremont County. You can find it at these coordinates: 38.426756 degrees North latitude and -105.007568 degrees West longitude.
The United States Census Bureau says that the Penrose area covers about 46.2 square kilometers (which is about 17.8 square miles). All of this area is land.
Penrose gets its water from Brush Hollow Reservoir. This reservoir is located to the west of the town, within the Brush Hollow State Wildlife Area.
Population and People
The United States Census Bureau first officially counted Penrose as a CDP in 1990.
| Penrose CDP, Colorado | ||
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| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1990 | 2,235 | — |
| 2000 | 4,070 | +82.1% |
| 2010 | 3,582 | −12.0% |
| 2020 | — | |
| Source: United States Census Bureau | ||
In 2010, there were 3,582 people living in Penrose. They lived in 1,454 households, with 1,044 of these being families. The population density was about 107 people per square mile. Most residents (94.7%) were White. About 8.7% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.
About 23.3% of the households had children under 18 living with them. Many households (58.4%) were married couples living together. The average household had 2.46 people.
The population's age spread out like this:
- 23.2% were under 19 years old.
- 3.9% were between 20 and 24.
- 20.1% were between 25 and 44.
- 35.9% were between 45 and 64.
- 17% were 65 years or older.
The average age of people in Penrose was 47 years old in 2010.
Getting Around Penrose
Penrose is located close to two important highways: US 50 and SH 115. SH 115 goes north for about 34 miles to Colorado Springs.
Penrose is situated between two larger towns on US 50:
- Pueblo is about 30 miles to the southeast.
- Cañon City is about 12 miles to the west.
There's also an airport nearby, the Fremont County Airport (1V6), which is often called the Cañon City airport but has a Penrose address. Penrose is also part of Colorado's Bustang bus network, specifically on the Alamosa-Pueblo Outrider line.
Main Roads
US 50
SH 115
What People Do in Penrose
Many people who live in Penrose travel to work in nearby cities like Colorado Springs. Others work at the prisons in Florence or Cañon City, or at the Holcim plant in Portland.
Penrose has a friendly, small-town feel. It doesn't have any traffic lights! The community has:
- A fire station run by volunteers.
- A trucking company.
- A gas station.
- A Veterans of Foreign Wars hall.
- A doctor's office.
- A post office.
- A local library.
- A small grocery store.
- Three small restaurants.
One of the most interesting businesses in Penrose is the Estes Industries model rocket factory. This factory makes model rockets, which helps give Penrose its nickname as the "Model Rocket Capital of the World"!
Education
Students in Penrose attend schools run by the Fremont RE-2 School District. Penrose Elementary School is for younger students. After elementary school, students go to high school in Florence at Florence Junior/Senior High School.
See also
In Spanish: Penrose (Colorado) para niños
