Westcliffe, Colorado facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Westcliffe, Colorado
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Horn Peak of the Sangre de Cristo Range viewed from Westcliffe
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Location of Westcliffe in Custer County, Colorado.
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  State of Colorado |
| County | Custer County - seat |
| Incorporated | November 21, 1887 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Statutory Town |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.24 sq mi (3.20 km2) |
| • Land | 1.24 sq mi (3.20 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 7,871 ft (2,399 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 435 |
| • Density | 350.8/sq mi (135.9/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code |
81252
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| Area code(s) | 719 |
| FIPS code | 08-83450 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2413471 |
Westcliffe is a small town in Colorado, United States. It is the main town, or county seat, of Custer County. In 2020, about 435 people lived there.
Contents
History of Westcliffe
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The restored D&RGW depot in August 2022
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Shopping lane in downtown Westcliffe
Westcliffe started as a town in 1881. This was when the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad built its train tracks to reach this area.
Where is Westcliffe Located?
Westcliffe is in the middle of Custer County. It sits in a place called the Wet Mountain Valley. To the east are the Wet Mountains, and to the west are the tall Sangre de Cristo Range mountains. The town of Silver Cliff is right next to Westcliffe, just to its east.
The town covers an area of about 3.2 square kilometers (1.24 square miles). All of this area is land.
Westcliffe's Weather
Westcliffe has a climate with warm summers and cold winters. The highest temperature ever recorded was 96°F (36°C) in July. The lowest was -46°F (-43°C) in February. The town gets a good amount of snow, especially from December to April.
| Climate data for Westcliffe, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1895–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 65 (18) |
69 (21) |
74 (23) |
78 (26) |
88 (31) |
95 (35) |
96 (36) |
94 (34) |
90 (32) |
82 (28) |
79 (26) |
72 (22) |
96 (36) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 55.3 (12.9) |
56.5 (13.6) |
64.6 (18.1) |
70.4 (21.3) |
78.4 (25.8) |
86.3 (30.2) |
88.1 (31.2) |
85.1 (29.5) |
81.4 (27.4) |
74.9 (23.8) |
64.4 (18.0) |
56.2 (13.4) |
88.9 (31.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 39.6 (4.2) |
41.7 (5.4) |
49.6 (9.8) |
56.4 (13.6) |
65.8 (18.8) |
76.9 (24.9) |
80.6 (27.0) |
78.0 (25.6) |
72.4 (22.4) |
61.3 (16.3) |
48.9 (9.4) |
39.8 (4.3) |
59.2 (15.1) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 23.9 (−4.5) |
26.9 (−2.8) |
34.6 (1.4) |
41.0 (5.0) |
49.5 (9.7) |
58.7 (14.8) |
62.8 (17.1) |
61.1 (16.2) |
54.7 (12.6) |
43.7 (6.5) |
32.8 (0.4) |
23.9 (−4.5) |
42.8 (6.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 8.3 (−13.2) |
12.1 (−11.1) |
19.6 (−6.9) |
25.7 (−3.5) |
33.3 (0.7) |
40.6 (4.8) |
44.9 (7.2) |
44.1 (6.7) |
37.0 (2.8) |
26.1 (−3.3) |
16.7 (−8.5) |
8.0 (−13.3) |
26.4 (−3.1) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −13.7 (−25.4) |
−12.6 (−24.8) |
−3.1 (−19.5) |
5.2 (−14.9) |
19.8 (−6.8) |
30.3 (−0.9) |
37.9 (3.3) |
35.8 (2.1) |
23.9 (−4.5) |
5.6 (−14.7) |
−7.6 (−22.0) |
−15.9 (−26.6) |
−19.8 (−28.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −41 (−41) |
−46 (−43) |
−31 (−35) |
−25 (−32) |
−2 (−19) |
17 (−8) |
25 (−4) |
20 (−7) |
4 (−16) |
−12 (−24) |
−29 (−34) |
−39 (−39) |
−46 (−43) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.48 (12) |
0.58 (15) |
1.06 (27) |
1.56 (40) |
1.41 (36) |
0.79 (20) |
2.66 (68) |
1.98 (50) |
0.90 (23) |
0.95 (24) |
0.69 (18) |
0.53 (13) |
13.59 (346) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 8.4 (21) |
10.4 (26) |
15.0 (38) |
19.6 (50) |
4.3 (11) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.9 (2.3) |
8.4 (21) |
8.5 (22) |
8.8 (22) |
84.3 (213.3) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 3.7 | 4.7 | 6.6 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 5.8 | 11.6 | 11.6 | 5.9 | 5.1 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 77.1 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 3.7 | 4.6 | 5.7 | 4.4 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 29.2 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
Dark Skies for Stargazing
Westcliffe and its neighbor, Silver Cliff, Colorado, are special places. They are known as IDA International Dark Sky Communities. This means they work hard to reduce light pollution. Less light pollution makes it easier to see the stars at night.
Local people have even built a free observatory. It's called the Smokey Jack Observatory and opened in 2015. It has a special roof that rolls off. Inside, there's a 14-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope that can find and follow stars automatically. This lets everyone enjoy the amazing night sky.
Population Changes Over Time
The number of people living in Westcliffe has changed over the years.
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 192 | — | |
| 1900 | 256 | 33.3% | |
| 1910 | 232 | −9.4% | |
| 1920 | 338 | 45.7% | |
| 1930 | 335 | −0.9% | |
| 1940 | 429 | 28.1% | |
| 1950 | 390 | −9.1% | |
| 1960 | 306 | −21.5% | |
| 1970 | 243 | −20.6% | |
| 1980 | 324 | 33.3% | |
| 1990 | 312 | −3.7% | |
| 2000 | 417 | 33.7% | |
| 2010 | 568 | 36.2% | |
| 2020 | 435 | −23.4% | |
Famous People from Westcliffe
Some well-known people have connections to Westcliffe:
- Gordon Clark (1902–1985) was a philosopher and theologian. He is buried near Westcliffe.
- Anne Kimbell (1932–2017) was an actress. She also started the Westcliffe Center for the Performing Arts.
- Adolph Treidler (1886–1981) was an artist. He was born in Westcliffe.
See also
In Spanish: Westcliffe para niños
