Delta, Colorado

Delta, Colorado
Home Rule Municipality
Main Street
Nickname(s): City of Murals
Location in Delta County and the State of Colorado
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	State of Colorado
County	Delta County Seat
Incorporated	October 24, 1882
Government
• Type	Home Rule Municipality
• Mayor	Edward Sisson
• Mayor Pro-Tem	Guy Pfalzgraff
Area
• Total	14.0 sq mi (36.3 km2)
• Land	13.7 sq mi (35.6 km2)
• Water	0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2)  2.02%
Elevation	4,953 ft (1,486 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	8,915
• Density	649/sq mi (250.5/km2)
Time zone	MST (UTC-7)
• Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code	81416
Area code(s)	970
INCITS place code	0819850
GNIS feature ID	0185516
Website	cityofdelta.net

The City of Delta is the Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Delta County, Colorado, United States. The population was 8,915 at the 2010 census, up from 6,400 at the 2000 census. The United States Forest Service headquarters of the Grand Mesa, Gunnison, and Uncompahgre National Forests are located in Delta.

History

Delta was built as a trading post for the Ute people and early settlers. Fort Uncompahgre was built in 1828.

The town was named because of its location on the delta where the Uncompahgre River flows into the Gunnison River. The town was incorporated in 1882.

Geography

Delta is located in southwestern Delta County at (38.740879, -108.063423). The downtown area is sited south of the Gunnison River and east of the Uncompaghre River. The city limits extend north across the Gunnison into the area now known as "North Delta", then west 6 miles (10 km) along U.S. Route 50 as far as Westwinds Airport.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.0 square miles (36.3 km²), of which 13.7 square miles (35.6 km²) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.7 km²), or 2.02%, is water.

Delta is part of the Colorado Western Slope region.

Tourism

Parks:

• Pow Wow Arbor
• Mountain View Pavilion
• Riley Pavilion / Cleland Park
• Shade Pavilion Island
• Cottonwood Park
• Emerald Hills Park

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	470		—
1900	819		74.3%
1910	2,388		191.6%
1920	2,623		9.8%
1930	2,938		12.0%
1940	3,717		26.5%
1950	4,097		10.2%
1960	3,832		−6.5%
1970	3,694		−3.6%
1980	3,931		6.4%
1990	3,789		−3.6%
2000	6,400		68.9%
2010	8,915		39.3%
Est. 2014	8,720		−2.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2010, there were 8,915 people, 3,530 households, and 2,337 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,682.1 people per square mile (632.3/km²). There were 3,825 housing units at an average density of 721.7 per square mile (271.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.2% White, 0.2% African American, 1.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 12.5% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.1% of the population.

There were 3,530 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49, and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.0 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

Art and culture

The historic Egyptian Theatre on Main Street

Fort Uncompahgre

Fort Uncompahgre was built in 1828, established as a fur trading post by Antoine Robidoux. Tour guides dress in period attire and trap beavers, make buckskins, knap arrowheads, and work the forge.

Media

The principal newspaper is the Delta County Independent, which is published weekly on Wednesdays. Local readers also enjoy The High Country Shopper, a free paper that distributes over 15,000 copies throughout the county.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Montrose Regional Airport, located 21 miles (34 km) south of Delta, is the closest airport served by scheduled airlines. In Grand Junction, which is 39 miles (63 km) to the north, there are also scheduled airline services, as well as an Amtrak train station with a daily California Zephyr departure in each direction.

Major highways

• U.S. Highway 50 runs east-west, crossing 12 states and linking Sacramento, California, with Ocean City, Maryland. In Colorado, it passes through Delta as Main Street and connects the city to Montrose, Grand Junction and Pueblo.
• State Highway 65 is a 61-mile (98 km) stretch that runs north from State Highway 92 east of Delta, over the Grand Mesa, to Interstate 70 near Palisade.
• State Highway 92 begins in Delta, at the intersection of Main Street and First Street. It runs 73 miles (117 km) to the east, re-encountering US 50 near Blue Mesa Reservoir and Curecanti National Recreation Area.

Notable people

• Chuck Cottier, baseball player and manager
• Dale Ishimoto, American actor
• Frank H. Ono, Medal of Honor recipient

See also

• Egyptian Theatre (Delta, Colorado)

Further reading

• Borowsky, Larry and Cleary, Brooke, "Delta's King of Kings: The Egyptian Theatre and the Bank Night Craze". Colorado Heritage Summer 2002: pp. 2–15
• Ferguson, Olivia Spalding, "A Sketch of Delta County History". The Colorado Magazine 5 (October 1928): pp. 161–164

External links

• City of Delta official website
• CDOT map of the City of Delta
• Delta Area Chamber of Commerce
• Delta County Independent