Woodland Park, Colorado

Woodland Park, Colorado

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Woodland Park, Colorado

Woodland Park is a Home Rule Municipality that is the most populous city in Teller County, Colorado, United States. Many residents in this bedroom community, which is surrounded by the Pike National Forest, make the 17-mile commute to Colorado Springs. Ute Pass lies 12 miles to the west of Woodland Park on US 24. The population was 6,515 at the 2000 census. Nearby Douglas County is about a fifteen-minute drive from the city.

Local notes
Gardening
Crime
Geography
Demographics
Notable Residents
See also
References
External links

Local notes

Called the "The City Above the Clouds" by long time resident Cal Elder, Woodland Park often enjoys clear skies while weather in neighboring towns may be rainy or overcast. The city has pursued a policy of careful growth, despite recent controversy over the construction of a Wal-Mart franchise, and enjoys a fine view of Pikes Peak. Woodland Park offers easy access to hiking, climbing, and fishing. Because of the city's location, there is a natural limitation to population growth. At roughly 8500 feet, Woodland Park is just beginning to recover from a long drought; the winter of 2006-2007 marked the return of what long-time residents have called "real Woodland Park weather" with daytime winter temperatures frequently plunging below freezing. However, some residents find Colorado winters more tolarable than those in other parts of the country, with blue skies and warm days peppered throughout the season.

A number of full-time musicians reside in Woodland Park and the surrounding areas, and arts festivals have become more frequent in recent years, often held at the Ute Pass Cultural Center. Woodland Park is also the site of the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, a museum devoted to dinosaurs and fossils. Clint Vahsholtz, an ARCA driver, is a notable resident of the city.

Gardening

Due to the long winters and short growing season many local gardeners utilize greenhouses and irrigation to grow delicious organic vegetables.

Crime

On January 20, 2001, the owner of the Coachlight Motel and R.V. Park discovered that the Texas 7, a group of escaped prisoners also wanted for robbery and murder, were hiding out, living in an RV on his property. The next day, on January 21, SWAT teams found five of the members in and near the park. One shot himself; the other four were arrested.^[1]

Geography

View of Pikes Peak, from Woodland Park

Woodland Park is located at (38.998226, -105.056269), at the eastern intersection of U.S. Highway 24 and State Highway 67. (The highways overlap west to Divide.)

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.7 square miles (14.7 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,515 people, 2,476 households, and 1,884 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,151.0 people per square mile (444.4/km²). There were 2,642 housing units at an average density of 466.8/sq mi (180.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.89% White, 0.52% African American, 0.72% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.81% from other races, and 2.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.45% of the population.

There were 2,476 households out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.3% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $52,279, and the median income for a family was $59,583. Males had a median income of $36,157 versus $27,459 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,780. About 1.8% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

Students are served by Woodland Park School District RE-2.