Parachute, Colorado
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Parachute, Colorado | |
|---|---|
| Error creating thumbnail: Parachute in 2023 | |
| Nickname(s): "Western Gateway to the Rockies"[1] | |
| Motto(s): "A Safe Place to Land"[2] | |
| Error creating thumbnail: Location of Parachute in Garfield County, Colorado. | |
| Coordinates: 39°27′06″N 108°03′06″W / 39.45167°N 108.05167°WCoordinates: 39°27′06″N 108°03′06″W / 39.45167°N 108.05167°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| County | Garfield County[3] |
| Incorporated | 1908-04-01, as the Town of Grand Valley[4] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Home rule municipality[3] |
| Area | |
| • Total | Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp |
| • Land | Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp |
| • Water | Template:Infobox settlement/areadisp |
| Elevation | Template:Infobox settlement/lengthdisp |
| Population | |
| • Total | 1,390 |
| • Density | Template:Infobox settlement/densdisp |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP codes[8] | 81635, 81636 (PO Box) |
| Area code(s) | 970 |
| FIPS code | 08-57400 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2413110[6] |
| Website | www |
Parachute is a home rule municipality in Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,390 at the 2020 census.[7]
The town is the birthplace of Willard Libby, recipient of the 1960 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
History
[edit]The town's name comes from Parachute Creek which runs through the township, before it merges with the Colorado River. The Ute people originally called the creek Pahchouc (meaning twins), with early settlers mispronouncing the word as parachute. In 1908 the town was renamed Grand Valley, but in the 1980s was changed back to Parachute.[9]
Geography
[edit]Parachute is on the northwest side of the Colorado River where it is joined by Parachute Creek. Interstate 70 passes through the town, with access from Exit 75. I-70 leads east 42 miles (68 km) to Glenwood Springs, the county seat, and southwest 44 miles (71 km) to Grand Junction. Parachute is bordered to the southeast across the Colorado River by the unincorporated community of Battlement Mesa.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.67 square miles (4.32 km2), of which 1.61 square miles (4.16 km2) is land and 0.062 square miles (0.16 km2), or 3.70%, is water.[10]
Climate
[edit]This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Parachute has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.[11]
Demographics
[edit]2020 census
[edit]As of the 2020 census, Parachute had a population of 1,390. The median age was 28.8 years. 30.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 8.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 106.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 111.2 males age 18 and over.[12][13]
95.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 5.0% lived in rural areas.[14]
There were 504 households in Parachute, of which 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.6% were married-couple households, 22.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[12]
There were 542 housing units, of which 7.0% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 3.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.8%.[12]
| Race | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| White | 1,045 | 75.2% |
| Black or African American | 18 | 1.3% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 32 | 2.3% |
| Asian | 8 | 0.6% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0 | 0.0% |
| Some other race | 126 | 9.1% |
| Two or more races | 161 | 11.6% |
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 328 | 23.6% |
Education
[edit]Parachute is served by Garfield County School District 16. The town is home to an elementary, middle, and high school:
- Bea Underwood Elementary School
- Grand Valley Middle School
- Grand Valley High School
Infrastructure
[edit]Transportation
[edit]Parachute is part of Bustang's West Line that connects Grand Junction to Denver.[15]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Town of Parachute official website". Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved January 11, 2008.
- ↑ "Home | Town of Parachute". www.parachute.gov.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Active Colorado Municipalities". State of Colorado, Department of Local Affairs. Archived from the original on December 12, 2009. Retrieved September 1, 2007.
- ↑ "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. December 1, 2004. Archived from the original on August 23, 2003. Retrieved December 2, 2007.
- ↑ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Template:GNIS
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 United States Census Bureau. "Parachute town; Colorado". Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- ↑ "ZIP Code Lookup". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original (JavaScript/HTML) on January 1, 2008. Retrieved December 2, 2007.
- ↑ "Parachute, Colorado". Uncover Colorado. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
- ↑ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Parachute town, Colorado". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 16, 2016.[dead link]
- ↑ Climate Summary for Parachute, Colorado
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
- ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
- ↑ "Bustang Schedules". RideBustang. CDOT. Archived from the original on September 15, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
External links
[edit] |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Parachute, Colorado. |
- Articles with dead external links from April 2020
- Use American English from June 2025
- Use mdy dates from April 2024
- Coordinates not on Wikidata
- Official website not in Wikidata
- Towns in Garfield County, Colorado
- Towns in Colorado
- Populated places in the United States established in 1908
- 1908 establishments in Colorado