Monument, Colorado

The Town of Monument is a statutory town situated at the base of the Rampart Range in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The town is part of the Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 700,000 in 2019. Monument is bordered by Pike National Forest on the west, Colorado Springs and the United States Air Force Academy to the south, foothills and rock outcroppings to the north, and rolling plains to the east.[5] Monument was first settled as a stop along the Rio Grande Railroad in 1872, and the area was incorporated as a town called Henry's Station in 1879, but the name was later changed to Monument.[6] The town population was 5,530 at the 2010 United States Census,[7] an increase of 181% from the population of 1,971 in 2000. On April 1st, 2019, the town declared itself to be a Second Amendment sanctuary.[8]

Monument, Colorado
Statutory Town
Monument Town Hall and Police Department
Motto(s): 
"Proud Of Our Past, Confident Of Our Future "
Location of Monument in El Paso County, Colorado.
Coordinates: 39°4′52″N 104°51′45″W
Country United States
State Colorado
CountyEl Paso[1]
Incorporated (town)June 2, 1879
Government
 • TypeStatutory Town
Area
 • Total6.91 sq mi (17.90 km2)
 • Land6.86 sq mi (17.78 km2)
 • Water0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2)
Elevation
6,975 ft (2,126 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total5,530
 • Estimate 
(2019)[3]
8,097
 • Density1,179.80/sq mi (455.53/km2)
Time zoneUTC-7 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code
80132[4]
Area code(s)719
FIPS code08-51800
GNIS feature ID0204795
WebsiteTown of Monument

History
Monument Rock, the formation from which the town derives its name

Monument's first homesteaders arrived in 1865 to mark out the town's preliminary shape, but settlement increased when Monument became a stop along the Rio Grande Railroad in 1872. The area was incorporated as a town called Henry's Station, after prominent settler Henry Limbach, on June 2, 1879, and the first town meeting was held July 3, 1879.[9] However, three years later the name was changed to Monument after Monument Creek and Monument Rock in the west.[10] The first records of the town can be found in various volumes in the El Paso County Courthouse dating back to 1872.[10] With the help of the railroad, which brought in necessities, people started small businesses and started to create a town.

Geography

Monument is located at 39°04′52″N 104°51′45″W.[11] It is north of Colorado Springs and the United States Air Force Academy, and east of the Rampart Range, which is the eastern front range of the Rocky Mountains. Monument Creek, a gentle mountain stream beginning in the Rampart Range, eventually tumbles down through Palmer Lake and the west side of Monument to become one of the main waterways flowing south through Colorado Springs.[12]

According to the United States Census Bureau, Monument has a total area of 4.6 square miles (12 km2), all of it land.

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1880125—
189017741.6%
1900156−11.9%
1910149−4.5%
192019228.9%
19301920.0%
1940175−8.9%
1950126−28.0%
196020461.9%
197039392.6%
198069075.6%
19901,02047.8%
20001,97193.2%
20105,530180.6%
Est. 20198,097[3]46.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 1,971 people, 725 households, and 550 families residing in the town. The population density was 426.1 people per square mile (164.4/km2). There were 770 housing units at an average density of 166.4 per square mile (64.2/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 91.98% White, 0.91% African American, 1.42% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 2.03% from other races, and 2.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.71% of the population.

There were 725 households, out of which 45.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 32.9% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 38.3% from 25 to 44, 17.7% from 45 to 64, and 4.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $50,000, and the median income for a family was $54,211. Males had a median income of $41,071 versus $27,583 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,878. About 5.4% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government
A welcome sign outside of Monument

Monument is a Statutory Town and is not under a Home Rule Charter. This means that the governmental policy is established by the board of trustees. There are seven Trustees, including the mayor. The mayor is considered part of the Board of Trustees, and has the same power as the other Trustees. Trustees are elected for overlapping 4 year terms, and the mayor is elected for four years as well. A vacancy in office will be filled Trustee appointment or by voters at a regular or special election. There is a set term limit of two consecutive terms for the mayor and Trustees. All regular and special meetings must be open to the public, and people must be given the opportunity to be heard.

Education
Formerly Grace Best Elementary School, this building now serves as the district office for Lewis-Palmer #38.

By Colorado law, Monument is a school-choice community. Because of this, there are opportunities for public schools,[15] private schools,[16] charter schools,[17] and home schooling groups.[18] The public school system is Lewis-Palmer School District 38. The Lewis-Palmer District ACT scores (at 23) are about 20% higher than the average state scores (at 19) in the two high schools (Palmer Ridge and Lewis-Palmer High Schools).[19] The Lewis-Palmer district as a whole performs 15-20% better on CSAP tests than the Colorado state average.[20] There are five public elementary schools in District 38: Lewis-Palmer Elementary, Palmer Lake Elementary, Kilmer, Prairie Winds Elementary, and Bear Creek Elementary. There is one public middle school serving all of District 38: Lewis-Palmer Middle School. Monument Academy is the only charter school and serves grades K through 8.

Organizations

The residents of Monument support many different organizations. It is home to various types of churches, such as Presbyterian,[21] Catholic,[22] Lutheran,[23] Mennonite,[24] Methodist,[25] and nondenominational.[26][27] Monument has several organizations that are unique to the community, and also several nationwide organizations. Local organizations in Monument include:

Pikes Peak Library District.[28]

Boy Scout Troop 514 is in possession of the Challenger flag. This flag was on board of the ill-fated last mission of the Space Shuttle Challenger and was recovered undamaged.

Transportation

Monument is accessed from Interstate 25 at exit 161 and exit 158. State Highway 105 also runs through Monument.

Climate

Monument experiences a hemiboreal continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with warm, relatively wet summers and cold, snowy winters.

Climate data for Monument, Colorado. (data from 1988-2003)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 70
(21)		 66
(19)		 73
(23)		 86
(30)		 93
(34)		 93
(34)		 98
(37)		 96
(36)		 89
(32)		 79
(26)		 72
(22)		 65
(18)		 98
(37)
Average high °F (°C) 40.2
(4.6)		 42.0
(5.6)		 48.5
(9.2)		 56.3
(13.5)		 67.3
(19.6)		 77.0
(25.0)		 81.5
(27.5)		 78.7
(25.9)		 70.7
(21.5)		 59.7
(15.4)		 46.8
(8.2)		 39.4
(4.1)		 59.0
(15.0)
Average low °F (°C) 16.8
(−8.4)		 18.0
(−7.8)		 22.9
(−5.1)		 29.6
(−1.3)		 38.6
(3.7)		 46.1
(7.8)		 52.4
(11.3)		 51.4
(10.8)		 43.8
(6.6)		 32.8
(0.4)		 22.4
(−5.3)		 15.9
(−8.9)		 32.6
(0.3)
Record low °F (°C) −16
(−27)		 −26
(−32)		 −9
(−23)		 0
(−18)		 21
(−6)		 30
(−1)		 38
(3)		 35
(2)		 20
(−7)		 −4
(−20)		 −9
(−23)		 −27
(−33)		 −27
(−33)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.83
(21)		 0.56
(14)		 2.30
(58)		 3.09
(78)		 2.52
(64)		 2.51
(64)		 2.79
(71)		 3.03
(77)		 1.62
(41)		 1.34
(34)		 1.41
(36)		 0.81
(21)		 22.81
(579)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 13.5
(34)		 10.0
(25)		 22.3
(57)		 22.4
(57)		 3.1
(7.9)		 0.1
(0.25)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 1.4
(3.6)		 9.1
(23)		 15.9
(40)		 12.8
(33)		 110.6
(281)
Source: The Western Regional Climate Center[29]

Notable residents
gollark: Plus, no slowmode!
gollark: > AKA Dank-Memes 2: Political Boogaloo
gollark: <@261665423097856005> <@!576874001444503562> <@!620378005134639105> politics is somewhat more thingy here.
gollark: Just threaten anyone who asks annoying tech support questions via the wrong channel with orbital laser strikes.
gollark: An old CPU architecture.

See also

References
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  2. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  3. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". United States Census Bureau. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  4. "ZIP Code Lookup". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original (JavaScript/HTML) on November 4, 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2007.
  5. "Town of Monument". www.townofmonument.net. Archived from the original on 2010-08-15. Retrieved 2010-07-23.
  6. Lavelett, Lucille. Through the Years at Monument, Colorado: The story of Monument Colorado. 2004. Published by Palmer Lake Historical Society, Palmer Lake, CO. ISBN 0-9755989-0-2. p. 7
  7. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Monument town, Colorado". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
  8. rachel.riley@gazette.com, RACHEL RILEY. "Monument declared 'Second Amendment Preservation Town'". Colorado Springs Gazette. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  9. Lavelett, Lucille. Through the Years at Monument, Colorado: The story of Monument Colorado. 2004. Palmer Lake Historical Society, Palmer Lake, CO. ISBN 0-9755989-0-2 p. 14
  10. Lavelett, Lucille. Through the Years at Monument, Colorado: The story of Monument Colorado. 2004. Palmer Lake Historical Society, Palmer Lake, CO. ISBN 0-9755989-0-2 P. 7
  11. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
  12. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2010-07-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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  14. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  15. "Lewis-Palmer School District #38". lewispalmer.org.
  17. "Monument Academy". Monument Academy.
  18. Hall, Annette M. "El+Paso, Colorado (CO) Local Homeschool Support Groups". Local Homeschool.com.
  19. "Explore Lewis-Palmer High School in Monument, CO". GreatSchools.org.
  20. "Explore Boulder High School in Boulder, CO". GreatSchools.org.
  21. "Home". www.mcpcusa.org.
  22. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-03-30. Retrieved 2010-07-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  23. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-09-26. Retrieved 2010-07-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  24. "Mountain Community Mennonite Church". Mountain Community Mennonite Church.
  25. "Tri-Lakes UMC". tlumc.org.
  26. "Worship. Connect. Serve". New Life Church. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  27. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-07-22. Retrieved 2010-07-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  28. "About PPLD - PPLD.org". www.ppld.org.
  29. "Seasonal Temperature and Precipitation Information". Western Regional Climate Center. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
  30. "Science Fiction". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  31. "Jenny Simpson". US Track & Field. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  32. "Robert Liparulo bio".
  33. "Bobby Burling". MLS Soccer. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  34. Press |, The Associated (2019-11-17). "Review of Tom Clements' murder investigation kept under wraps". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
  35. "Patrick Joseph Garrity (Pat)". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  36. Editorial Board Opinion: Chick-fil-A Controversy, retrieved 2020-02-02
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  39. Varnell, Jeanne (1999). Women of Consequence: The Colorado Women's Hall of Fame. Johnson Books. p. 132. ISBN 9781555662141.
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