Meeker, Colorado
Meeker, Colorado | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of Meeker, November 2010 | |
| Motto: The river runs through it. [citation needed] | |
 Location of Meeker in Rio Blanco County, Colorado. | |
| Coordinates: 40°03′00″N 107°53′40″W / 40.05000°N 107.89444°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  State of Colorado |
| County | Rio Blanco (County seat)[1] |
| Founded | 1883 |
| Incorporated | 1885-11-10[2] |
| Named for | Nathan Meeker |
| Government | |
| • Type | Statutory Town[1] |
| • Mayor | Kent Borchard[3] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.59 sq mi (9.30 km2) |
| • Land | 3.59 sq mi (9.30 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 6,444 ft (1,964 m) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 2,374 |
| • Density | 660/sq mi (260/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code[7] | 81641 |
| Area code | 970 |
| FIPS code | 08-49875 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2412977[5] |
| Website | Town of Meeker |
Meeker is the Statutory Town in and the county seat of Rio Blanco County, Colorado, United States, that is the most populous municipality in the county.[8] The town population was 2,374 at the 2020 United States Census.[6]
Description[edit]
The town is largely a ranching community, located in the wide fertile valley of the White River in northwestern Colorado. Relatively isolated from other communities, it sits near the intersection of State Highway 13 and State Highway 64, on the north side of the White River and at the base of a long ridge, known locally as China Wall. The Bureau of Land Management has a regional office in the town. Meeker is the home of the annual Meeker Classic Sheepdog trials.
History[edit]
The town is named for Nathan Meeker,[9] the United States Indian Agent who was killed along with 11 other white citizens by White River Ute Indians in the 1879 Meeker Incident, also known as the Meeker Massacre. The site of the uprising, the former White River Indian Agency, is located along State Highway 64 in the White River valley west of town and is marked by a prominent sign. None of the buildings remain.
After the uprising and the ensuing conflict known as the Ute War, in 1880 the US Congress passed legislation requiring the Ute population to relocate to reservations in Utah. The United States Army established a garrison on the current site of the town, called the Camp at White River. The town was founded in 1883 following the removal of the troops. The White River Museum is located just north of the Rio Blanco County Courthouse and housed in several original wooden structures of the Army garrison.
The town emerged as a regional center for hunting by the turn of the 20th century. Theodore Roosevelt visited the town twice in 1901 and in 1905 on a mountain lion and bear hunting trip and stayed in the historic Hotel Meeker opposite the courthouse. The town is also a favorite summer destination and permanent residence for many prominent Americans, including billionaires Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York, Henry Kravis, former president and COO of Goldman Sachs Jon Winkelried, and comedian Daniel Tosh.
Geography[edit]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.9 square miles (7.5 km2), all of it land. The town is situated on the White River at an elevation of 6,250 feet above sea level.
Demographics[edit]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 260 | — | |
| 1900 | 507 | 95.0% | |
| 1910 | 807 | 59.2% | |
| 1920 | 935 | 15.9% | |
| 1930 | 1,069 | 14.3% | |
| 1940 | 1,399 | 30.9% | |
| 1950 | 1,658 | 18.5% | |
| 1960 | 1,655 | −0.2% | |
| 1970 | 1,597 | −3.5% | |
| 1980 | 2,356 | 47.5% | |
| 1990 | 2,098 | −11.0% | |
| 2000 | 2,242 | 6.9% | |
| 2010 | 2,475 | 10.4% | |
| 2020 | 2,374 | −4.1% |
Climate[edit]
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Meeker has a warm-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Meeker was 103 °F (39.4 °C) on July 11, 1900, while the coldest temperature recorded was −43 °F (−41.7 °C) on January 7, 1913, and January 12, 1963.[10]
| Climate data for Meeker, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 61 (16) |
65 (18) |
77 (25) |
86 (30) |
93 (34) |
102 (39) |
103 (39) |
99 (37) |
94 (34) |
86 (30) |
74 (23) |
63 (17) |
103 (39) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 48.3 (9.1) |
54.1 (12.3) |
66.6 (19.2) |
74.3 (23.5) |
82.4 (28.0) |
89.9 (32.2) |
94.0 (34.4) |
92.0 (33.3) |
87.1 (30.6) |
78.2 (25.7) |
66.1 (18.9) |
53.0 (11.7) |
94.8 (34.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 33.9 (1.1) |
39.2 (4.0) |
50.3 (10.2) |
58.1 (14.5) |
67.9 (19.9) |
79.4 (26.3) |
86.4 (30.2) |
83.5 (28.6) |
75.5 (24.2) |
62.7 (17.1) |
48.0 (8.9) |
35.1 (1.7) |
60.0 (15.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 20.1 (−6.6) |
26.0 (−3.3) |
36.0 (2.2) |
42.9 (6.1) |
51.2 (10.7) |
60.7 (15.9) |
67.0 (19.4) |
64.9 (18.3) |
56.8 (13.8) |
45.0 (7.2) |
33.3 (0.7) |
21.7 (−5.7) |
43.8 (6.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 6.4 (−14.2) |
12.8 (−10.7) |
21.7 (−5.7) |
27.6 (−2.4) |
34.6 (1.4) |
40.9 (4.9) |
47.6 (8.7) |
46.2 (7.9) |
38.2 (3.4) |
27.3 (−2.6) |
18.6 (−7.4) |
8.4 (−13.1) |
27.5 (−2.5) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −15.3 (−26.3) |
−9.7 (−23.2) |
3.8 (−15.7) |
12.9 (−10.6) |
21.6 (−5.8) |
30.8 (−0.7) |
38.1 (3.4) |
37.2 (2.9) |
25.6 (−3.6) |
12.4 (−10.9) |
−2.8 (−19.3) |
−14.4 (−25.8) |
−19.9 (−28.8) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −43 (−42) |
−38 (−39) |
−24 (−31) |
−5 (−21) |
12 (−11) |
17 (−8) |
23 (−5) |
29 (−2) |
14 (−10) |
−17 (−27) |
−25 (−32) |
−36 (−38) |
−43 (−42) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.17 (30) |
0.99 (25) |
1.24 (31) |
1.96 (50) |
1.80 (46) |
1.02 (26) |
1.09 (28) |
1.44 (37) |
1.75 (44) |
1.74 (44) |
1.31 (33) |
1.20 (30) |
16.71 (424) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 13.7 (35) |
11.3 (29) |
8.7 (22) |
4.9 (12) |
0.6 (1.5) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
3.3 (8.4) |
9.9 (25) |
12.2 (31) |
64.8 (164.41) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 11.2 (28) |
11.3 (29) |
6.9 (18) |
3.1 (7.9) |
0.8 (2.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
2.4 (6.1) |
5.3 (13) |
8.7 (22) |
13.3 (34) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 7.7 | 7.6 | 8.0 | 9.3 | 9.1 | 5.3 | 7.0 | 8.2 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 89.6 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 7.2 | 5.5 | 4.2 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 4.7 | 6.3 | 32.1 |
| Source 1: NOAA[11] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service[10] | |||||||||||||
Notable people[edit]
- Neal Blue, co-owner of General Atomics
- Virginia Neal Blue (1910-1970), Colorado State Treasurer from 1967 to 1970[12]
- Margaret L. Curry (1898–1986), Colorado state parole officer
- Buddy Roosevelt, actor and stunt performer
See also[edit]
- List of municipalities in Colorado
- Colorow Mountain State Wildlife Area, northwest of Meeker
References[edit]
- ^ a b "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. Retrieved September 2, 2007.
- ^ "Board of Trustees". Town of Meeker Colorado Government Website, Meeker Colorado. Archived from the original on January 10, 2012. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
- ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Meeker, Colorado
- ^ a b United States Census Bureau. "Meeker town; Colorado". Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ "ZIP Code Lookup". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original (JavaScript/HTML) on November 4, 2010. Retrieved November 22, 2007.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Dawson, John Frank. Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin. Denver, CO: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 34.
- ^ a b "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Grand Junction". National Weather Service. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Meeker, CO". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
- ^ "From the Archives: Virginia Neal Blue". University of Colorado Boulder. April 19, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Meeker Range Call and 4th of July Celebrations
- Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway
- Meeker Chamber of Commerce
- Meeker Classic Sheepdog Championship Trials
- City-data.com entry for Meeker, Colorado
- Meeker Regional Library
- Pioneers Medical Center
Municipalities and communities of Rio Blanco County, Colorado, United States | ||
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| Towns |  | |
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
