Hotchkiss is a statutory town in Delta County,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

, United States. The population was 944 at the 2010 census. A post office called Hotchkiss has been in operation since 1882. The town is named after Enos T. Hotchkiss, a local pioneer.

Geography

Hotchkiss is located in eastern Delta County at (38.799275, -107.716976), on the north side of the North Fork Gunnison River. Colorado State Highway 92 passes through the center of town as Bridge Street, leading west to Delta, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

, and southeast to U.S. Route 50 at Blue Mesa Reservoir.

Colorado State Highway 133 State Highway 133 (SH 133) is a long north–south byway connecting SH 92 to the south and SH 82 to the north, and travels through the towns of Hotchkiss, Somerset, Redstone, and Carbondale. Highway 133 travels over a significant mountain ...

starts at the east end of town and leads northeast over

McClure Pass McClure Pass is a mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of western Colorado in the United States. It is located along the boundary between Pitkin and Gunnison counties, in a gap at the western side of the Elk Mountains. The pass is at an elevati ...

to Carbondale. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the town of Hotchkiss has a total area of , all of it land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 968 people, 412 households, and 271 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 451 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 93.18%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 1.03% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 3.51% from other races, and 1.76% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 9.40% of the population. There were 412 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.91. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,056, and the median income for a family was $31,989. Males had a median income of $31,635 versus $20,469 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $13,218. About 11.0% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Schools

The Delta County School District Board of Education decided in February 2021 to close separate high schools in Hotchkiss and

Paonia, Colorado Paonia is a statutory town in Delta County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,451 at the 2010 census. History The area was first explored in 1853 by Captain John W. Gunnison of the United States Army. Gunnison was on an expedit ...

and build a joint high school, North Fork High School, located in Hotchkiss. Both schools have been losing students as coal mines in the area have closed. Kindergarten to 8th grade education will continue in both communities.

References

External links

Town of Hotchkiss official websiteTown of Hotchkiss contactsThe ''Delta County Independent''
local community weekly covering Hotchkiss and the rest of Delta County
CDOT map of the Town of Hotchkiss
{{authority control Towns in Delta County, Colorado Towns in Colorado

Geography

Demographics

Schools

See also

References

External links