Paonia is a

statutory town In India, the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), also called municipalities, are self-government institutions responsible for the administration of cities, towns, and transitional areas within a state or Union Territory. The 74th amendment to the Const ...

in Delta County,

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, United States. The population was 1,447 at the 2020 census.

History

The area was first explored by a white man of European descent in 1853, Captain John W. Gunnison of the United States Army. Gunnison was on an expedition for the

Corps of Topographical Engineers Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was formally introduced March 1, 1800, when Napoleon ordered Gene ...

to locate a suitable pass through the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

. The North Fork Valley was inhabited by the

Ute people Ute () are an Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin, Indigenous people of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau in present-day Utah, western Colorado, and northern New Mexico.Pritkzer''A Native American Encyclopedia'' p. 242 Historically, their t ...

until 1880, when the Ute Indian Reservation was closed by the federal government following the infamous

Meeker Massacre Meeker Massacre, or Meeker Incident, White River War, Ute War, or the Ute Campaign), took place on September 29, 1879 in Colorado. Members of a band of Ute people, Ute Indians (Native Americans of the United States, Native Americans) attacked t ...

. Following the closure of the reservation, the site was settled in 1880 by Samuel Wade and William Clark, who had accompanied Enos Hotchkiss to the area. The town was officially incorporated in 1902 and had its first election in July of that year. The

peony The peony or paeony () is any flowering plant in the genus ''Paeonia'', the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae. Peonies are native to Asia, Europe, and Western North America. Scientists differ on the number of species that can be distinguish ...

roots that Samuel Wade brought with him to Colorado in 1881 inspired him to submit the Latin name for peony, ''Paeonia'', as a town name. The post office would not allow the extra vowel, so "Paeonia" became "Paonia". The full name of the flower is ''

Paeonia mascula ''Paeonia mascula'' is a species of peony. It is a herbaceous perennial tall, with leaves that are divided into three segments, and large red flowers in late spring and early summer. Native to Syria, Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia and Her ...

''.

Geography

Paonia is located in eastern Delta County. It is situated on the

North Fork Gunnison River The North Fork Gunnison River (locally known as the North Fork) is a tributary of the Gunnison River, long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 18, 2011 in southwestern ...

("North Fork River"), about northeast of (upstream from) neighboring Hotchkiss. It lies near the head of the North Fork Valley, an area about by air southwest of

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

. The valley lies at the foot of Mount Lamborn to the southeast and the

Grand Mesa The Grand Mesa is a large mesa in western Colorado in the United States. It is the largest flat-topped mountain in the world. It has an area of about and stretches for about east of Grand Junction between the Colorado River and the Gunnison ...

to the northwest.

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 moun ...

touches the northwest boundary of Paonia as the highway runs up the North Fork Valley; it leads southwest to Hotchkiss and 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 elevat ...

to Carbondale. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

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

Demographics

Economy

Coal mining

The valley's principal coal mines are all now closed except for

Arch Coal Arch Resources, previously known as Arch Coal, was an American coal mining and processing company. The company mined, processed, and marketed bituminous and sub-bituminous coal with low sulfur content in the United States. Arch Resources was the ...

's West Elk Mine,

Bucyrus International Bucyrus-Erie was an American surface and underground mining equipment company. It was founded as Bucyrus Foundry and Manufacturing Company in Bucyrus, Ohio, in 1880. Bucyrus moved its headquarters to South Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1893. In 1927, ...

, a supplier of underground coal mining equipment, operates a small warehouse in Paonia for support of the underground longwall systems that are operating in the North Fork valley.

Union Pacific The Union Pacific Railroad is a Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United States after BNSF, ...

provides service to the mine, loading 100 car trains in two hours. The most recent mine closure shuttered Bowie #2 Mine. The community has mounted legal challenges to proposed oil and gas drilling

fracking Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, fracing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of formations in bedrock by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure inje ...

in the surrounding North Fork Valley.

Agriculture

The area around Paonia is known for its orchards which produce peaches, apples, cherries, pears, and plums. In addition, several vineyards and wineries have been established in the area, and are some of the highest wineries in North America. Five of the more well-known wineries are Alfred Eames Winery, Black Bridge Winery, Stone Cottage Cellars, Azura Cellars, and Endless Endeavor Winery. This is one of the few regions of Colorado that has successfully cultivated and bottled a

pinot noir Pinot noir (), also known as Pinot nero, is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name also refers to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words fo ...

. The Paonia wineries are part of the West Elk Wineries Trail and annual Tour held the second week of June. Some of Colorado's best livestock also comes from this region. The livestock includes cattle, sheep, poultry, and pigs.

Schools

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

Hotchkiss, Colorado Hotchkiss is a statutory town in Delta County, Colorado, United States. The population was 875 at the 2020 census. A post office called Hotchkiss has been in operation since 1882. The town is named after Enos T. Hotchkiss, a local pioneer. ...

, 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.

Media

The noted Western newspaper, ''

High Country News ''High Country News'' is a monthly independent magazine based in Paonia, Colorado, that covers environmental, social, and political issues in the Western United States. Syndicated stories from ''High Country News'' have appeared in ''The New Yor ...

'', is based in Paonia. ''High Country News'' reports on the western United States and is focused on the environment, land use, and public lands issues. Community radio station

KVNF KVNF (90.9 FM), is a National Public Radio-affiliated community radio station in Paonia, Colorado. It features locally hosted music programming, independently produced public radio programs, local news and interviews, as well as National Public R ...

was founded in Paonia and continues to have studios in downtown Paonia. KVNF also now serves a number of towns in the North Fork and Uncompaghre valleys in western Colorado through a network of stations and translators. Paonia does not have a local newspaper. It is served by ''The North Fork Times'', formerly an independent paper and now a section in the ''Delta County Independent''. The area is also served by the monthly ''North Fork Merchant Herald'', published in nearby Hotchkiss. The weekly ''Mountain Valley News'' was published in Cedaredge and distributed widely throughout Delta County, but closed in September 2013. Their sister publication, ''The High Country Shopper'', is published in Paonia.

Climate

Paonia has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

(

Dfb DFB may refer to: Music * Dem Franchize Boyz, an Atlanta hip hop group * Dysfunctional Family BBQ, a New York festival Sport * DFB-Pokal, a football cup competition in Germany Organisations * Furka Steam Railway (), Switzerland * German Footbal ...

) with hot summers and moderately cold winters. On average, Paonia has 246 sunny days per year. Paonia averages 14 inches of rain and 53 inches of snow per year. The average July high is 89 °F and the average January low is 14 °F.

Festivities

Paonia Cherry Days Festival

Paonia celebrates its "Cherry Days" festival annually on the week of July 4. It features parades, family and class reunions, games, arts and crafts, and musical performances. Paonia Cherry Days is one of the longest running outdoor festivals in Colorado. Started by the Paonia Lions Club in 1946, the festival continues to be run by community volunteers.

Mountain Harvest Festival

The Mountain Harvest Festival is a three-day event in downtown Paonia held during the last weekend of September. There are over 20 musical acts, poetry, an art show, a chili cook off, a street dance, crafts, wine tasting, as well as classes on canning, raising livestock, and

sustainable living Sustainable living describes a lifestyle (sociology), lifestyle that attempts to reduce the use of Earth's natural resources by an individual or society. Its practitioners often attempt to reduce their ecological footprint (including their carbo ...

Rainbow Gathering

In 1992 the annual

Rainbow Gathering Rainbow Gatherings are temporary, loosely knit communities of people, who congregate in outdoor locales around the world for one or more weeks at a time with the stated intention of living a shared ideology of peace, harmony, freedom, and resp ...

was held at nearby Overland Reservoir. An estimated 18,275 people converged on the site and lived in temporary dwellings for the summer. Although the reservoir is from Paonia, it had a significant impact on all the towns in the North Fork Valley, including Paonia. Many "New Agers" and members of the psychedelic community continue to reside in and around Paonia, which was the boyhood home of one of the voices and key figures of "ecstatic state" knowledge,

Terence McKenna Terence Kemp McKenna (November 16, 1946–April 3, 2000) was an American ethnobotanist and mystic who advocated for the responsible use of naturally occurring psychedelic plants and mushrooms. He spoke and wrote about a variety of subjects, ...

Paonia Film Festival

The Paradise Theater in downtown Paonia hosts a biennial film festival. The Paonia Film Festival celebrates the beauty of the Western Colorado landscape and the rich stories of the people who live there. The 2021 Paonia Film Festival shifted to showcase filmmakers local to the Western Slope of Colorado and filmmakers through the Western United States on a two-tier system. The event was on November 6–7, 2021.

Pickin' in the Park

The town has live music in the park every Thursday evening during the month of August.

Notable people

* Robert E. Huyser —

four-star general Military star ranking is military terminology, used in mainly English speaking countries, to describe general and flag officers. Within NATO's armed forces, the stars are equal to OF-6–10. Star ranking One-star A one-star rank is usually ...

in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

Thurman "Fum" McGraw Thurman "Fum" McGraw (July 17, 1927 – September 13, 2000) was an American football player and college athletics administrator. He played college football for the Colorado A&M Aggies—now known as the Colorado State Rams—and was inducted ...

— college football All-American and Super Bowl Champion *

Dennis McKenna Dennis Jon McKenna (born December 17, 1950, in Paonia, Colorado) is an American ethnopharmacologist, research pharmacognosist, lecturer and author. He is the brother of well-known psychedelics proponent Terence McKenna and is a founding board ...

— ethnopharmacologist, research

pharmacognosist Pharmacognosy is the interdisciplinary scientific study of natural drugs and bioactive compounds from plants, animals, and minerals—originally focused on identifying crude drugs but now expanded to molecular, chemical, ecological, and medicina ...

, lecturer, and author *

—

ethnobotanist Ethnobotany is an interdisciplinary field at the interface of natural and social sciences that studies the relationships between humans and plants. It focuses on traditional knowledge of how plants are used, managed, and perceived in human societi ...

, lecturer, and authorKent, James (December 2, 2003)
Terence McKenna Interview, Part 1
TripZine.com. Retrieved April 20, 2015. *

Paolo Bacigalupi Paolo Tadini Bacigalupi (born August 6, 1972) is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He has won the Hugo, Nebula, John W. Campbell Memorial, Compton Crook, Theodore Sturgeon, and Michael L. Printz awards, and has been nominated ...

— American science fiction and fantasy writer *

Theo Colborn Theodora Emily Colborn (née Decker; March 28, 1927 – December 14, 2014) was Founder and President Emerita of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX), based in Paonia, Colorado, and Professor Emerita of Zoology at the University of Florida, G ...

— scientist, founder of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange, author

References

External links

*
CDOT map of the Town of Paonia

''Delta County Independent''
local community weekly covering Paonia and the rest of Delta County
Paonia Chamber of Commerce

Cherry Days

Paradise Theater

West Elks Wine Trail & Tour

"Paonia becomes the sixth International Dark Sky Community in Colorado"

DarkSky International DarkSky International, formerly the International Dark-Sky Association (IDA), is a United States–based nonprofit organization incorporated in 1988 by founders David Crawford, a professional astronomer, and Tim Hunter, a physician and amateur ...

(September 5, 2024) {{authority control Towns in Delta County, Colorado Towns in Colorado