Idalia, Colorado
Idalia, Colorado | |
---|---|
Idalia, looking east on U.S. Route 36. | |
Nickname: Jewel of the Plains | |
![]() Location of the Idalia CDP in Yuma County, Colorado. | |
Location of the Idalia CDP in the United States. | |
Coordinates: 39°42′11″N 102°17′38″W / 39.7029168°N 102.2938271°W[1] | |
Country | ![]() |
State | ![]() |
County | Yuma County |
Founded | 1887 |
Government | |
• Type | unincorporated town |
Area | |
• Total | 0.085 sq mi (0.220 km2) |
• Land | 0.085 sq mi (0.220 km2) |
• Water | 0.000 sq mi (0.000 km2) |
Elevation | 3,966 ft (1,209 m) |
Population | |
• Total | 97 |
• Density | 1,100/sq mi (440/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-7 (MST) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
ZIP code[4] | 80735 |
Area code | 970 |
GNIS feature[2] | Idalia |
Idalia is an unincorporated town, a post office, and a census-designated place (CDP) located in Yuma County, Colorado, United States. The Idalia post office has the ZIP Code 80735.[4] At the United States Census 2020, the population of the Idalia CDP was 97.
History
[edit]Idalia was founded in 1887.[5] Located on the Eastern Plains of Colorado in southern Yuma County, approximately 150 miles east of Denver and 15 miles from the Kansas border, Idalia has been home for many generations of families. The primary industries of the area are farming, ranching, and natural gas production. The community has many amenities for a small rural community, including the Idalia Vision Foundation, Inc., two churches, local Co-Op, convenience store, restaurants, and a motel.[5] A new Kindergarten through grade-12 school building opened in the fall of 2013 providing state-of-the-art educational programs & facilities.
The Idalia Post Office has been in operation since 1888.[6] The community derives its name from Edaliah Helmick, a pioneer settler.[7]
Geography
[edit]Idalia is located along U.S. Highway 36 approximately two miles west of U.S. Highway 385.
The Idalia CDP has an area of 54 acres (0.220 km2), all land.[1]
Climate
[edit]Climate data for Idalia, Colorado (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1941–1946, 1987–2021) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 75 (24) | 81 (27) | 84 (29) | 92 (33) | 99 (37) | 110 (43) | 107 (42) | 104 (40) | 101 (38) | 93 (34) | 83 (28) | 78 (26) | 110 (43) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 42.1 (5.6) | 44.1 (6.7) | 54.7 (12.6) | 62.2 (16.8) | 71.6 (22.0) | 83.9 (28.8) | 89.6 (32.0) | 86.9 (30.5) | 79.0 (26.1) | 65.4 (18.6) | 52.3 (11.3) | 42.7 (5.9) | 64.5 (18.1) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 29.1 (−1.6) | 31.1 (−0.5) | 40.3 (4.6) | 47.7 (8.7) | 57.7 (14.3) | 69.1 (20.6) | 75.1 (23.9) | 72.6 (22.6) | 64.2 (17.9) | 50.7 (10.4) | 38.6 (3.7) | 29.8 (−1.2) | 50.5 (10.3) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 16.2 (−8.8) | 18.1 (−7.7) | 26.0 (−3.3) | 33.3 (0.7) | 43.9 (6.6) | 54.4 (12.4) | 60.6 (15.9) | 58.2 (14.6) | 49.4 (9.7) | 36.0 (2.2) | 24.9 (−3.9) | 16.9 (−8.4) | 36.5 (2.5) |
Record low °F (°C) | −27 (−33) | −24 (−31) | −11 (−24) | 6 (−14) | 24 (−4) | 33 (1) | 36 (2) | 40 (4) | 26 (−3) | 0 (−18) | −7 (−22) | −26 (−32) | −27 (−33) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.47 (12) | 0.46 (12) | 1.03 (26) | 1.83 (46) | 2.82 (72) | 2.84 (72) | 2.96 (75) | 3.19 (81) | 1.20 (30) | 1.38 (35) | 0.53 (13) | 0.43 (11) | 19.14 (486) |
Average snowfall inches (cm) | 4.4 (11) | 5.0 (13) | 5.1 (13) | 3.4 (8.6) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.5 (1.3) | 3.2 (8.1) | 2.9 (7.4) | 3.8 (9.7) | 28.5 (72) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 2.4 | 3.0 | 3.8 | 5.9 | 8.1 | 7.8 | 7.0 | 6.3 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 58.1 |
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 2.0 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 12.7 |
Source: NOAA[8][9] |
Demographics
[edit]The United States Census Bureau initially defined the Idalia CDP for the United States Census 2010.
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
2010 | 88 | — |
2020 | 97 | +10.2% |
Source: United States Census Bureau |
Idalia School
[edit]There is one school, Idalia School, which teaches preschool through twelfth grade. The school mascot is the wolf.[10][11] The town also has a preschool and daycare.
Timeline
- (1950) First students graduate from the Idalia school
- (1970's) A high school wing was added to the preexisting school.
- (1995) A new gymnasium is built
- (2012-2013) The old school is torn down and a new school is built after the State of Colorado awards Idalia the BEST grant.
Idalia Vision Foundation, Inc.
[edit]In 1992, the Idalia community formed the Idalia Vision Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt non-profit organization.[12] The Vision Foundation was instrumental in the construction of the "new" gym built in 1995 and today helps support graduates from the Idalia High School with scholarship awards.
Idalia Days Celebration
[edit]Community members headed a project aimed at emulating the summer annual town celebrations of neighboring towns. The event, Idalia Days, takes place each summer if enough interest is provided. During its inaugural celebration, Idalia Days provided activities and events in which the community could partake. Drawing on themes used in previous town celebrations, events include bed races, an old-time baseball game, old man six-man football, a melodrama illustrating the history of the towns relocation, a softball tournament, and a town dance, often featuring live music and food.
Idalia High School sports programs
[edit]Due to low enrollment of the high school, Idalia, like hundreds of schools throughout Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, and Texas, plays six-man football, a variation of football involving six players on each side off the ball rather than the traditional eleven. Idalia had a dominant program from the late 1990s into the 2000s, winning eight state titles between 1998 and 2010.[13] In recent years, the football program has struggled in the face of low-enrollment and as rival schools have consolidated sports programs in the wake of their own enrollment and budgetary constraints.[14]
However, as the football program continues to rebuild, the Idalia girls' sports teams have had some very successful years. In 2015, the Idalia girls' volleyball team advanced to the Colorado Class 1A volleyball championship match, ultimately falling to Otis High School in five sets.[15] In addition, the girls' basketball program won consecutive state championships in 2015 and 2016.[16][17][18]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c "State of Colorado Census Designated Places - BAS20 - Data as of January 1, 2020". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ a b c "U.S. Board on Geographic Names: Domestic Names". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
- ^ United States Census Bureau. "Idalia CDP, Colorado". Retrieved April 11, 2023.
- ^ a b "Look Up a ZIP Code". United States Postal Service. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
- ^ a b "Idalia in Yuma County Colorado". www.consideryumacounty.com. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ^ "Post offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
- ^ 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. 28.
- ^ "NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
- ^ "Idalia RJ-3 School District". www.idaliaco.us. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ^ Garner, Nick (March 7, 2007). "After finding a Cure, Idalia can feel good about chances". Rocky Mountain News. Retrieved October 9, 2008.
- ^ "Idalia Visions Foundation |". www.idaliavisions.com. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ^ "List of Colorado high school football champions through history". CHSAANow.com. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ^ Verlee, Megan. "Budget Breakdown: Rural Schools Fear Consolidation". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ^ "CHSAA's 1A state volleyball bracket and schedule (2015)". CHSAANow.com. November 9, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ^ "Colorado high school girls basketball 1A state bracket (2015)". CHSAANow.com. March 8, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ^ "Colorado high school girls basketball 1A state bracket (2016)". CHSAANow.com. March 6, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
- ^ "Defensive pressure lifts Idalia to 1A girls basketball title". CHSAANow.com. March 13, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2017.