Delta, Colorado

Delta is a home rule city that is the county seat of and the most populous municipality in Delta County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 9,035 at the 2020 United States census.

The Delta, Colorado, post office opened on January 5, 1882, and the Town of Delta was incorporated on October 24, 1882.

Geography

Delta is located in southwestern Delta County at coordinates and elevation . The median age was 40.6 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 21.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.5 males age 18 and over.

89.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 10.9% lived in rural areas.

There were 3,670 households in Delta, of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 44.3% were married-couple households, 19.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older., there were 8,915 people, 3,530 households, and 2,337 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,825 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 82.2% White, 0.2% African American, 1.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 12.5% from other races, and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 26.1% of the population.

There were 3,530 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.8% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49, and the average family size was 3.08.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.0 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

Art and culture

thumb|Historic [[Egyptian Theatre (Delta, Colorado)|Egyptian Theatre (2012)]]

Fort Uncompahgre was built in 1828, established as a fur trading post by Antoine Robidoux. Tour guides dress in period attire and trap beavers, make buckskins, knap arrowheads, and work the forge.

Tourism

Parks:

Pow Wow Arbor
Mountain View Pavilion
Riley Pavilion / Cleland Park
Shade Pavilion Island
Cottonwood Park
Emerald Hills Park

Education

Delta is part of the Delta County Joint School District 50-J, which covers all of Delta County,

including Cedaredge, Crawford, Hotchkiss, and Paonia. The school district serves 4,792 students as of the 2020-2021 academic year.

Delta is also home to Technical College of the Rockies, a small trade school serving roughly 300 students annually.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Montrose Regional Airport, located south of Delta, is the closest airport served by scheduled airlines. In Grand Junction, which is to the north, there are also scheduled airline services, as well as an Amtrak train station with a daily California Zephyr departure in each direction. Delta is part of Colorado's Bustang network. It is on the Durango-Grand Junction Outrider line.

Major highways

25px U.S. Highway 50 runs east-west, crossing 12 states and linking Sacramento, California, with Ocean City, Maryland. In Colorado, it passes through Delta as Main Street and connects the city to Montrose, Grand Junction and Pueblo.
25px State Highway 65 is a stretch that runs north from State Highway 92 east of Delta, over the Grand Mesa, to Interstate 70 near Palisade.
25px State Highway 92 begins in Delta, at the intersection of Main Street and First Street. It runs to the east, re-encountering US 50 near Blue Mesa Reservoir and Curecanti National Recreation Area.

Health care

Delta County Memorial Hospital serves the city and the surrounding area. In addition to the main hospital, seven specialty clinics are available.

Media

The principal newspaper is the Delta County Independent, which is published weekly on Wednesdays. Local readers also enjoy The High Country Spotlight & Shopper, a free paper that distributes over 15,000 copies throughout the county.

Notable people

Chuck Cottier, baseball player and manager
Dale Ishimoto, American actor
Frank H. Ono, Medal of Honor recipient
Matt Soper, Colorado Representative, House District 54
Felix L. Sparks, Colorado Supreme Court justice, U.S. Army colonel

References

External links

State of Colorado
History Colorado
City of Delta website
Delta Area Chamber of Commerce