Fairplay is the statutory town that is the county seat of and the most populous municipality in Park County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 724 at the 2020 United States census. Fairplay is a part of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor.

History

thumb|left|Front Street, late 1800s

alt=Looking over the town of Fairplay in late 1800s.|thumb|left|Looking over the town of Fairplay in late 1800s.

A historic gold mining settlement, the town was founded in 1859 during the early days of the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. The town was named by settlers who were upset by the generous mining claims given to the earliest prospectors and promised a more equitable system for its residents. The Fair Play, Colorado Territory, post office opened on August 2, 1861, and on November 7, 1867, county voters selected Fair Play as the new seat of Park County, Colorado Territory. The Town of Fair Play was incorporated on November 15, 1872,

|source 2 = XMACIS (snowfall, records & monthly max/mins)

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 610 people, 259 households, and 169 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 337 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 93% White, 1.3% African American, 1.0% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 2.8% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.9% of the population.

There were 259 households, out of which 32% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51% were married couples living together, 8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34% were non-families. 26% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.8.

Approximately 24% of the town under the age of 18, 8% from 18 to 24, 37% from 25 to 44, 25% from 45 to 64, and 5% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 110 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 112 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $50,385, and the median income for a family was $51,980. Males had a median income of $34,290 versus $26,430 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,740. About 6.6% of families and 9.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

thumb|left|Fairplay dredge, 1940s, the largest [[gold dredge in Colorado]]

Burro Days

The Burro Days festival is held on the last weekend of July. The event celebrates the town's mining heritage. The main feature of the festival is a 29-mile (46.7 km) burro race over rough terrain and approximately 3,000-ft (914 m) elevation gain from downtown Fairplay to the 13,185-ft (4019 m) summit of Mosquito Pass. Teams consist of one person and one burro. The race takes about five hours to complete; first prize is $1,000. Previously, the first prize included an ounce of gold. There are several other burro races in Colorado; the most notable takes place in Leadville.

The Fairplay event is the World Championship of Burro Racing, an ultra-marathon and the longest burro race in the state. For many years (in the 1960s and early 1970s) the Burro race took place from Leadville to Fairplay, or vice versa, crossing over Mosquito Pass. This followed the route that Father John Lewis Dyer of the Methodist Episcopal Church used for circuit riding and for carrying mail. With time, the rivalry between the two cities ended this cooperative endeavor.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Fairplay is part of Colorado's Bustang intercity bus network. It is on the Gunnison-Denver Outrider line.

Notable people

  • Sheldon Jackson, Presbyterian missionary who established what is now the South Park Community Presbyterian Church in Fairplay

See also

  • Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
  • Denver-Aurora-Greeley, CO Combined Statistical Area
  • Front Range Urban Corridor
  • List of county seats in Colorado
  • List of municipalities in Colorado
  • List of populated places in Colorado
  • List of post offices in Colorado
  • South Park (Park County, Colorado)
  • South Park City

References

  • State of Colorado
  • History Colorado
  • South Park Chamber of Commerce
  • South Park City, open-air mining-history museum