City in Otero County, Colorado, United States
Statutory city in Colorado, United States
Rocky Ford
is a
statutory city
located in
Otero County
,
Colorado
, United States. The population was 3,876 at the
2020 census
.
[6]
History
[
edit
]
The community was named for a rocky ford across the
Arkansas River
near the original town site.
[8]
Geography
[
edit
]
According to the
United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km
2
), of which, 1.7 square miles (4.4 km
2
) is land and 0.58% is water.
Demographics
[
edit
]
Historical population
Census
| Pop.
| Note
| %±
|
1880
| 47
| | ?
|
---|
1890
| 468
| | 895.7%
|
---|
1900
| 2,018
| | 331.2%
|
---|
1910
| 3,230
| | 60.1%
|
---|
1920
| 3,746
| | 16.0%
|
---|
1930
| 3,426
| | ?8.5%
|
---|
1940
| 3,493
| | 2.0%
|
---|
1950
| 4,087
| | 17.0%
|
---|
1960
| 4,929
| | 20.6%
|
---|
1970
| 4,859
| | ?1.4%
|
---|
1980
| 4,804
| | ?1.1%
|
---|
1990
| 4,162
| | ?13.4%
|
---|
2000
| 4,286
| | 3.0%
|
---|
2010
| 3,957
| | ?7.7%
|
---|
2020
| 3,876
| | ?2.0%
|
---|
As of the census
[9]
of 2000, there were 4,286 people, 1,655 households, and 1,136 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,521.8 inhabitants per square mile (973.7/km
2
). There were 1,852 housing units at an average density of 1,089.7 per square mile (420.7/km
2
). The racial makeup of the city was 72.42%
White
, 0.40%
African American
, 1.47%
Native American
, 0.75%
Asian
, 0.12%
Pacific Islander
, 21.86% from
other races
, and 2.99% from two or more races.
Hispanic
or
Latino
people of any race were 57.14% of the population.
There were 1,655 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.2% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,359, and the median income for a family was $29,470. Males had a median income of $26,271 versus $17,485 for females. The
per capita income
for the city was $12,742. About 14.6% of families and 20.3% of the population were below the
poverty line
, including 28.2% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
[
edit
]
Rocky Ford is noted for its watermelon, cantaloupe and agriculture due to its soil content and fluctuation in temperatures providing great growing conditions.
[10]
Transportation
[
edit
]
Rocky Ford is part of Colorado's
Bustang
network. It is along the Lamar-Pueblo-Colorado Springs Outrider line.
[11]
Notable people
[
edit
]
Notable individuals who were born in or have lived in Rocky Ford include:
- Lewis Babcock
(1943- ), judge
- Marvin Cordova, Jr.
(1985- ), light welterweight boxer
[12]
- Paul Gebhard
(1917?2015), anthropologist, sexologist
[13]
- Blaine Gibson
(1918?2015),
Disney
sculptor (
The Hall of Presidents
,
Haunted Mansion
,
Pirates of the Caribbean
) and animator
[14]
[15]
- Earl T. Newbry
(1900?1995), Oregon Secretary of State
[16]
- Manuel T. Pacheco
(1941- ), university president
[17]
- George W. Swink
(1836?1910), land developer, fruit grower
[18]
- Robert Swink
(1918?2000), film editor
- John D. Vanderhoof
(1922?2013), 37th governor of Colorado
[19]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
"Active Colorado Municipalities"
.
State of Colorado
,
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
, Division of Local Government
. Retrieved
January 31,
2021
.
- ^
"Colorado Counties"
.
State of Colorado
,
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
, Division of Local Government
. Retrieved
January 31,
2021
.
- ^
"Colorado Municipal Incorporations"
.
State of Colorado
, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. December 1, 2004
. Retrieved
September 2,
2007
.
- ^
"2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files"
. United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
July 1,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
"U.S. Board on Geographic Names: Domestic Names"
.
United States Geological Survey
. Retrieved
January 31,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
United States Census Bureau.
"Rocky Ford city; Colorado"
. Retrieved
April 21,
2023
.
- ^
"ZIP Code Lookup"
(
JavaScript
/
HTML
)
.
United States Postal Service
. Retrieved
December 26,
2007
.
- ^
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. 43.
- ^
"U.S. Census website"
.
United States Census Bureau
. Retrieved
January 31,
2008
.
- ^
"Colorado more than mountains"
.
Boca Raton News
. November 6, 1983. p. 2
. Retrieved
May 7,
2015
.
- ^
"Bustang Schedule"
.
RideBustang
. CDOT.
- ^
"Marvin Cordova Jr"
. BoxRec
. Retrieved
June 24,
2016
.
- ^
Roberts, Sam (July 22, 2015).
"Paul Gebhard, Sex Researcher Who Worked With Kinsey, Dies at 98"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
June 24,
2016
.
- ^
Colker, David (July 8, 2015).
"Blaine Gibson dies at 97; prominent sculptor, animator at Disney"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
August 4,
2015
.
- ^
Weber, Bruce (July 11, 2015).
"Blaine Gibson, Sculptor of Figures in Disney Parks, Dies at 97"
.
New York Times
. Retrieved
August 4,
2015
.
- ^
"Oregon Secretary of State Agency History, page 15"
. Oregon Blue Book
. Retrieved
April 28,
2021
.
- ^
"Manuel Trinidad Pacheco"
. University of Arizona. Archived from
the original
on August 11, 2016
. Retrieved
June 24,
2016
.
- ^
"Our History"
. Rocky Ford Growers Association
. Retrieved
June 24,
2016
.
- ^
"Former Colorado Gov. Vanderhoof dies at 91"
.
The Denver Post
. AP. September 23, 2013
. Retrieved
June 24,
2016
.
External links
[
edit
]