The
City of Woodland Park is a
Home Rule Municipality that is the most populous city in
Teller County,
Colorado,
United States. Many residents in this
bedroom community, which is surrounded by the
Pike National Forest, make the 17-mile commute to
Colorado Springs.
Ute Pass lies 12 miles to the west of Woodland Park on
US 24. The population was 6,515 at the
2000 census. Nearby
Douglas County is about a fifteen-minute drive from the city.
Local notes
Called the "The City Above the Clouds" by long time resident Cal Elder, Woodland Park often enjoys clear skies while weather in neighboring towns may be rainy or overcast. The city has pursued a policy of careful growth, despite recent controversy over the construction of a
Wal-Mart franchise, and enjoys a fine view of
Pikes Peak. Woodland Park offers easy access to
hiking,
climbing, and
fishing. Because of the city's location, there is a natural limitation to population growth. At roughly 8500 feet, Woodland Park is just beginning to recover from a long drought; the winter of 2006-2007 marked the return of what long-time residents have called "real Woodland Park weather" with daytime winter temperatures frequently plunging below freezing. However, some residents find Colorado winters more tolarable than those in other parts of the country, with blue skies and warm days peppered throughout the season.
A number of full-time musicians reside in Woodland Park and the surrounding areas, and
arts festivals have become more frequent in recent years, often held at the
Ute Pass Cultural Center. Woodland Park is also the site of the
Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, a museum devoted to
dinosaurs and
fossils.
Crime
On January 20, 2001, the owner of the Coachlight Motel and
R.V. Park discovered that the
Texas 7, a group of escaped prisoners also wanted for robbery and murder, were hiding out, living in an RV on his property. The next day, on
January 21, SWAT teams found five of the members in and near the park. One shot himself; the other four were arrested.
Geography
Woodland Park is located at (38.998226, -105.056269), at the eastern intersection of
U.S. Highway 24 and
State Highway 67. (The highways
overlap west to
Divide.)
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.7
square miles (14.7
km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the
census of 2000, there were 6,515 people, 2,476 households, and 1,884 families residing in the city. The
population density was 1,151.0 people per square mile (444.4/km²). There were 2,642 housing units at an average density of 466.8/sq mi (180.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.89%
White, 0.52%
African American, 0.72%
Native American, 0.87%
Asian, 0.81% from
other races, and 2.18% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 3.45% of the population.
There were 2,476 households out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.3% were
married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 19.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.5% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 32.9% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $52,279, and the median income for a family was $59,583. Males had a median income of $36,157 versus $27,459 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $22,780. About 1.8% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.
Students are served by
Woodland Park School District RE-2.
Notable residents
See also
