Fairplay, Colorado

Fairplay is a town located in Park County, Colorado. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 610. It is the county seat of Park CountyTemplate:GR. A historic gold mining settlement, the town was founded in 1859 during the early days of the Colorado Gold Rush. It is the largest community in the grassland basin of Colorado known as South Park, sitting at the northwest end of the basin a the junction of U.S. Highway 285 and Colorado State Highway 9. It sits on hillside on the eastern side of the Middle Fork South Platte River, near where Highway 9 ascends the river valley northward to Alma and Hoosier Pass. Although it was founded during the intitial placer mining boom, the mines in the area continued to produce gold and silver ore for many decades up through the middle of the 20th century.

The town consists of a modern retail businesses along the highway, as well as a historic town on the bluff above the river along Front Street. The northern extension of Front Street along the river has been preserved and has become the site of relocated historic structures as a Open air museum called South Park City, intended to recreate the early days of the Colorado Gold Rush. Most of the residences in town are located on the hillside east of Colorado State Highway 9, in the vicinity of the schools and Park County Courthouse. The majority of the streets in town are unpaved.

South Park animated series

The town has become mildly famous in recent years as the town depicted in the South Park animated television series on the Comedy Central network. Although, the geographical references used in several episodes would seem to locate Fairplay as the model for the fictional town of South Park, it is actually a much smaller and more rustic community than the one depicted in the series, which generally has a more suburban character. Co-creater Trey Parker grew up in Conifer, and went to high school in Evergreen both of which are somewhat more affluent mountain communities west of, and closer to, Denver; co-creator Matt Stone lived in the Denver suburb of Littleton. Because the town serves a regional center of government and commerce, the term "South Park" has historically been used in the town in the naming of institutions and business, including South Park Elementary School (the namesake of which appears in the series).

Burro Days

Burro Days is a festival held during the summer months in Fairplay. The event celebrates the town's mining heritage and the main feature of the festival is a burro race from Fairplay to Alma. Teams consist of one person and one burro. The race takes about four hours to complete and first prize is $1000 and an ounce of gold. The race is considered the World Championships of Burro Racing.

Geography

Fairplay is located at 39°13'28" North, 105°59'53" West (39.224384, -105.998132)Template:GR.

Fairplay is located in South Park Basin.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.7 km² (1.1 mi²). 2.7 km² (1.1 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 610 people, 259 households, and 169 families residing in the town. The population density is 222.2/km² (576.3/mi²). There are 337 housing units at an average density of 122.8/km² (318.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 93.11% White, 1.31% African American, 0.98% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 2.79% from other races, and 1.48% from two or more races. 4.92% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 259 households out of which 31.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% are married couples living together, 7.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.4% are non-families. 25.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 3.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.36 and the average family size is 2.79.

In the town the population is spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 37.5% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 5.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 109.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 111.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town is $50,385, and the median income for a family is $51,979. Males have a median income of $34,286 versus $26,429 for females. The per capita income for the town is $21,742. 9.5% of the population and 6.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.4% of those under the age of 18 and 5.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

External links

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