Timnath, Colorado
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Timnath is a town located in Larimer County, Colorado. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 223. Founded in 1884, the town is a small farming community located just east of Interstate 25 along Harmony Road southeast of Fort Collins. Although the town has remained virtually unchanged in recent decades, the encroaching growth of both Fort Collins to the west and Windsor to the south have placed in the town as of 2005 in an area considered favorable to development in the near future. Recent actions by the Town Board of Trustees to promote new development have brought about considerable controversy, including friction with Fort Collins, as well as a well a proctracted legal battle with Larimer County. Most local observers agree that the town will soon change drastically with population growth, but it is not settled what form this growth will take. The town is named after the Biblical city of Timnath.
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Description
The town stretches sits on a small bluff on the east side of the Cache la Poudre River, approximately one-half mile east of the Harmony Road interchange on Interstate 25. The surrounding farmlands have been used primarily for potatoes, alfalfa, sugar beets, and cattle. The town is located just to the north of Harmony Road, where County Road 5 is intersected by the Union Pacific Railroad line between Windsor and Fort Collins. The current town buildings (which are known commonly known as "Old Town Timnath" in anticipation of impending development) largely line the north-south Main Street, which is a section of County Road 5. Most of the residences are one-family houses. The town has a small defined grid, with one street parallel to Main Street. Main Street structures include an elementary school (in the Poudre School District), a one-story modern post-office, a one-story town hall, and several other historic buildings. Commercial businesses include a sheet metal manufacturing facility. The town was formerly home to large bar housed in the former Colorado Feed and Grain facility. The controversial business was shut down in early 2005 after the Board of Trustee refused to renew the liquor license. To the north, south and east of the town lie cattle pasture lands and cultivated fields. The areas of the south and east of the town are currently slated for first round of development. In 2002, in a move that brought about the current controversy with the county, the town declared these farm areas blighted as an "urban renewal area." Under state law, the move denies tax powers to the county and school district. The areas just north of town are somewhat protected by conservation easements obtained by the City of Fort Collins as a separator between the two communities. In 2004, however, the town annexed land north of the separator area, effectively stranding the separator between two parts of the town.
History
The area was first homesteaded by white settlers in 1869, five years after the founding of nearby Fort Collins. The first schoolhouse was constructed that year, approximately one-half mile west of the current town, and was named "Fairview". By 1880, the community had outgrown the schoolhouse, and new "Fairview" school was built just north o the current town. The school also served as a early meeting place for the Presbyterian Church. The turning point in the early history of the community was in 1882, with the arrival of the Greeley, Salt Lake and Pacific Railroad (controlled by the Union Pacific) linking Greeley and Fort Collins. The following year, the Presbyterian Church, petioned by local residents, sent a missionary to found a congregration. The current structure along Main Street dates from that year.
A post office was established in 1884, headed by Reverend Charles A. Taylor, the local Presbyterian minister. When the post office was formed, Taylor bestowed the current name of the town from the 14th chapter of the Book of Judges, as the place where Samson went to obtain a Philistine wife. In 1900 the second school became outdated and a new one was built, dropping the name "Fairview" permanently. This structure currently stands an out-building to the current elementary school. A larger school was built in 1918, which burned in 1935 and rebuilt the following year. The school district was consolidated with that of Fort Collins in 1960.
Geography
COMap-doton-Timnath.PNG
Location of Timnath, Colorado
Timnath is located at 40°31'47" North, 104°58'54" West (40.529718, -104.981654)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²). 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 223 people, 88 households, and 62 families residing in the town. The population density is 374.4/km² (960.2/mi²). There are 91 housing units at an average density of 152.8/km² (391.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 91.93% White, 0.00% African American, 3.14% Native American, 0.00% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 4.48% from two or more races. 8.07% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 88 households out of which 34.1% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.8% are married couples living together, 5.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% are non-families. 22.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.53 and the average family size is 3.03.
In the town the population is spread out with 30.5% under the age of 18, 0.9% from 18 to 24, 35.9% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39 years. For every 100 females there are 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 98.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $51,250, and the median income for a family is $55,000. Males have a median income of $41,250 versus $29,375 for females. The per capita income for the town is $27,089. 10.5% of the population and 7.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 11.6% of those under the age of 18 and 0.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
External links
- Town of Timnath (http://www.timnathcolorado.org/) (official website)