| Cañon City, Colorado | |
| Settlement Type: | Home rule municipality[1] |
| Nicknames: | Climate Capital of Colorado |
| Motto: | Gateway to the Authentic West |
| Flag Size: | 150px |
| Pushpin Map: | USA |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the City of Cañon City in the |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Fremont County[2] |
| Government Type: | Home rule municipality |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Preston Troutman |
| Established Title: | Settled |
| Established Date: | 1860 |
| Established Title2: | Incorporated |
| Established Date2: | April 3, 1872[3] |
| Unit Pref: | US |
| Total Type: | Total |
| Area Footnotes: | [4] |
| Area Total Km2: | 32.127 |
| Area Land Km2: | 32.095 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.032 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 17,141 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 1,383 |
| Population Metro: | 48,939 |
| Population Blank1 Title: | CSA |
| Population Blank1: | 217,101 |
| Population Blank2 Title: | Front Range |
| Population Blank2: | 5,055,344 |
| Timezone1: | MST |
| Utc Offset1: | −07:00 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | MDT |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | −06:00 |
| Coordinates: | 38.4431°N -105.2203°W |
| Coordinates Footnotes: | [5] |
| Elevation Ft: | 5312 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP codes[6] |
| Postal Code: | 81212, 81215 (PO Box) |
| Area Code: | 719 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 08-11810 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2409976 |
| Blank1 Name Sec2: | Major Routes |
Cañon City [7] is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Fremont County, Colorado, United States.[1] [8] The city population was 17,141 at the 2020 United States Census.[4] Cañon City is the principal city of the Cañon City, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area and is a part of the Front Range Urban Corridor. Cañon City straddles the easterly flowing Arkansas River and is a popular tourist destination for sightseeing, whitewater rafting, and rock climbing. The city is known for its many public parks, fossil discoveries, Skyline Drive, The Royal Gorge railroad, the Royal Gorge, and extensive natural hiking paths.[9] In 1994, the United States Board on Geographic Names approved adding the tilde to the official name of Cañon City, a change from Canon City as the official name in its decisions of 1906 and 1975. It is one of the few U.S. cities to have the Spanish Ñ in its name, others being La Cañada Flintridge, California; Española, New Mexico; Peñasco, New Mexico; and Peñitas, Texas.
See also: Early history of Fremont County, Colorado. Cañon City was laid out on January 17, 1858, during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush, but then the land was left idle. A new company "jumped the claim" to the town's site in late 1859, and it put up the first building in February 1860. This town was originally intended as a commercial center for mining in South Park and the upper Arkansas River.[10]
In 1861, the town raised two companies of volunteers to serve with the Second Colorado Infantry during the American Civil War. This regiment fought in skirmishes in nearby New Mexico and as far east as the Indian Territory (Oklahoma) and Missouri before ending its organization in 1865.
In 1862, A. M. Cassaday drilled for petroleum 6miles north of Cañon City, close to a known oil seep. Cassaday struck oil at the depth of, and he completed the first commercial oil well west of the Mississippi River. He drilled five or six more wells nearby, and he refined kerosene and fuel oil from the petroleum. Cassaday sold the products in Denver.[11]
A number of metal ore smelters were built in Cañon City following the discovery of gold at Cripple Creek in 1891.
The Cañon City Downtown Historic District is an historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
Cañon City is located in eastern Fremont County. It sits primarily on the north side of the Arkansas River, just east of where the river exits from Royal Gorge. It is bordered to the south by the unincorporated community of Lincoln Park. Via U.S. Route 50, Pueblo is to the east and Poncha Springs is to the west. Colorado Springs is to the northeast.
At the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total area of 32.127km2 including 0.032km2 of water.[4]
The city's nickname, "the Climate Capital of Colorado", derives from the combination of unique geography and 5300feet elevation protecting the city from harsh weather conditions. The average daily high temperature in January is warmer in Cañon City than in Grand Junction, even though the elevation of Cañon City is higher.[12]
The average minimum temperature in January is . During July, overnight lows are on average. Cañon City has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk).
As Cañon City has grown, the city has both annexed surrounding communities and developed new subdivisions to create the city that exists today.
Cañon City is home to many city-owned parks, as well as parks owned by the Cañon City Area Recreation and Park District.
The Cañon City Area Recreation and Park District, commonly called the Rec District, was created in 1965[13] to better serve the community's recreational needs with parks, the R.C. Icabone Pool (a public swimming pool), a dog park, an archery range and a ropes course along with a rec district office with a community room.
The following parks are operated and owned by the Rec District:
In addition, the city maintains the Tunnel Drive Trail, a four-mile long out-and-back trail that follows the course of an old irrigation canal. The trailhead is located at the west end of Tunnel Drive, just inside the city limits.
The Guy U. Hardy Award for Service to Outdoor Recreation was created in the name of Guy U. Hardy to recognize people in the community who "help preserve, protect and advocate for providing outdoor recreation opportunities." Hardy had a significant impact on outdoor recreational opportunities in the Royal Gorge area.[14]
As of the 2020 census,[15] there were 17,141 people residing in the city. The population density was 1312.1PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 95.4% White, 1.0% African American, 0.6% Native American, 0.1% Asian, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 10.2% of the population. There were 7,448 households, out of which 22.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them. The average household size was 2.05.
The age distribution was 22.6% under the age of 18 and 24.6% who were 65 years of age or older. Women represent 52% of the population.
The median income for a household in the city was $46,464. The per capita income for the city was $25,232. About 17.1% of the population were below the poverty line.
Along with a police department, sheriff's office and detention center, and a municipal court, Cañon City is home to the courts for Fremont County and the 11th Judicial District of Colorado. It has been described as "America’s cheeriest prison town".[16]
Cañon City is governed via the Council–manager government system. The city council consists of seven members who are elected from districts. The mayor is elected by the entire city.
The area being situated along the Arkansas River has allowed for soil suitable to orchards, ranching, and farming, but has largely grown to rely on the large number of state and federal prisons in the area, as well as to tourism, education, manufacturing, medicine and many other sectors.
Cañon City depends on the Colorado Department of Corrections and federal prison system, and its tourism industry which includes the Royal Gorge Route Railroad, Royal Gorge Bridge and Park, Red Canyon Park, The Abbey winery, and various other attractions. The major local employers include downtown shops, the entrepreneurial TechSTART initiative that attracts major technology-based entrepreneurs, and Centura Health (owner of St. Thomas More Hospital and the Progressive Care Center).
Prisons have served an important significance to both Cañon City and the surrounding areas of Fremont County, as well as to the state of Colorado. The Museum of Colorado Prisons has been given the role of preserving and presenting the past of the state's corrections system. Colorado Department of Corrections operates the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility in Cañon City.[17] In addition to several correctional facilities near Cañon City in unincorporated areas in Fremont County, Colorado State Penitentiary, the location of the state death row and execution chamber[18] is in Fremont County.[19] Other state prisons in Fremont County include Arrowhead Correctional Center,[20] Centennial Correctional Facility,[21] Fremont Correctional Facility,[22] Four Mile Correctional Center,[23] ADX Florence,and Skyline Correctional Center.[24]
On October 3, 1929, a riot at the prison claimed 13 lives.[25]
The Colorado Women's Correctional Facility near Cañon City in unincorporated Fremont County was decommissioned on June 4, 2009.[26] [27]
From Cañon City's Downtown Historic District located in the heart of the city to the Royal Gorge Bridge, there are many places to see and visit in the area.
Cañon City is home to a daily newspaper, called the Cañon City Daily Record; an FM radio station, Star Country 104.5 FM; and a long-running AM radio station, known as KRLN NewsRadio 1400 AM.
Transportation in the Cañon City area consists of cab service, shuttle bus service, and a downtown wagon ride. The Royal Gorge Bridge trolley had also been used during special events (it was destroyed in the Royal Gorge Fire, but it was reserved for use by the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park. Jeep tours and Segway tours are also available to explore local parks such as Red Canyon Park or scenic places such as Skyline Drive.
The town is served by the Fremont County airport (1V6) which is 6 miles to the East and currently has no scheduled passenger service.[28] Within an hour's drive is the Colorado Springs airport with daily service by major airlines.
The area is served by one state and one U.S. highway with a mix of city and county roads to navigate the city or connect to neighboring areas.
See also Cañon City School DistrictCañon City's school system is under the direction of the Cañon City School District Fremont RE-1.[30] The district currently has four elementary schools, one charter school, one school serving as both an elementary school and middle school, one middle school and one high school, Cañon City High School.
For the higher education needs of the community, Pueblo Community College provides a branch campus on the west end of the city along U.S. Highway 50.
The movie Canon City (1948) depicts the real-life 1947 escape of 12 prisoners from nearby Colorado State Penitentiary.[31]
A diner in Cañon City is the setting of the song "Navajo Rug", which was named by the Western Writers of America as one of the Top 100 Western Songs of all time.[32]
A fictional version of the city is depicted in Philip K. Dick's alternate history novel The Man in the High Castle (1963) and its eponymous 2015 television series adaptation. Cañon City is in an ostensibly-demilitarized "neutral zone" between the puppet regimes of the Japanese Pacific States, in the west, and Greater Nazi Reich, in the east, in the former United States.[33]
In the manga series jojos bizarre adventure canon city is featured in chapter 32 of the steel ball run or chapter seven hundred eighty-four of the manga https://jojowiki.com/SBR_Chapter_32#Cover_A-1
See also: List of sister cities in Colorado. Cañon City's sister cities are:[34]
Chalchicomula de Sesma, Mexico
Kahoku, Japan
Valday, Russia