| Sterling, Colorado | |
| Settlement Type: | Home rule municipality[1] |
| Nickname: | A Colorado Treasure |
| Pushpin Map: | USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Sterling |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the City of Sterling in the |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Logan County[2] |
| Subdivision Type3: | City |
| Subdivision Name3: | Sterling |
| Government Type: | Home rule municipality |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Brenda Desormeaux |
| Leader Title1: | City Manager |
| Leader Name1: | Kevin L. Blankenship |
| Leader Title2: | Police Chief |
| Leader Name2: | Tyson Kerr |
| Established Title: | Settled |
| Established Date: | 1868 |
| Established Title2: | Platted |
| Established Date2: | 1890 |
| Established Title3: | Incorporated |
| Established Date3: | December 3, 1884[3] |
| Area Footnotes: | [4] |
| Unit Pref: | US |
| Area Total Km2: | 19.25 |
| Area Land Km2: | 19.25 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 7.43 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 7.43 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Area Water Percent: | 0.0 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Footnotes: | [5] |
| Population Total: | 13735 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | auto |
| Timezone: | MST |
| Utc Offset: | -7 |
| Timezone Dst: | MDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -6 |
| Coordinates: | 40.6256°N -103.2117°W |
| Elevation M: | 1181 |
| Elevation Ft: | 3937 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code[6] |
| Postal Code: | 80751 |
| Area Code: | 970 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 08-73935 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0202901 |
| Website: | City of Sterling |
Sterling is a home rule municipality and the county seat and most populous municipality of Logan County, Colorado, United States.[7] Sterling is the principal city of the Sterling, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city population was 13,735 at the 2020 census.
Sterling is the largest city in the Eastern Plains region of Colorado and the site of the domed Logan County Courthouse, built in 1909.
A post office called Sterling has been in operation since 1874.[8] The community was named for Sterling, Illinois, the native home of a railroad official.[9]
Sterling is 128miles northeast of Denver, and is located on Interstate 76, on the 'eastern plains' of northeastern Colorado.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.43sqmi, all land.
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Sterling has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.[10]
As of the 2020 census, there were 13,753 people, 4,604 households, and 2,790 families living in the city. The population density was 1653.1sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 5,171 housing units at an average density of 752.5sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 90.75% Caucasian American, 0.75% African American, 0.79% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 5.60% from other races, and 1.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 14.20% of the population.
There were 4,604 households, out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.4% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 12.9% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,337, and the median income for a family was $39,103. Males had a median income of $27,921 versus $20,508 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,287.
Major employers in Sterling include Northeastern Junior College, the RE-1 Valley School system, and the Sterling Correctional Facility.
Sterling is the major shopping hub for most of northeastern Colorado and hosts big box retailers, as well as many local stores located primarily on Main Street. Six different banks have branches in Sterling and there are local AM and FM radio stations as well as a local television station, and a long-established regional newspaper, the Sterling Journal-Advocate and South Platte Sentinel http://www.southplattesentinel.com.
The Colorado Department of Corrections operates the Sterling Correctional Facility in Sterling.[11]
Sterling is the home of Northeastern Junior College, a residential two-year college in Colorado.
Sterling is also the location of the RE-1 Valley School District.
Crosson Field serves as Sterling's airport, but there are no scheduled flights available from there. The closest airport served by scheduled flights is Denver International Airport, located 121miles away.
Sterling is also served by railroads, although only freight carriers serve the town. The main rail operator is Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF), but other operators, like Union Pacific, serve Sterling as well. The closest Amtrak station is located in Fort Morgan, about 47miles away.
Intercity bus service is offered by Burlington Trailways and Express Arrow with service to Denver, as well as number of cities in Nebraska including North Platte, Kearney, and Omaha. Sterling is also part of Colorado's Bustang network, as the eastern terminus of the Sterling–Denver and Sterling–Greeley routes, which operate two days per week and three days per week respectively.[12]
Sterling is a regional center for health care as well and is the home of the Sterling Regional Medical Center.