South Fork, Colorado

Town of South Fork, Colorado
Town
South Fork as seen from the summit of Agua Ramon Mountain
South Fork as seen from the summit of Agua Ramon Mountain
Location of South Fork in Rio Grande County, Colorado.
Location of South Fork in Rio Grande County, Colorado.
Coordinates: 37°40′18″N 106°37′40″W / 37.67167°N 106.62778°W / 37.67167; -106.62778
Country United States
State Colorado
County[1]Rio Grande County
IncorporatedMay 19, 1992[2]
Government
 • TypeStatutory Town[1]
Area
[3]
 • Total
2.50 sq mi (6.47 km2)
 • Land2.50 sq mi (6.47 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
[4]
8,216 ft (2,504 m)
Population
 (2020)[5]
 • Total
510
 • Density200/sq mi (79/km2)
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code[6]
81154
Area code719
FIPS code08-72395
GNIS feature ID2413307[4]
WebsiteTown of South Fork

South Fork is a statutory town in Rio Grande County, Colorado, United States. It lies at the confluence of the South Fork and Rio Grande rivers. The population was 510 at the 2020 census.[5]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.4 square miles (6.2 km2), all land.

History

South Fork was once the site of timber milling operations.[7]

South Fork was founded in 1882, by which date its location was already marked by the presence of a coaching post, dating from the construction of the railroad connection of the Rio Grande Western Railroad line to Creede, which had been built to support the Creede silver mine. It was only in 1992 that South Fork achieved independent statutory town status, making it the youngest statutory town in the state. Originally the principal economic activities involved forestry and mining, but in recent decades these have been overtaken in the employment statistics by tourism.

South Fork made Colorado headlines during the Summer of 2020 when its town board announced that solicitations for donations was unlawful within town limits. This was in response to a local farmer's market in which one of its vendors was asking people for donations to the Black Lives Matter movement and the NAACP.[8]

South Fork's Riverbend Resort was the filming location of fictional 'Kamp Komfort' in the 1983 hit movie National Lampoon's Vacation.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
2000604—
2010386−36.1%
202051032.1%
Housing on the outskirts of town

South Fork has about 600 permanent residents, but a substantially larger summer population due to seasonal residents and visitors.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Active Colorado Municipalities". State of Colorado, Department of Local Affairs. Archived from the original on December 12, 2009. Retrieved September 1, 2007.
  2. ^ "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. December 1, 2004. Retrieved September 2, 2007.
  3. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  4. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: South Fork, Colorado
  5. ^ a b United States Census Bureau. "South Fork town, Colorado". Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  6. ^ "ZIP Code Lookup" (JavaScript/HTML). United States Postal Service. Retrieved January 3, 2008.
  7. ^ a b Bruce Finley (June 23, 2013). "West Fork fire complex at nearly 66,200 acres and feeding on beetle-ravaged forests". Denver Post.
  8. ^ "Southern Colorado town tells farm owners asking for donations isn't allowed after BLM drive". October 2, 2020.