Como is an
unincorporated community
An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
in
Park County in the
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...
of central
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
, United States. According to the
2010 census, the population of zip code 80432 is 439, including surrounding subdivisions in a 15-mile radius. Metropolitan Como proper usually has a population of 12 to 15 residents, within the Como plat.
History
It is believed the town was named by miners from
Como
Como (, ; , or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Nestled at the southwestern branch of the picturesque Lake Como, the city is a renowned tourist destination, ce ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, who worked the coal fields of the area. In 1879, the town became the location of a
depot of the
Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad, which was extended over
Kenosha Pass
Kenosha Pass, elevation , is a high mountain pass located in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado in the United States.
The pass is located in the Rocky Mountains southwest of Denver, Colorado, just northeast of the town of Fairplay, Color ...
to reach the
silver
Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
mining areas during the
Colorado Silver Boom
The Colorado Silver Boom was a dramatic expansionist period of silver mining activity in the U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each st ...
. Later, the town served as a division point for trains going northward over Boreas Pass and southward toward Garos and over
Trout Creek Pass
Trout Creek Pass, elevation , is a mountain pass located in the Rocky Mountains of south-central Colorado in the United States. The pass sits atop the southern end of the Mosquito Range on the Park- Chaffee county line, between South Park (th ...
at the western end of South Park.
Current status
The town has many historic weathered structures, including the roundhouse, hotel, and depot. It has the air of a
ghost town
A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
that is still nevertheless populated. Como has a small commercial district consisting of a post office, gallery and hotel. The roundhouse and depot have been renovated by the
Denver, South Park & Pacific Historical Society with plans to make them into an
area tourist attraction.
[Laura King Van Dusen, "Como High School: An Unplanned Time Capsule of Earlier Days, Artifacts Uncovered from Como's Heyday," ''Historic Tales from Park County: Parked in the Past'' ( Charleston, ]South Carolina
South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...
: The History Press, 2013), , pp. 163-169.
Geography
Como is located at the northern end of
South Park
''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...
, Como is an historic railroad settlement. It sits approximately one-half mile (1 km) west of
U.S. Route 285 and some northeast of the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
of
Fairplay
FairPlay is a family of digital rights management (DRM) technologies developed by Apple Inc. for protecting videos, books and apps and historically for music.
Music
The initial version of FairPlay was created to protect music on the iTunes S ...
. Como is accessible by a paved County Road 33, which becomes gravel inside the town. Boreas Pass Road runs northwest over
Boreas Pass to
Breckenridge. The mountains northwest of Como form a dramatic background to the site of the town on the flank of
Little Baldy Mountain.
See also
*
List of cities and towns in Colorado
The U.S. Colorado, State of Colorado has 273 municipal corporation, active municipalities, comprising 198 towns, 73 City, cities, and two Consolidated city-county, consolidated city and county governments. The Denver, City and County of Denver ...
*
Front Range Urban Corridor
References
External links
{{authority control
Unincorporated communities in Park County, Colorado
Unincorporated communities in Colorado
Colorado Mining Boom