Olathe is a statutory town in Montrose County,

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. The population was 2,019 as of the 2020 census, up from 1,849 at the 2010 census.

History

Olathe was originally named Brown. The Brown, Colorado, post office opened on April 2, 1883, but was renamed Olathe on June 4, 1896. The community was named after

Olathe, Kansas Olathe ( ) is the county seat of Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is the List of cities in Kansas#Highest population listing, fourth-most populous city in both the Kansas City metropolitan area and the state of Kansas, with a 2020 Uni ...

Geography

Olathe is located in northeastern Montrose County in the valley of the Uncompahgre River.

U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...

passes through the east side of the town, leading southeast to Montrose, 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 ...

, and northwest to

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. At the 2020 United States census, the town had a total area of , all of it land. The Uncompahgre River passes along the western edge of the town, flowing northwest to the

Gunnison River The Gunnison River is located in western Colorado, United States and is one of the largest tributaries of the Colorado River. Description The river flows east to west and has a drainage area of according to the USGS. The drainage basin of the ...

at Delta. Ash Mesa rises over the town to the west.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 1,573 people, 520 households, and 383 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 571 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 74.44%

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, 0.06%

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, 1.65% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 19.71% from other races, and 3.81% from two or more races.

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or Latino of any race were 35.22% of the population. There were 520 households, out of which 41.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.44. In the town, the population was spread out, with 31.8% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $26,286, and the median income for a family was $31,354. Males had a median income of $22,708 versus $18,077 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $12,620. About 15.9% of families and 21.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 19.6% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

The closest airport served by scheduled airlines is Montrose Regional Airport, located southeast of Olathe.

Major highways

(US 50) runs east–west, crossing 12 states. It links

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

with

Ocean City, Maryland Ocean City, officially the Town of Ocean City, is an Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic resort city in Worcester County, Maryland, Worcester County, Maryland, along the East Coast of the United States. The population was 6,844 at the 2020 United States c ...

. In Colorado, it connects Olathe to Montrose, Grand Junction and

Pueblo Pueblo refers to the settlements of the Pueblo peoples, Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States, currently in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. The permanent communities, including some of the oldest continually occupied settlement ...

. US 50 has a business loop within the town. * State Highway 348 is mostly a country road running parallel to US 50. It starts at Fifth Street in Olathe, goes to the countryside and enters

via 8th Street/Eaton Avenue.

Attractions

Olathe Sweet Corn Festival

Since 1992, this annual town festival has been held the first Saturday in August each summer, dedicated to the region's "agricultural jewel", Olathe Sweet Corn. The Festival features such entertainment as craft shows, karaoke, local acts, like the Anders Brothers, Cabin Fever Band, and concerts by bigger names like

Three Dog Night Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, founded by vocalists Chuck Negron, Cory Wells, and Danny Hutton. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael Allsup (guitar), and Floyd Sn ...

in 1996,

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

in 1998, Styx in 2004,

LeAnn Rimes Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at the age of 13 and has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Christian, and o ...

in 2007, Travis Tritt in 2008, and Clint Black in 2009. Any proceeds go to local non-profit groups.

Olathe BMX

Olathe BMX was established by the Town of Olathe in 2007 and sanctioned by the American Bicycle Association. Olathe BMX is run by volunteers; self-supporting since its conception in 2007, Olathe BMX has produced several state champions.

Education

Olathe is part of the Montrose County School District RE-1J and has three schools within the town limits. Olathe Elementary School has a population of around 500 students and supports grades K through 5. The middle school and high school are attached and create Olathe Middle High School.

References

External links

*
''The Olathe Messenger''
newspaper
CDOT map of the Town of Olathe
{{authority control Towns in Montrose County, Colorado Towns in Colorado