Starkville is a

Statutory Town A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by ...

in Las Animas County,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, United States. The population was 62 at the 2020 census.

History

The town was named for Albert G. Stark, a coal mine owner. The community was formerly a company-owned

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

mining town A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry. Historic mining communities Australia * Ballarat, Victoria * Bendigo, ...

owned and operated by the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company. On 8 October 1910, an explosion at the Starkville mine killed 56 miners. Exactly a month later, an explosion at the nearby

Victor-American Fuel Company Victor-American Fuel Company, also styled as the Victor Fuel Company, was a coal mining company, primarily focused on operations in the US states of Colorado and New Mexico during the first half of the Twentieth Century. Prior to a 1909 reorganiza ...

mine in Delagua killed 76. Miners from Starkville aided in the recovery efforts.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town has a total area of , all of it land. Starkville is south of

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

and from the border with

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

Raton Pass Ratón Pass is a 7,834 ft (2,388 m) elevation mountain pass on the Colorado–New Mexico border in the western United States. It is located on the eastern side of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains between Trinidad, Colorado and Raton, New ...

.Google Earth in the 19th Century the

Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, th ...

passed through the community. Starkville is adjacent to

Interstate 25 Interstate 25 (I-25) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States. It is primarily a north–south highway, serving as the main route through New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. I-25 stretches from I-10 at Las Cruces, New Mexic ...

and the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and ...

Demographics

2010 United States census

At the 2010 census, there were 59 people, 26 households, and 30 families living in the town. There were 35 housing units. The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the town was 55.9% White, 1.7% Native American, 37.3% from other races, and 3.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 72.9% of the population. Of the 26 households 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.6% were non-families. 30.8% of households were one person and 11.5% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.76. The age distribution was 22.1% under the age of 19, 6.8% from 20 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 35.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% 65 or older. The median age was 44.5 years. The median household income was $46,250 and the median family income was $51,250.

Census 2000

At the 2000 census there were 128 people, 42 households, and 30 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 53 housing units at an average density of . The

of the town was 71.88% White, 3.91% Native American, 14.84% from other races, and 9.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 64.06%. Of the 42 households 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 21.4% of households were one person and 11.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.05 and the average family size was 3.55. The age distribution was 27.3% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.7 males. The median household income was $42,708 and the median family income was $50,000. Males had a median income of $30,417 versus $19,844 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,297. There were 5.3% of families and 10.1% of the population living 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 t ...

, including 18.2% of under eighteens and 22.2% of those over 64.

References

External links

CDOT map of the Town of Starkville
{{authority control Towns in Las Animas County, Colorado Towns in Colorado