The Town of Walden is the

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 ...

that is the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

, the most populous community, and the only

incorporated municipality A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally owne ...

in Jackson County,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, 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 wes ...

, United States. It is situated in the center of a large open valley called North Park. People from Walden and the surrounding area refer to themselves as "North Parkers". The town population was 608 at the 2010 census. The town sits at an elevation of 8099 feet (2469 meters). It was established in 1889 and was incorporated 2 December 1890. Mark A. Walden, an early postmaster, gave the community his name.

Geography

Walden is located at (40.730606, -106.281811). 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 t ...

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

Climate

Due to its elevation, Walden has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

(BSk), closely bordering on a subalpine climate (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Dfc''). The hottest temperature recorded in Walden was on July 6, 1989, August 1, 2000 and July 15, 2002, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 12, 1963, February 2, 2011 and January 6, 2017.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 734 people, 330 households, and 207 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 397 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.32%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.14%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.36% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.82% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.23% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 6.95% of the population. There were 330 households, out of which 29.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.0% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.82. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $29,313, and the median income for a family was $34,423. Males had a median income of $31,111 versus $18,611 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $16,964. About 14.2% of families and 20.3% 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 t ...

, including 35.3% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over. The 2010 census shows that the population decreased to 608 individuals, 377 households, and 291 families residing in the town. There were 318 males, 290 females, 116 individuals under the age of 18, and 492 individuals over the age of 18, with a distribution as follows: 20-24=29, 25-34=63, 35-49=121, 50-64=151, and 65 and over=113. Ethnically, 82 individuals are Hispanic or Latino and 526 individuals are Non-Hispanic or Latino. The race distribution is as follows: 554 White, 0 African American, 0 Asian, 8 American Indian and Alaska Native, 0 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 34 Other, and 12 who identified by two or more races.

Transportation

* State Highway 14 * State Highway 125

References

External links

*
Walden/North Park Chamber of Commerce

CDOT map of the Town of Walden
{{authority control Towns in Jackson County, Colorado Towns in Colorado County seats in Colorado