Brush is a Statutory City located in Morgan County,

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. The city population was 5,339 at the 2020 United States census. Brush is a part of the Fort Morgan, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The Brush, Colorado, post office opened on September 19, 1882, and the Town of Brush was incorporated on November 24, 1884. Brush was named for Jared L. Brush, who was a Colorado cattle pioneer. Brush had never lived in Brush, Colorado, instead helping to settle what is now known as Greeley. Brush later served as Lieutenant Governor of Colorado and liked to visit "his town" often. An alternative thought for how the town received its name was that in 1883 the town mayor told his councilmen that he would come up with the town's name in a fortnight's time. Two weeks later, he was approached in his horse stable, and when he was asked what the town shall be named, he looked down at the object he was brushing his horse with and declared it should be called 'Brush'. Brush is on the Loewen database of possible sundown towns.

Geography

At the 2020 United States census, the city had a total area of including of water.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

system, Brush 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 se ...

, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

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 5,117 people, 1,836 households, and 1,233 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,923 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the population in the city was 75.81%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.39%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.51% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 20.19% from other races, and 2.91% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 50.00% of the population. There were 1,836 households, out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.8% 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, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.29. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.3% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,333, and the median income for a family was $39,094. Males had a median income of $24,431 versus $20,371 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 city was $14,672. About 5.4% of families and 10.4% 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 10.1% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.

Culture

Agriculture and ranching make up a large part of the local economy. The Brush Rodeo is held each July. The Morgan County Fair showcases the community's 4-H projects and livestock. The Brush Industrial Park contains a 272-bed prison in a correctional complex that has been vacant since 2010. In 2017, plans were to use an outbuilding as a treatment center for autistic spectrum disorders. The East Morgan County Library is located in Brush. The city museum is housed in a former schoolhouse. The Brush High School mascot is the Beetdigger, signifying the importance of the annual sugar beet crop. The football team, winner of multiple state championships, plays its games at Beetdigger Stadium.

Education

School District

*Brush School District Re 2J

Elementary schools

*Thomson Elementary School •Address: 422 Ray Street *Beaver Valley Elementary School •Address: 2710 Mill Street

Combined Secondary Campus

*Brush Secondary Campus •Address: 1600 Mill Street

Transportation

Major highways

* Interstate 76 connects Brush to

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, located 93 miles southwest. To the northeast, Brush is linked with Interstate 80 in Big Springs, Nebraska, via Sterling, Colorado. * Business Loop 76 runs on Edison Street, reaching Fort Morgan in its west end. *

US 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6) or U.S. Highway 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the Grand Army of the Republic, American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the United States Numbere ...

connects

Provincetown, Massachusetts Provincetown () is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, in the United States. A small coastal resort town with a year-round population of 3,664 as of the 2020 United States census, Provi ...

Bishop, California Bishop (formerly Bishop Creek) is the only incorporated city in Inyo County, California, United States. It is located near the northern end of the Owens Valley within the Mojave Desert, at an elevation of . The city was named after Bishop Creek ...

, via

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

and 9 other states. * US 34 links Granby, Colorado with

Berwyn, Illinois Berwyn () is a suburban city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, Coterminous municipality, coterminous with Berwyn Township, Illinois, Berwyn Township, which was formed in 1908 after breaking off from Cicero Township, Cook County, Illinois, ...

, passing through

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

and

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

. In

, it connects Brush to Greeley and Loveland. * State Highway 71 runs from US 350, near La Junta to

state border, where it becomes Nebraska Highway 71.

Local notables

* Pat Day, 1992 Kentucky Derby winner and a member of the jockey Hall of Fame, was born in Brush.

References

External links

State of Colorado

History ColoradoCity of Brush website
{{authority control Cities in Morgan County, Colorado Cities in Colorado