Fowler is a

statutory town In India, the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), also called municipalities, are self-government institutions responsible for the administration of cities, towns, and transitional areas within a state or Union Territory. The 74th amendment to the Const ...

located in northwestern Otero 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 town population was 1,253 at the 2020 United States census.

History

Fowler was established as a railroad station on the

Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the largest Class 1 railroads in the United States between 1859 and 1996. The Santa Fe was a pioneer in intermodal freight transport; at vario ...

. The town was originally named Oxford, for a large ox that was killed when crossing the railroad tracks. The Oxford, Colorado, post office opened on April 27, 1882, but the name was changed to Fowler on on September 6, 1890. Fowler was named for Orson Squire Fowler, a phrenologist who founded the town. The Town of Fowler was incorporated on August 25, 1900.

Geography

Fowler is located along the

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in Colorado, specifically ...

and U.S. highway route 50 at coordinates . At the 2020 United States census, the town had a total area of , including of water.

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 1206 people, 521 households, and 330 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 591 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.02%

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 ...

, 0.08%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 1.08% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 2.99% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. Latino or

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 ...

of any race were 12.35% of the population. There were 521 households, out of which 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.8% 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, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.5% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.87. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.3% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 22.5% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 24.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $25,761, and the median income for a family was $32,143. Males had a median income of $25,536 versus $20,750 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 $15,501. About 11.3% of families and 11.9% 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 13.0% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The town has a small police department and fire department. In 1998, the magazine ''

Westword ''Westword'' is a free digital and print media publication based in Denver, Colorado. ''Westword'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue circ ...

'' included Fowler among examples of small police departments that struggled to hire or retain their police chiefs. Police chief Floyd Rogers was fired in 1997 after a string of controversies regarding the department's treatment of adolescents. After his firing a crowd of 60 adolescents rioted in Fowler, barricading

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 ...

, setting fires, and vandalizing the police station and two police cars.

Education

The Fowler School District has one elementary school and one high school. The high school mascot is the Grizzlies.

Transportation

Fowler is part of Colorado's

Bustang Bustang is an intercity bus service in the U.S. state of Colorado. Service began in 2015 and originally traveled between Denver and Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, and Glenwood Springs. Service has since been expanded to connect Grand Junction ...

network. It is along the Lamar-Pueblo-Colorado Springs Outrider line.

Notable people

* Luke Hochevar, Major League Baseball pitcher (2007–present); raised in Fowler and pitched at Fowler High School.

Gallery

File:Arkansas River Fowler CO aerial.jpg, Aerial view of the Arkansas River at Fowler Image:Fowler, CO, State Bank IMG 5641.JPG, Fowler State Bank building Image:Fowler, CO, Fire Dept. and City Hall IMG 5644.JPG, Fowler Fire Department and City Hall on U.S. Highway 50 Image:First Methodist Church, Fowler, CO IMG 5640.JPG, First

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

Church of Fowler Image:Fowler, CO, Historical Society IMG 5639.JPG, Fowler Historical Society

References

External links

Town of FowlerState of Colorado

History ColoradoFowler Historical Society Inc. & Museum
{{authority control Towns in Otero County, Colorado Towns in Colorado Colorado populated places on the Arkansas River