Springfield 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 ...
, 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 ...
of, and the most populous town in
Baca 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 1,325 at the 2020 census.]
History
Frank and Jim Tipton settled in Las Animas, Colorado in 1886. In 1888 or 1889, the Tiptons secured the title to 80 acres which was the original townsite. They did this using a "soldiers script" and named the town after Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the List of cities in Missouri, third most populous city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County, Missouri, Greene County. The city's population was 169,176 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 censu ...
, since this is where the Tipton brothers had come from.
Geography and climate
Springfield is located in north-central Baca County, approximately 30 miles north of the Oklahoma
Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...
state line.
U.S. Routes 287 and 385
Year 385 (Roman numerals, CCCLXXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Arcadius, Augustus and Bauto (or, less frequently, year 1138 ''Ab urbe condita''). The ...
pass through the center of the town, leading north to Lamar, Colorado
Lamar is the home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Prowers County, Colorado. The city population was 7,687 at the 2020 United States census. The city was named after Lucius Quintus Cincinnatu ...
, and south to Boise City, Oklahoma
Boise City ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Cimarron County, in the Panhandle of Oklahoma, United States. Its population was 1,166 at the 2020 census, a decline of 7.9% from 1,266 in 2010.
History
Boise City was founded in 1908 by de ...
. U.S. Route 160 passes just to the south of the town, leading west to Trinidad, Colorado
Trinidad is the List of cities and towns in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat of and the List of cities and towns in Colorado, most populous municipality in Las Animas County, Colorado, United Stat ...
, and east to Johnson City, Kansas
Johnson City is a city in and the county seat of Stanton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,464.
History
Johnson City was established in 1885; it was originally called Veteran because many ...
.
Springfield Municipal Airport (FAA ID: 8V7) is four miles north.
According to the United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the town has a total area of , all of it land.
Springfield has a cool semi-arid climate (Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
''BSk'') with hot summers featuring mild mornings and occasional heavy thunderstorm rains, and highly variable winters that range from very warm and windy to frigid and relatively still.
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 2010, there were 1,451 people, 715 households, and 409 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 838 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 94.88% 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 ...
, 1.15% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 2.56% from other races, and 1.22% 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 5.83% of the population.
There were 715 households, out of which 23.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% 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, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.4% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 22.1% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 26.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $28,099, and the median income for a family was $34,107. Males had a median income of $25,385 versus $16,339 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 $13,890. About 14.4% of families and 16.8% 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 18.6% of those under age 18 and 17.8% of those age 65 or over.
Government
The Board of Trustees as of December 2020 consists of Tyler K Gibson (Mayor), Ervin Maltbie (Mayor Pro-Tem), and Trustees Ted Locke, Jim Howard, Mike Cooper, Dan McVey, and Christy Brady. Town Clerk is Tammy Newman; Town Manager/Treasurer is Merna McGinnis.
Education
The superintendent, and elementary principal, is Richard Hargrove, and the high school principal is Ginger Walker. The town has one library.
Notable people
Notable individuals who were born in or have lived in Springfield include:
* Alfred A. Arraj (1906–1992), U.S. federal judge
See also
* Springfield Schoolhouse
References
External links
*
Map of Springfield
CDOT
Springfield School District, RE-4
{{Authority control
Towns in Baca County, Colorado
Towns in Colorado
County seats in Colorado