New Castle, Colorado

Town in Garfield County, Colorado, United States

Town in Colorado, United States

39°34′20″N 107°32′6″W / 39.57222°N 107.53500°W / 39.57222; -107.53500Country

United StatesState

ColoradoCountyGarfield County^[1]Incorporated (town)March 27, 1890^[2]Government

• TypeHome rule municipality^[1]Area

^[3]

• Total2.61 sq mi (6.75 km²) • Land2.52 sq mi (6.52 km²) • Water0.09 sq mi (0.23 km²)Elevation

^[4]

5,811 ft (1,771 m)Population

(2020)^[5]

• Total4,923 • Density1,900/sq mi (730/km²)Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)ZIP code^[6]

81647

Area code970FIPS code08-53395GNIS feature ID2413042^[4]Websitewww.newcastlecolorado.org

The Town of New Castle is a home rule municipality in Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The population was 4,923 at the 2020 census.^[5]

History

When New Castle was incorporated in 1888, its economy was largely based on mining coal that was needed by the silver-mining industry to fire silver smelters. On February 18, 1896, a methane explosion in the Vulcan Mine killed 49 men and started a coal fire that was still burning as of 2020. The Vulcan reopened and suffered additional explosions on December 12, 1913 (killing 37) and November 4, 1918 (killing 3).^[7]

There are at least 25 coal fires burning near the town.^[8] They are normally confined underground.

From 2000 - 2014 the population grew 129%, much higher than the average growth in Colorado over the same period (20.8%).^[9]

Geography

New Castle is located on the north side of the Colorado River, just east of where the river cuts through the Grand Hogback. Interstate 70 passes by the town following the river, with access from Exit 105. I-70 leads east 12 miles (19 km) to Glenwood Springs, the county seat, east 169 miles (272 km) to Denver, and west 74 miles (119 km) to Grand Junction. U.S. Route 6 is Main Street in New Castle and forms a parallel route to I-70 for local traffic. US-6 joins I-70 5 miles (8 km) to the east at Chacra and 17 miles (27 km) to the west at a point west of Rifle.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km²), of which 2.7 square miles (6.9 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²), or 1.21%, is water.^[10]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1890	311	—
1900	431	38.6%
1910	493	14.4%
1920	447	−9.3%
1930	470	5.1%
1940	484	3.0%
1950	483	−0.2%
1960	447	−7.5%
1970	499	11.6%
1980	563	12.8%
1990	679	20.6%
2000	1,984	192.2%
2010	4,518	127.7%
2020	4,923	9.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

Education

The town is within Garfield Re-2 School District.^[11] Coal Ridge High School is in New Castle.

References

^ ^a ^b "Active Colorado Municipalities". State of Colorado, Department of Local Affairs. Archived from the original on December 12, 2009. Retrieved September 1, 2007.
^ "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. December 1, 2004. Retrieved September 2, 2007.
^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
^ ^a ^b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: New Castle, Colorado
^ ^a ^b United States Census Bureau. "New Castle town; Colorado". Retrieved April 24, 2023.
^ "ZIP Code Lookup". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original (JavaScript/HTML) on January 1, 2008. Retrieved November 26, 2007.
^ "Vulcan Mine Explosions". February 8, 2021.
^ "Vulcan Mine".
^ http://www.usa.com/new-castle-co.htm
^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): New Castle town, Colorado". American Factfinder. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 16, 2016.^{[dead link]}
^ "About Garfield Re-2". Garfield Re-2 School District. Retrieved May 15, 2020.