Cheyenne Wells, Colorado

{{short description|Town in Colorado, United States}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}

{{Infobox settlement

|name = Cheyenne Wells, Colorado

|settlement_type = Statutory Town{{cite web|url=https://dola.colorado.gov/lgis/municipalities.jsf|title=Active Colorado Municipalities|publisher=Colorado Department of Local Affairs|access-date=October 15, 2021}}

|image_skyline = Cheyenne Wells, Colorado aerial view (2025).jpg

|image_caption = Cheyenne Wells (2025)

|image_flag =

|image_seal =

|image_map = Cheyenne County Colorado Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Cheyenne Wells Highlighted 0814175.svg

|map_caption = Location within Cheyenne County and Colorado

|image_map1 =

|map_caption1 =

|coordinates_footnotes =

|coordinates = {{coord|38.8213951|-102.3532435|region:US-CO_type:city|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

|subdivision_type = Country

|subdivision_name = United States

|subdivision_type1 = State

|subdivision_name1 = Colorado

|subdivision_type2 = County

|subdivision_name2 = Cheyenne

|subdivision_type3 =

|subdivision_name3 =

|established_title = Founded

|established_date = 1870s

|established_title1 = Platted

|established_date1 =

|established_title2 = Incorporated

|established_date2 = May 14, 1890{{cite web | url = http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/muninc.html | title = Colorado Municipal Incorporations | publisher = State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives | date = December 1, 2004 | accessdate = September 2, 2007}}

|named_for =

|government_footnotes =

|government_type =

|leader_title = Mayor

|leader_name =

|area_footnotes = {{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/about/rdo/summary-files.html|title=Decennial Census P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data|publisher=United States Census Bureau, United States Department of Commerce|date=August 12, 2021|access-date=September 4, 2021}}

|area_total_sq_mi =

|area_land_sq_mi =

|area_water_sq_mi =

|area_total_km2 = 2.770

|area_land_km2 = 2.770

|area_water_km2 = 0.000

|unit_pref = Imperial

|elevation_footnotes =

|elevation_ft = 4292

|population_footnotes =

|population_as_of = 2020

|population_total = 758

|pop_est_footnotes =

|pop_est_as_of =

|population_est =

|population_density_sq_mi = auto

|population_density_km2 = auto

|timezone1 = MST

|utc_offset1 = −7

|timezone1_DST = MDT

|utc_offset1_DST = −6

|postal_code_type = ZIP Code

|postal_code = 80810{{cite web|url=http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/citytown.jsp |title=ZIP Code Lookup |format=JavaScript/HTML |publisher=United States Postal Service |accessdate=September 5, 2007 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070903025217/http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/citytown.jsp |archivedate=September 3, 2007 }}

|area_code_type = Area code

|area_code = 719

|blank_name = FIPS code

|blank_info = {{FIPS|08|14175}}

|blank1_name = GNIS ID

|blank1_info = 195261 {{cite gnis2|195261|Cheyenne Wells, Colorado}}

|website = {{URL|http://townofcheyennewells.com|townofcheyennewells.com}}

}}

Cheyenne Wells is a statutory town in and the county seat of Cheyenne County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 758 at the 2020 United States census.

History

The community was named for the fact Cheyenne Indians maintained water wells near the original town site.{{cite book|last=Dawson|first=John Frank|title=Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015051116740;view=1up;seq=19|year=1954|publisher=The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co.|location=Denver, CO|page=13}}

Geography

Cheyenne Wells is located at {{coord|38|49|16|N|102|21|13|W|type:city}} (38.821141, -102.353637).{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}

At the 2020 United States census, the town had a total area of {{convert|2.770|km2|acre|order=flip}}, all of it land.

A small area about 10 miles southwest of Cheyenne Wells is antipodal, or globally opposite, to Île Saint-Paul, an island in the southern Indian Ocean.

=Climate=

{{Weather box

| width = auto

| collapsed = yes

| single line = yes

| location = Cheyenne Wells 2NE, Colorado (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1897–2020)

| Jan record high F = 78

| Feb record high F = 82

| Mar record high F = 91

| Apr record high F = 95

| May record high F = 105

| Jun record high F = 108

| Jul record high F = 109

| Aug record high F = 107

| Sep record high F = 102

| Oct record high F = 96

| Nov record high F = 89

| Dec record high F = 88

| year record high F = 109

| Jan high F = 44.0

| Feb high F = 47.0

| Mar high F = 57.1

| Apr high F = 64.7

| May high F = 74.0

| Jun high F = 85.7

| Jul high F = 90.6

| Aug high F = 88.2

| Sep high F = 81.6

| Oct high F = 67.3

| Nov high F = 54.1

| Dec high F = 44.2

| year high F = 66.5

| Jan mean F = 31.8

| Feb mean F = 33.9

| Mar mean F = 43.0

| Apr mean F = 50.1

| May mean F = 59.9

| Jun mean F = 70.5

| Jul mean F = 75.8

| Aug mean F = 74.0

| Sep mean F = 66.7

| Oct mean F = 53.1

| Nov mean F = 41.1

| Dec mean F = 32.1

| year mean F = 52.7

| Jan low F = 19.6

| Feb low F = 20.9

| Mar low F = 28.8

| Apr low F = 35.4

| May low F = 45.7

| Jun low F = 55.3

| Jul low F = 61.1

| Aug low F = 59.8

| Sep low F = 51.9

| Oct low F = 38.8

| Nov low F = 28.1

| Dec low F = 20.0

| year low F = 38.8

| Jan record low F = -23

| Feb record low F = -31

| Mar record low F = -16

| Apr record low F = -2

| May record low F = 15

| Jun record low F = 31

| Jul record low F = 40

| Aug record low F = 33

| Sep record low F = 18

| Oct record low F = 1

| Nov record low F = -13

| Dec record low F = -24

| year record low F = -31

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation inch = 0.22

| Feb precipitation inch = 0.38

| Mar precipitation inch = 0.68

| Apr precipitation inch = 1.40

| May precipitation inch = 2.09

| Jun precipitation inch = 2.24

| Jul precipitation inch = 3.72

| Aug precipitation inch = 2.65

| Sep precipitation inch = 1.15

| Oct precipitation inch = 1.15

| Nov precipitation inch = 0.39

| Dec precipitation inch = 0.29

| year precipitation inch = 16.36

| unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

| Jan precipitation days = 1.9

| Feb precipitation days = 2.7

| Mar precipitation days = 3.7

| Apr precipitation days = 5.1

| May precipitation days = 7.2

| Jun precipitation days = 7.0

| Jul precipitation days = 7.7

| Aug precipitation days = 6.9

| Sep precipitation days = 4.1

| Oct precipitation days = 4.0

| Nov precipitation days = 2.6

| Dec precipitation days = 2.6

| year precipitation days = 55.5

| Jan snow inch = 2.9

| Feb snow inch = 4.1

| Mar snow inch = 2.9

| Apr snow inch = 2.4

| May snow inch = 0.2

| Jun snow inch = 0.0

| Jul snow inch = 0.0

| Aug snow inch = 0.0

| Sep snow inch = 0.2

| Oct snow inch = 1.1

| Nov snow inch = 2.6

| Dec snow inch = 3.1

| year snow inch = 19.5

| unit snow days = 0.1 in

| Jan snow days = 1.7

| Feb snow days = 2.4

| Mar snow days = 1.6

| Apr snow days = 1.3

| May snow days = 0.1

| Jun snow days = 0.0

| Jul snow days = 0.0

| Aug snow days = 0.0

| Sep snow days = 0.1

| Oct snow days = 0.6

| Nov snow days = 1.2

| Dec snow days = 2.0

| year snow days = 11.0

| source = NOAA{{cite web

|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=gld

|title = NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = April 6, 2024}}{{cite web

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00051564&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL

|title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991-2020

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|access-date = April 6, 2024}}

}}

Demographics

{{US Census population

|align=left

|1910= 270

|1920= 508

|1930= 595

|1940= 695

|1950= 1154

|1960= 1020

|1970= 982

|1980= 950

|1990= 1128

|2000= 1010

|2010= 846

|2020= 758

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census

}}

File:Cheyenne_Wells,_Colorado_2011.jpg

As of the census{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }} of 2000, there were 1,010 people, 417 households, and 261 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|974.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 505 housing units at an average density of {{convert|487.2|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 91.19% White, 0.99% African American, 0.79% Native American, 0.10% Asian, 6.44% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.90% of the population.

There were 417 households, out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.2% were non-families. 33.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.2% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $36,563, and the median income for a family was $45,132. Males had a median income of $32,941 versus $23,077 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,840. About 7.5% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.4% of those under age 18 and 12.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Tumbleweed Midstream owns the Ladder Creek Helium Plant near Cheyenne Wells. It is only one of fourteen helium plants in the world.{{cite web |title=Rising on the plains: This Colorado plant is one of a handful in the world to produce helium |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2020/02/15/colorado-helium-plant/ |publisher=The Denver Post |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223082257/https://www.denverpost.com/2020/02/15/colorado-helium-plant/ |archivedate=February 23, 2020 |date=February 15, 2020 |url-status=live}}

Infrastructure

=Transportation=

==Rail==

The Union Pacific Railroad passes through Cheyenne Wells.

==Highways==

20px U.S. Highway 40 passes through the community and follows roughly parallel to the railway.

Notable people

Notable individuals who were born in or have lived in Cheyenne Wells include:

  • Nellie M. Payne (1900-1990), agricultural chemist, entomologist{{cite web | title = Nellie M. Payne, ESA Fellow (1940) | publisher = Entomological Society of America | url = http://www.entsoc.org/fellows/payne-1940 | accessdate = June 21, 2016}}

See also

References

{{Reflist}}