Bayfield, Colorado
Encyclopedia
Bayfield is a Statutory Town in La Plata County
La Plata County, Colorado
La Plata County is the fourteenth most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county was named for the La Plata River and the La Plata Mountains. "La plata" is the Spanish language word for "silver". The United States Census Bureau estimated that the...

, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 1,549 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

.

Geography

Bayfield is located at 37°13′50"N 107°35′58"W (37.230532, -107.599539), along U.S. Route 160.

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 1,549 people, 567 households, and 409 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 1,433.3 people per square mile (553.8/km²). There were 597 housing units at an average density of 552.4 per square mile (213.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.67% White, 0.19% African American, 2.13% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 3.36% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 2.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.46% of the population.

There were 567 households out of which 43.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the town the population was spread out with 31.2% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $39,336, and the median income for a family was $46,583. Males had a median income of $34,464 versus $22,027 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the town was $17,324. About 2.9% of families and 5.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

Entertainment in the area

There are many restaurants in Bayfield, a park where local events are held, and high school sports games, many of which have very small attendance (with the exception of Homecoming week).

There are six parks in Bayfield, one being the Joe Stephenson's park. Another park, Eagle Park, is across the street; it is the venue for many celebrations, such as the Cinco de Mayo. The other parks are Gosney, Little Pine, Mesa, and Roadside.

The high school provides many different types of sports and entertainment; these include baseball, basketball, soccer, football, volleyball, occasional tennis, jazz concerts, choirs, art gallery, plays, talent shows, conferences, and many other Wolverine Pride events. Bayfield has developed a few bands, comedians, and athletes. One of the bands is History Of.

The Pine River Karate Club competes in several tournaments a year, most of them local.

Bayfield High School has drafting and construction classes taught by a winner of the Skills USA Advisor of the year award.

Sports

Bayfield has no professional or amateur sports teams outside of its middle and high school programs and some youth programs.

School sports

The high school has a football program and an award-winning track team. Wrestling
Scholastic wrestling
Scholastic wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially Collegiate wrestling with some slight modifications. It is currently...

, soccer, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

, baseball, and cross-country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...

 are the other sports available to boys. Girls, on the other hand, play volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...

, soccer, basketball, cross-country and track, and participate in cheerleading
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...

 at the state levels. The rivalry between Bayfield's Wolverines and Ignacio's
Ignacio, Colorado
The Town of Ignacio is a Statutory Town located in La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The population was 669 at the 2000 census.Located within the boundaries of the Southern Ute Indian Reservation, the town is the capital of the Southern Ute Indian tribe. It was named for their...

 Bobcats, an inholding in the Ute Reservation south of Bayfield, is well-known locally.

In 1996, the football team enjoyed unprecedented successes and won the 3A state football title. Since then, the team has enjoyed only mediocre success. The 2007 season, coached by Marshall Hahn, ended with a 8-2 record, reversing 2006's 2-8 season record.

Bayfield is home to Steve Flint, the 2005 3A cross-country state champion, the 2006 3A 1600 meter state champion, and the 2006 3A 3200 meter state champion.

In 2005, the boys cross country team won the state meet. Led by prolific Steve Flint, the team edged Colorado Springs Christian by one point. Other members of the team were the tandem Jesse and Jake Krueger, Joseph Reimers, Tanner Phelps, Kalen Gantt, and James Sundblom. The team was coached by Mr. Vernon Kimball

Bayfield Wrestling won the 2007 Intermountain League Championships under the leadership of Coach Herb Stinson. Stinson has won National Coach of the Year, and coached numerous state champion teams and individuals. The IML Championship victory was Bayfield's first since 1991.

The 2007 AAA Wrestling Southern Regional Tournament was held in Bayfield. The Bayfield Wolverines were Regional Runner-Up, but had a pair of individual champions in Jordan Larsen and Markus Eckstein.

The Mens Track team has seen the most success in the past few years, with 5 consecutive league and regional championships, led by such standouts as Steve Flint, Ryan Wirth, Jake and Jesse Kruger, Tanner Phelps, Derek Laue, Jacob Hetrick, Travis Steuver, Seth Posey, John "Igor" Cusick, Chris Isaac, And Steele Allred.

Community growth

Bayfield and the surrounding area have seen continued growth in commercial and residential activity due to substantially lower real estate costs than Durango
Durango, Colorado
The City of Durango is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau said that the city population was 16,887 in 2010 census.-History:...

, which is located 18 miles to the west. Historically Bayfield was a hamlet serving the surrounding agricultural community. There continues to be a fair amount of agriculture but over the last 15 years Bayfield has transitioned into a bedroom community for Durango. Bayfield is now trending toward a more self sufficient community as more of the regional work force lives in the eastern part of La Plata County and more employers and service providers are locating in Bayfield. Natural gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...

 production is a substantial component in the local economy with numerous international and regional producers operating in and around Bayfield.

See also

  • Colorado municipalities
    Colorado municipalities
    The U.S. state of Colorado currently has 271 active incorporated municipalities, including 196 towns, 73 cities, and two consolidated city and county governments.-Municipal government:...

  • Durango Micropolitan Statistical Area
    Durango Micropolitan Statistical Area
    The Durango Micropolitan Statistical Area is a United States Census Bureau defined Micropolitan Statistical Area located in the Durango area of the State of Colorado. The Durango Micropolitan Statistical Area is defined as La Plata County, Colorado. The Micropolitan Statistical Area had a...

  • La Plata County, Colorado
    La Plata County, Colorado
    La Plata County is the fourteenth most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county was named for the La Plata River and the La Plata Mountains. "La plata" is the Spanish language word for "silver". The United States Census Bureau estimated that the...

  • State of Colorado

External links

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