Ramah, Colorado

Ramah, Colorado
Entering Ramah on Commercial Street.
Entering Ramah on Commercial Street.
Location of Ramah in El Paso County, Colorado.
Location of Ramah in El Paso County, Colorado.
Coordinates: 39°07′24″N 104°10′05″W / 39.12333°N 104.16806°W / 39.12333; -104.16806
Country United States
State Colorado
County[1]El Paso
Incorporated (town)July 18, 1927[2]
Government
 • TypeStatutory Town[1]
Area
 • Total
0.25 sq mi (0.64 km2)
 • Land0.25 sq mi (0.64 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation6,099 ft (1,859 m)
Population
 • Total
111
 • Density440/sq mi (170/km2)
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code
80832
Area code719
FIPS code08-62660
GNIS feature ID2412523[4]
Websiteramah.colorado.gov

Ramah /ˈrmə/ is a Statutory Town in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The population was 111 as of the 2020 census.[5] According to tradition, the name is derived from India.[6]

History

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The area was first settled in a place called Old Zounds, which was 27 miles southeast of Kiowa. The post office, called O.Z. because the applicant just used the initials, existed until at least 1881. The post office was moved from Old Zounds to nearby Ramah in 1889.[7][8]

Ramah began as a small railroading town along the Rock Island Railroad in the late 1800s. It was incorporated on July 18, 1927. During its peak, it was home to several hundred residents. Eventually, by the mid-1900s, the railroad was shut down, and Ramah suffered, since the railroad connected it to Colorado Springs, forty miles to the southwest. Despite its decline, Ramah continues to exist, with ranching as the mainstay of its economy.

Geography

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.2 square miles (0.52 km2), all of it land.

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1930171
19401868.8%
1950142−23.7%
1960109−23.2%
1970101−7.3%
198011917.8%
199094−21.0%
200011724.5%
20101235.1%
2020111−9.8%
U.S. Decennial Census

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Active Colorado Municipalities". State of Colorado, Department of Local Affairs. Archived from the original on December 12, 2009. Retrieved September 1, 2007.
  2. ^ "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. December 1, 2004. Retrieved September 2, 2007.
  3. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  4. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Ramah, Colorado
  5. ^ a b United States Census Bureau. "Ramah town; Colorado". Retrieved April 24, 2023.
  6. ^ Dawson, John Frank. Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin. Denver, CO: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 43.
  7. ^ "Place Names of Colorado" (PDF). Denver Public Library. pp. 467, 516. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  8. ^ "Place Names in Colorado (O)" (PDF). Colorado Magazine. Vol. 19, no. 3. May 1942. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
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