Black Forest, Colorado
Encyclopedia
Black Forest is a census-designated place
(CDP) near Colorado Springs, Colorado
, United States
. The population was 13,116 at the 2010 census. Black Forest is named such for the high density of Ponderosa Pine
s located in a generally small area. In 2006, residents voted against a proposal to incorporate
as a city
.
Arrowheads and charcoal pits provide evidence that the planning area was occupied by Native Americans at least 800 years ago. The first known inhabitants were the Ute and Comanche Indians. The dense Ponderosa Pines provided them with protection, fuel, and timber for lodgepoles. These tribes were displaced by the Kiowas around 1800. Almost 40 years later the Arapahoe and Cheyenne tribes joined forces to drive out the Kiowas and become the last Native Americans to inhabit the area.
When white men began to settle the region in the late 1850's the Black Forest became an important center of activity, primarily as a source of scarce timber. The first of what would be several dozen sawmills was constructed in 1860. General Palmer was the first major landowner of Black Forest when he established the Colorado Pinery Trust in 1870; he purchased 43,000 acres. Lumber and mine props were supplied to build Colorado Springs and Denver. An 1880 article from the Colorado Springs Gazette stated that for years nearly every foot of timber used in Denver were hauled from the Pineries. Logging in the Pineries reached its height in the summer of 1870 when over 700 teamsters and 1,000 lumberjacks and tie hacks were employed, mostly for railway work. More than one billion board feet of lumber were removed to provide ties for the Kansas Pacific, Denver and Rio Grande and New Orleans Railroads.
Although lumbering continued sporadically through the 1950's, farming and ranching had become the dominant activities by the 1880's. A wide variety of crops were raised including, cattle, sheep, alfalfa, wheat, corn, hay and beans. Potatoes, however, were the agricultural product for which the Black Forest area became most renown. Agricultural productivity was subject to boom and bust cycles with crops often ruined by drought, floods, hail, blizzards, or grasshoppers. The drought of the 1920's and the Depression of the 1930's combined to eliminate most types of agriculture in the planning area. By the 1920's the area was mostly consolidated into large ranches. Some of these remain today.
Several towns and settlements dotted the planning area at one time or another during its history. The largest and most long-lived of these was the Town of Eastonville. Eastonville (actually located just to the east of the planning area) was begun in the early 1880's as a stop on the C & S Railroad. Its population peaked at about 400 in 1910 and was already in decline when the railroad ceased operations in 1935. Today only a few remnants of the once thriving townsite remain.
In the forest itself, modern subdivision had a fitful start in the 1920's when Dreamland and Brentwood Country Clubs were organized. Although these ventures were not particularly successful, they did represent the beginning of what would become a significant summer home market in the planning area. A boom in year-round subdivisions took place in the late 1950's and early 1960's. Most of the planning area was zoned for five acre minimum lot sizes in 1965.
Primarily in response to plans for a major transportation corridor through the eastern portion of the planning area, residents and County staff initiated work on a comprehensive land use plan in the early 1970's. The result of this effort was adoption of the Black Forest Preservation Plan in 1974. While this plan recommended rural-residential uses for most of the planning area, it also delineated several large areas for mixed urban uses. The largest of these was in the southeast where the new "city" of Latigo would later be proposed.
While Latigo has not materialized as envisioned, the Colorado Springs metropolitan area itself has expanded rapidly in the direction of the planning area. During the same period numerous large lot residential subdivisions have been platted and developed in the planning area, allowing it to retain much of its rural character and a good bit of its historic legacy. Some of this legacy is in the form of remaining historic sites and structures.
While Black Forest is not an incorporated town, it is well-known by that name. At first, the name was more informal but became "more official" with the opening of the Black Forest Elementary School (now named Edith Wolford Elementary) in 1923.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the CDP has a total area of 127.5 square miles (330.2 km²), of which, 127.5 square miles (330.2 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (0.05%) is water.
of 2000, there were 13,247 people, 4,494 households, and 3,851 families residing in the CDP. The population density
was 103.9 people per square mile (40.1/km²). There were 4,639 housing units at an average density of 36.4 per square mile (14.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.08% White, 0.85% African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.88% from other races
, and 1.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.31% of the population.
There were 4,494 households out of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.9% were married couples
living together, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.3% were non-families. 10.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 29.5% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 30.2% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 102.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $77,085, and the median income for a family was $80,556. Males had a median income of $59,568 versus $32,043 for females. The per capita income
for the CDP was $30,786. About 1.9% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
(CDP) near Colorado Springs, 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 13,116 at the 2010 census. Black Forest is named such for the high density of Ponderosa Pine
Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa, commonly known as the Ponderosa Pine, Bull Pine, Blackjack Pine, or Western Yellow Pine, is a widespread and variable pine native to western North America. It was first described by David Douglas in 1826, from eastern Washington near present-day Spokane...
s located in a generally small area. In 2006, residents voted against a proposal to incorporate
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
as a city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
.
History
The history of the Black Forest area is closely paralleled by that of a larger area traditionally known as the "Pineries". The area originally extended from Divide, Colorado (in Teller County), through the present planning area and east along the Platte-Arkansas Divide to a point where the Ponderosa Pines thinned out. Altogether the Pineries encompassed a 1,000 square mile area. Although the origin of the name is not clear, that portion of the Pineries north of Colorado Springs became known as the "Black Forest" by around the turn of the century.Arrowheads and charcoal pits provide evidence that the planning area was occupied by Native Americans at least 800 years ago. The first known inhabitants were the Ute and Comanche Indians. The dense Ponderosa Pines provided them with protection, fuel, and timber for lodgepoles. These tribes were displaced by the Kiowas around 1800. Almost 40 years later the Arapahoe and Cheyenne tribes joined forces to drive out the Kiowas and become the last Native Americans to inhabit the area.
When white men began to settle the region in the late 1850's the Black Forest became an important center of activity, primarily as a source of scarce timber. The first of what would be several dozen sawmills was constructed in 1860. General Palmer was the first major landowner of Black Forest when he established the Colorado Pinery Trust in 1870; he purchased 43,000 acres. Lumber and mine props were supplied to build Colorado Springs and Denver. An 1880 article from the Colorado Springs Gazette stated that for years nearly every foot of timber used in Denver were hauled from the Pineries. Logging in the Pineries reached its height in the summer of 1870 when over 700 teamsters and 1,000 lumberjacks and tie hacks were employed, mostly for railway work. More than one billion board feet of lumber were removed to provide ties for the Kansas Pacific, Denver and Rio Grande and New Orleans Railroads.
Although lumbering continued sporadically through the 1950's, farming and ranching had become the dominant activities by the 1880's. A wide variety of crops were raised including, cattle, sheep, alfalfa, wheat, corn, hay and beans. Potatoes, however, were the agricultural product for which the Black Forest area became most renown. Agricultural productivity was subject to boom and bust cycles with crops often ruined by drought, floods, hail, blizzards, or grasshoppers. The drought of the 1920's and the Depression of the 1930's combined to eliminate most types of agriculture in the planning area. By the 1920's the area was mostly consolidated into large ranches. Some of these remain today.
Several towns and settlements dotted the planning area at one time or another during its history. The largest and most long-lived of these was the Town of Eastonville. Eastonville (actually located just to the east of the planning area) was begun in the early 1880's as a stop on the C & S Railroad. Its population peaked at about 400 in 1910 and was already in decline when the railroad ceased operations in 1935. Today only a few remnants of the once thriving townsite remain.
In the forest itself, modern subdivision had a fitful start in the 1920's when Dreamland and Brentwood Country Clubs were organized. Although these ventures were not particularly successful, they did represent the beginning of what would become a significant summer home market in the planning area. A boom in year-round subdivisions took place in the late 1950's and early 1960's. Most of the planning area was zoned for five acre minimum lot sizes in 1965.
Primarily in response to plans for a major transportation corridor through the eastern portion of the planning area, residents and County staff initiated work on a comprehensive land use plan in the early 1970's. The result of this effort was adoption of the Black Forest Preservation Plan in 1974. While this plan recommended rural-residential uses for most of the planning area, it also delineated several large areas for mixed urban uses. The largest of these was in the southeast where the new "city" of Latigo would later be proposed.
While Latigo has not materialized as envisioned, the Colorado Springs metropolitan area itself has expanded rapidly in the direction of the planning area. During the same period numerous large lot residential subdivisions have been platted and developed in the planning area, allowing it to retain much of its rural character and a good bit of its historic legacy. Some of this legacy is in the form of remaining historic sites and structures.
While Black Forest is not an incorporated town, it is well-known by that name. At first, the name was more informal but became "more official" with the opening of the Black Forest Elementary School (now named Edith Wolford Elementary) in 1923.
Geography
Black Forest is located at 39°2′12"N 104°40′40"W (39.036632, -104.677697).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 CDP has a total area of 127.5 square miles (330.2 km²), of which, 127.5 square miles (330.2 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (0.05%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
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 13,247 people, 4,494 households, and 3,851 families residing in the CDP. 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 103.9 people per square mile (40.1/km²). There were 4,639 housing units at an average density of 36.4 per square mile (14.1/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.08% White, 0.85% African American, 0.66% Native American, 0.71% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.88% 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 1.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.31% of the population.
There were 4,494 households out of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.9% 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, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.3% were non-families. 10.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 2.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 29.5% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 30.2% from 45 to 64, and 6.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 102.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $77,085, and the median income for a family was $80,556. Males had a median income of $59,568 versus $32,043 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 CDP was $30,786. About 1.9% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.
See also
- Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical AreaColorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical AreaThe Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area is a United States Census Bureau defined Metropolitan Statistical Area located in the Colorado Springs region of the State of Colorado. The Census Bureau estimates that the population was 647,758 in 2010, a 20.48% increase since 2000. The...
- Front Range Urban CorridorFront Range Urban CorridorThe Front Range Urban Corridor is an oblong region of urban population located along the eastern face of the Southern Rocky Mountains in the U.S. states of Colorado and Wyoming. The corridor derives its name from the Front Range, the mountain range that defines the west central boundary of the...
- List of cities and towns in Colorado