Monument, Colorado

Monument Rock, the formation from which the town derives its name

Monument's first homesteaders arrived in 1865 to mark out the town's preliminary shape, but settlement increased when Monument became a stop along the Rio Grande Railroad in 1872. The area was incorporated as a town called Henry's Station, after prominent settler Henry Limbach, on June 2, 1879, and the first town meeting was held July 3, 1879.[9] However, three years later the name was changed to Monument after Monument Creek and Monument Rock in the west.[10] The first records of the town can be found in various volumes in the El Paso County Courthouse dating back to 1872.[10] With the help of the railroad, which brought in necessities, people started small businesses and started to create a town.

Monument is located at 39°04′52″N 104°51′45″W.[11] It is north of Colorado Springs and the United States Air Force Academy, and east of the Rampart Range, which is the eastern front range of the Rocky Mountains. Monument Creek, a gentle mountain stream beginning in the Rampart Range, eventually tumbles down through Palmer Lake and the west side of Monument to become one of the main waterways flowing south through Colorado Springs.[12]

According to the United States Census Bureau, Monument has a total area of 4.6 square miles (12 km²), all of it land.

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 1,971 people, 725 households, and 550 families residing in the town. The population density was 426.1 people per square mile (164.4/km²). There were 770 housing units at an average density of 166.4 per square mile (64.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 91.98% White, 0.91% African American, 1.42% Native American, 0.96% Asian, 2.03% from other races, and 2.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.71% of the population.

There were 725 households out of which 45.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.2% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the town, the population was spread out with 32.9% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 38.3% from 25 to 44, 17.7% from 45 to 64, and 4.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $50,000, and the median income for a family was $54,211. Males had a median income of $41,071 versus $27,583 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,878. About 5.4% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.

A welcome sign outside of Monument

Monument is a Statutory Town and is not under a Home Rule Charter. This means that the governmental policy is established by the board of trustees. There are seven Trustees, including the mayor. The mayor is considered part of the Board of Trustees, and has the same power as the other Trustees. Trustees are elected for overlapping 4 year terms, and the mayor is elected for four years as well. A vacancy in office will be filled Trustee appointment or by voters at a regular or special election. There is a set term limit of two consecutive terms for the mayor and Trustees. All regular and special meetings must be open to the public, and people must be given the opportunity to be heard.

Formerly Grace Best Elementary School, this building now serves as the district office for Lewis-Palmer #38.

By Colorado law, Monument is a school-choice community. Because of this, there are opportunities for public schools,[15] private schools,[16] charter schools,[17] and home schooling groups.[18] The public school system is Lewis-Palmer School District 38. The Lewis-Palmer District ACT scores (at 23) are about 20% higher than the average state scores (at 19) in the two high schools (Palmer Ridge and Lewis-Palmer High Schools).[19] The Lewis-Palmer district as a whole performs 15-20% better on CSAP tests than the Colorado state average.[20] There are five public elementary schools in District 38: Lewis-Palmer Elementary, Palmer Lake Elementary, Kilmer, Prairie Winds Elementary, and Bear Creek Elementary. There is one public middle school serving all of District 38: Lewis-Palmer Middle School. Monument Academy is the only charter school and serves grades K through 8.

The residents of Monument support many different organizations. It is home to various types of churches, such as Presbyterian,[21] Catholic,[22] Lutheran,[23] Mennonite,[24] Methodist,[25] and nondenominational.[26][27] Monument has several organizations that are unique to the community, and also several nationwide organizations. Local organizations in Monument include:

Pikes Peak Library District.[28]

Boy Scout Troop 514 is in possession of the Challenger flag. This flag was on board of the ill-fated last mission of the Space Shuttle Challenger and was recovered undamaged.

Monument is accessed from Interstate 25 at exit 161 and exit 158. State Highway 105 also runs through Monument.

Monument experiences a hemiboreal continental climate (Köppen Dfb) with warm, relatively wet summers and cold, snowy winters.

• Kevin J. Anderson, bestselling science fiction author[30]
• Jennifer Barringer, professional runner and Olympian[31]Robert Liparulo, bestselling thriller novelist[32]
• Bobby Burling, professional MLS player, attended Lewis-Palmer High School[33]
• Chumped, members of the band
• Tom Clements, former Director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, assassinated[34]
• Pat Garrity, former NBA player[35]
• Wayne Laugesen, Fox News,[36] Washington Examiner,[37] National Catholic Register[38]
• Frances McConnell-Mills, toxicologist[39]
• Jennifer Sipes, actress and model, born in Monument, attended Lewis-Palmer High School[40]
• Paige Spiranac, professional golfer and model
• Amy Stephens, former Colorado House Majority Leader
• Mathew Ward, Christian musician and former member of 2nd Chapter of Acts
• Seth Canello, endurance athlete and outdoorsman

• Outline of Colorado
  • Index of Colorado-related articles
• State of Colorado
  • Colorado cities and towns
    • Colorado municipalities
  • Colorado counties
    • El Paso County, Colorado
  • Colorado metropolitan areas
    • Front Range Urban Corridor
    • South Central Colorado Urban Area
    • Colorado Springs, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
• Palmer Divide
• Rampart Range

• Town of Monument official website
• CDOT map of Monument
• Monument travel guide from Wikivoyage