Severance, Colorado

Coordinates: 40°32′7″N 104°51′3″W / 40.53528°N 104.85083°W / 40.53528; -104.85083
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Town of Severance, Colorado
Motto(s): 
Where the geese fly and the bulls cry
Location of Severance in Weld County, Colorado.
Location of Severance in Weld County, Colorado.
Coordinates: 40°32′7″N 104°51′3″W / 40.53528°N 104.85083°W / 40.53528; -104.85083
Country United States
State Colorado
County[1]Weld County
IncorporatedNovember 20, 1920[2]
Government
 • TypeStatutory Town[1]
 • MayorMatthew Fries
 • Mayor Pro TemporeStephen Gagliardi
Area
 • Total9.19 sq mi (23.79 km2)
 • Land9.07 sq mi (23.49 km2)
 • Water0.12 sq mi (0.31 km2)
Elevation4,888 ft (1,490 m)
Population
 • Total7,683
 • Estimate 
(2022)[6]
10,581
 • Density840/sq mi (320/km2)
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code[7]
80546 (PO Box)
Area code970
FIPS code08-69150
GNIS feature ID0180531
Websitetownofseverance.org

Severance is a Statutory Town in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The population was 7,683 at the 2020 census.[5] The town is located on the Colorado Eastern Plains, northwest of Greeley, a crossroads of county roads.

A post office in Severance has been in operation since 1894.[8] The community was named after David Severance, a pioneer settler.[9]

Rocky Mountain oysters, a regional dish, is served at Bruce's Bar, a local landmark.[10]

Severance is also the home of KRKA radio, an Air 1 station with a far-reaching signal which can be heard as far away as Denver.

In October 2023, a shooting and subsequent murder-suicide left two dead.[11]

Geography[edit]

Severance is located at 40°32′07″N 104°51′03″W / 40.535208°N 104.850761°W / 40.535208; -104.850761.[12]

Severance Post office
Motorcycle outside Bruce's Bar. The mural art depicts a bull asserting its avoidance of becoming Rocky Mountain oysters.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.1 square miles (5.4 km2), of which, 2 square miles (5.2 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (3.27%) is water.

Education[edit]

The following list contains a number of Weld RE-4 public schools located in Severance.[13]

  • Severance High School
  • Severance Middle School
  • Rangeview Elementary

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1940138
1950108−21.7%
196070−35.2%
197059−15.7%
198010272.9%
19901063.9%
2000597463.2%
20103,165430.2%
20207,683142.7%
2022 (est.)10,581[6]37.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[14]

Governance[edit]

The town previously had a ban on snowball fights that was repealed in 2018 after 9-year old advocated for the repeal.[15]

See also[edit]

Feed store in Severance. Agriculture remains the primary industry of the town, despite the construction of new residences in recent years.

References[edit]

  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. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. ^ a b United States Census Bureau. "Severance town, Colorado". Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Severance, CO QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  7. ^ "ZIP Code Lookup" (JavaScript/HTML). United States Postal Service. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
  8. ^ "Post offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  9. ^ Dawson, John Frank (1954). 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. 46.
  10. ^ Pohlen, Jerome (2002). Oddball Colorado: A Guide to Some Really Strange Places. Chicago Review Press. p. 75. ISBN 978-1-55652-460-8.
  11. ^ "2 dead after barricaded suspect situation in northern Colorado". KUSA.com. October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
  12. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  13. ^ "Best Public Schools in Severance, Colorado & Rankings - SchoolDigger.com". SchoolDigger. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  14. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  15. ^ "Boy gets Colorado town to overturn snowball fight ban". BBC News. December 4, 2018.

External links[edit]