Parachute, Colorado

Parachute is a home rule municipality in Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,390 at the 2020 census.^[7]

Parachute, Colorado
Town
Parachute in 2023
Nickname:  "Western Gateway to the Rockies"[1]
Motto:  "A Safe Place to Land"[2]
Location of Parachute in Garfield County, Colorado.
Coordinates: 39°27′06″N 108°03′06″W
Country	United States
State	Colorado
County	Garfield County[3]
Incorporated	1908-04-01, as the Town of Grand Valley[4]
Government
• Type	Home rule municipality[3]
Area [5]
• Total	1.87 sq mi (4.85 km2)
• Land	1.81 sq mi (4.68 km2)
• Water	0.07 sq mi (0.17 km2)
Elevation [6]	5,089 ft (1,551 m)
Population  (2020)[7]
• Total	1,390
• Density	740/sq mi (290/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP codes[8]	81635, 81636 (PO Box)
Area code	970
FIPS code	08-57400
GNIS feature ID	2413110[6]
Website	www.parachutecolorado.com

The town is the birthplace of Willard Libby, recipient of the 1960 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

History

The town's name comes from Parachute Creek which runs through the township, before it merges with the Colorado River. The Ute people originally called the creek Pahchouc (meaning twins), with early settlers mispronouncing the word as parachute. In 1908 the town was renamed Grand Valley, but in the 1980s was changed back to Parachute.^[9]

Geography

Parachute is on the northwest side of the Colorado River where it is joined by Parachute Creek. Interstate 70 passes through the town, with access from Exit 75. I-70 leads east 42 miles (68 km) to Glenwood Springs, the county seat, and southwest 44 miles (71 km) to Grand Junction. Parachute is bordered to the southeast across the Colorado River by the unincorporated community of Battlement Mesa.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.67 square miles (4.32 km²), of which 1.61 square miles (4.16 km²) is land and 0.062 square miles (0.16 km²), or 3.70%, is water.^[10]

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Parachute has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.^[11]

Climate data for Parachute
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	3 (38)	8 (46)	13 (56)	18 (64)	24 (76)	31 (88)	34 (94)	34 (93)	28 (82)	19 (66)	11 (51)	5 (41)	19 (66)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−12 (11)	−7 (19)	−2 (29)	1 (33)	6 (43)	10 (50)	14 (58)	14 (57)	9 (48)	2 (35)	−3 (27)	−8 (18)	2 (36)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	18 (0.7)	18 (0.7)	46 (1.8)	43 (1.7)	30 (1.2)	25 (1)	38 (1.5)	23 (0.9)	36 (1.4)	51 (2)	43 (1.7)	30 (1.2)	400 (15.8)
Source: Weatherbase [12]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1910	268		—
1920	228		−14.9%
1930	209		−8.3%
1940	230		10.0%
1950	296		28.7%
1960	245		−17.2%
1970	270		10.2%
1980	338		25.2%
1990	658		94.7%
2000	1,006		52.9%
2010	1,085		7.9%
2020	1,390		28.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

Education

Parachute is served by Garfield County School District 16. The town is home to an elementary, middle, and high school:

• Bea Underwood Elementary School
• Grand Valley Middle School
• Grand Valley High School

Infrastructure

Transportation

Parachute is part of Bustang's West Line that connects Grand Junction to Denver.^[13]

See also

• Colorado portal

• List of municipalities in Colorado