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Kiowa, Colorado

15 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1953 and the latest in 1983. It stands in the Elizabeth census division. It lies in ZIP code area 80117. The Survey maps it on the Kiowa quadrangle. 725 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 6,378 feet above sea level.

Kiowa within Elbert County

Population over time

2 figures

Kiowa grew from 723 to 725 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
2010723
2020725+2 (+0%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 15 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

44 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 44 fires within 5 miles of Kiowa between 1995 and 2020, burning about 556 acres in total. 5 started naturally. 2 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined29
Natural5
Equipment and vehicle use4
Debris and open burning3
Arson/incendiarism2
Fireworks1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
6 September 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreKiowa Fire Protection DistrictUNKNOWN
2 September 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined45 acresColorado State Forest Service-State HeadquartersKIOWA
17 September 2011Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreColorado State Forest Service-State HeadquartersKIOWA
15 September 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreKiowa Fire Protection DistrictUNKNOWN
27 August 2010Missing data/not specified/undetermined80 acresColorado State Forest Service-State Headquartersnot named
27 August 2010Natural5.0 acresColorado State Forest Service-State Headquartersnot named
25 August 2017Missing data/not specified/undetermined5.5 acresKiowa County Sheriffs OfficeUNKNOWN
23 August 2017Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreKiowa Fire Protection DistrictUNKNOWN

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Elbert County

Mines and quarries near this place

7 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 7 workings within 5 miles of Kiowa: 4 producers, 2 occurrences, 1 past producer. 4 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
BuffaloClayProducer
DawsonClayProducer
WagnerClayPast Producer
SandpitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
SandpitSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
UnknownSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrenceSand and Gravel
UnknownSand and Gravel, ConstructionOccurrenceSand and Gravel

Every working recorded in Elbert County

Storms near this place

60 of 113 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Kiowa in 113 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 87 hail, 11 thunderstorm wind, 10 tornado, 4 flash flood. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 2001LightningKiowa1 hurtA 13-yr old boy scout was knocked unconcious when lightning struck a tree near his tent.
June 2009Tornado (EF1)Kiowa$75,000A tornado damaged several outbuildings and a residence, and downed a number of trees. In addition, several horses were injured by flying metal debris.
May 2015Flash FloodKiowa$25,000Flooding and flash flooding washed out several county roads including: CR73 from CR112 to CR98; Freese Road from Colorado 86 to CR112; CR102, from Double Tree Ranch to the top of the Bluff; CR9 between Colorado 86 and CR98; CR106, from Canyon Road to CR13; Maul Road also suffered extensive damage.
June 2015Flash FloodKiowa$15,000A thunderstorm with very heavy rain, up to 4 inches, produced flash flooding. Elbert County Road 178, between ERC 53 and Wolf Creek Drive was impassable to high water.
June 1994Thunderstorm WindKiowa$5,000Thunderstorm winds blew two metal sheds 300 yards near Kiowa (40 miles northeast of Colorado Springs). Several power poles were snapped in two.
July 2008HailKiowa$5,000no account filed
August 2025HailKiowa-The report was from mPING.
May 2025HailKiowa-Report from Mping.
July 2023HailKiowa-The combination of hail and wind damaged roofs, vehicles and a greenhouse. Several chickens were also killed.
June 2023Tornado (EFU)Kiowa-A tornado touched down briefly in open country. No damage was observed.
June 2019HailKiowa-Large hail shattered sky lights.
June 2014Tornado (EF0)Kiowa-A tornado touched down briefly in open country; no damage was observed.
August 2007Tornado (EF0)Kiowa-A tornado touched down in open country, but did no damage.
May 2006Thunderstorm WindKiowa-Strong thunderstorm winds blew away the roof and the back wall of a barn.
July 2006Tornado (F0)Kiowa-A small tornado touched down but did no damage.
July 2006Flash FloodKiowa-A trained weather spotter near Kiowa measured 2.5 inches of rain in less than 2 hours. Several roads and culverts in the area were either damaged or washed out.
June 2005Tornado (F0)Kiowa-A tornado touched down but did no damage.
June 2005Tornado (F0)Kiowa-A tornado touched down but did no damage.
June 2001Tornado (F0)Kiowa-A tornado touched down briefly. Bark was ripped off trees and several large limbs were snapped off. An alfalfa field was also damaged. The combination of strong winds and hail caused extensive damage to the siding of a nearby house. One of the windows was also broken.
July 2001Tornado (F0)Kiowa-A small tornado touched down briefly but did no damage.
August 1999HailKiowa-Golfball size hail was reported 17 miles northeast of Kiowa, or about 7 miles northeast of Parker. Approximately 100 homes and 50 cars were damaged. In addition, minor flooding forced the temporary closure of Elbert County Road 194.
April 1999Thunderstorm WindKiowa-Dry microburst winds blew a tin shed off its hinges and into a tree. Some shingles were also torn off the roof of a nearby home.
July 2025HailKiowa-no account filed
July 2025Thunderstorm WindKiowa-no account filed
September 2024Thunderstorm WindKiowa-no account filed
May 2023HailKiowa-no account filed
July 2023HailKiowa-no account filed
July 2023HailKiowa-no account filed
July 2023HailKiowa-no account filed
August 2023HailKiowa-no account filed
June 2023HailKiowa-no account filed
July 2022HailKiowa-no account filed
July 2022HailKiowa-no account filed
July 2022HailKiowa-no account filed
July 2022HailKiowa-no account filed
June 2020Thunderstorm WindKiowa-no account filed
June 2019HailKiowa-no account filed
June 2019HailKiowa-no account filed
June 2019HailKiowa-no account filed
June 2019Thunderstorm WindKiowa-no account filed
August 2018HailKiowa-no account filed
July 2018HailKiowa-no account filed
July 2018HailKiowa-no account filed
June 2016HailKiowa-no account filed
May 2016HailKiowa-no account filed
June 2015HailKiowa-no account filed
June 2015HailKiowa-no account filed
June 2015HailKiowa-no account filed
June 2015HailKiowa-no account filed
June 2014HailKiowa-no account filed
June 2014HailKiowa-no account filed
July 2013HailKiowa-no account filed
July 2011HailKiowa-no account filed
July 2011HailKiowa-no account filed
July 2011HailKiowa-no account filed
July 2011Thunderstorm WindKiowa-no account filed
July 2011HailKiowa-no account filed
July 2011HailKiowa-no account filed
May 2010HailKiowa-no account filed
July 2010HailKiowa-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Elbert County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Elizabeth7.1 miles27
Cimarron8.8 miles30
Elbert9.6 miles25
Pawnee Hills9.7 miles30
Ponderosa Park10.8 miles30
Fondis11.0 miles11
Prairie Trail Ranches12.3 miles30
Parker Highlands13.1 miles30

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on KiowaAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q924059The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 185146. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.