Penrose, Colorado
24 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1889 and the latest in 1989. It stands in the Penrose-Portland census division. It lies in ZIP code area 81240. The Survey maps it on the Florence quadrangle. 3,685 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 5,338 feet above sea level.
Research this city
Population over time
2 figuresPenrose grew from 3,582 to 3,685 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 3,582 | |
| 2020 | 3,685 | +103 (+3%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
11 surveys from 24 printed sheetsMatched 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.
- 1889 USGS Canon City quadrangle1:125000, 2 printings
- 1892 USGS Canon City quadrangle1:125000, 6 printings
- 1892 USGS Canyon City quadrangle1:125000, 2 printings
- 1954 USGS Pueblo quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Pueblo quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Pueblo quadrangle1:250000
- 1959 USGS Florence quadrangle1:24000, 5 printings
- 1962 USGS Pueblo quadrangle1:250000
- 1966 USGS Pueblo quadrangle1:250000
- 1982 USGS Canon City quadrangle1:100000
- 1989 USGS Pueblo quadrangle1:250000
Fires near this place
67 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 67 fires within 5 miles of Penrose between 1992 and 2020, burning about 121 acres in total. 4 started naturally. None was 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/undetermined | 41 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 9 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 5 |
| Natural | 4 |
| Smoking | 4 |
| Debris and open burning | 3 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 September 2016 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Penrose Volunteer Fire Department | UNKNOWN |
| 20 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Williamsburg Volunteer Fire Department (Florence Fire Protection District) | UNKNOWN |
| 7 August 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Williamsburg Volunteer Fire Department (Florence Fire Protection District) | UNKNOWN |
| 28 August 2016 | Natural | under an acre | Penrose Volunteer Fire Department | UNKNOWN |
| 18 August 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Penrose Volunteer Fire Department | UNKNOWN |
| 16 August 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Penrose Volunteer Fire Department | UNKNOWN |
| 12 August 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 1.5 acres | Penrose Volunteer Fire Department | UNKNOWN |
| 27 July 2016 | Equipment and vehicle use | 5.0 acres | Penrose Volunteer Fire Department | UNKNOWN |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 14 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 14 workings within 5 miles of Penrose: 9 producers, 3 occurrences, 1 past producer, 1 unknown. 9 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Clay, Gold. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artesian Well #22 | Geothermal | Producer | ||
| Hoyt Adkins Ranch Anomaly 3 | Uranium | Occurrence | ||
| Unidentified Placer Occurrence | Gold | Occurrence | Placer | |
| Unknown | Limestone, General | Producer | Limestone | |
| Unknown | Gypsum-Anhydrite | Unknown | ||
| Beaver Creek | Clay | Producer | ||
| Siloam Operation Pit | Clay | Producer | ||
| Gravel Pit | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Portland Limestone Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer | ||
| Quarry | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
44 since 1994Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Penrose in 44 storm reports between 1994 and 2024: 27 hail, 6 flash flood, 3 tornado, 3 heavy rain. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2006 | Flash Flood | Penrose | $2,000,000 | Four to 6 inches of rain fell in approximately 2 hours on already saturated ground and caused significant flash flooding over a part of eastern Fremont county. The drainage basins of Beaver, Brush Hollow and Eightmile Creeks were overwhelmed, while several roads (County Roads 123 and 132, Phantom Canyon Road, State Highway 115) and bridges were washed out or damaged. Brush Hollow Creek was particularly destructive, overwhelming the culvert at State Highway 115 between Penrose and Florence. For a time, the fast flowing water was over 200 yards wide across the road. That portion of Highway 115 over the culvert was completely destroyed and remained closed for six weeks. County Road 123 was severely damaged by Eightmile Creek. All the water from the Eightmile and Brush Hollow drainage basins emptied into the Arkansas River upstream from the Portland River gage. The resulting river rise was extraordinary, in fact, a record crest for that part of the Arkansas River...13 feet. The gage's instruments were completely submerged, for a time, and debris nearly destroyed the gage. Severe flooding occurred on Beaver Creek, which empties into the Arkansas River downstream of the Portland gage. A paleo-hydrologist with the USGS in Denver estimated that Beaver Creek went from a trickle to about 13 feet in less than 15 minutes...a true "wall of water" flash flood. |
| June 2002 | Lightning | Penrose | $30,000 | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Penrose | $1,000 | A tornado caused some minor damage to fencing. |
| August 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Penrose | - | A MESONET station (CO132 050E290), near Penrose, reported a measured wind gust of 56 kts. |
| June 2023 | Hail | Penrose | - | Reported by the public. |
| May 2021 | Heavy Rain | Penrose | - | Heavy rain of 1.62 inches, 3 miles south Penrose. |
| May 2021 | Heavy Rain | Penrose | - | Heavy rain of 1.70 inches, Penrose. |
| July 2019 | Heavy Rain | Penrose | - | Public in Pennrose reported 1.43 inches of rain within an hour. |
| June 2015 | Flash Flood | Penrose | - | Heavy rain caused water over six inches deep across Highway 115 and other county roads. |
| June 2015 | Flash Flood | Penrose | - | Highway 115 and other county roads had water deeper than six inches. |
| September 2013 | Flood | Penrose | - | Heavy rain northwest of Penrose caused the Arkansas River at the Portland gage to go above flood stage. |
| September 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Penrose | - | A weak tornado over open country of extreme eastern Fremont county caused no known damage. It passed into extreme western Pueblo county. |
| August 2001 | Flash Flood | Penrose | - | Thunderstorms produced an estimated 5 inches of rain in around 3 hours over the extreme northeast portion of Fremont county. This excessive rainfall produced flooding of some roads...arroyos and streams. |
| August 1999 | Flash Flood | Penrose | - | Flooding occurred along Beaver Creek. Debris jams aggravated the flooding. |
| June 1997 | Flood | Penrose | - | Heavy rain in the Red Creek and Beaver Creeks drainage basins caused the creeks to flood from their source to the Arkansas River. Some campers and residents had to be evacuated, but no known widespread damage to property occurred. |
| June 1997 | Tornado (F0) | Penrose | - | An off-duty Custer county sheriff deputy reported a brief tornado on the edge of Penrose in an open field. There was no known damage. |
| July 2023 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| July 2023 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| July 2023 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| May 2020 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| July 2018 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| August 2017 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| August 2016 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| May 2014 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| June 2014 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| September 2013 | Flash Flood | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| August 2008 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| August 2008 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| August 2008 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| August 2008 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| June 2007 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| July 2003 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| July 2001 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| August 2001 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| September 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Penrose | - | no account filed |
| October 1994 | Hail | Penrose | - | no account filed |
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 | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | 2.3 miles | 24 | |
| Concrete | 3.2 miles | 23 | |
| Florence | 5.6 miles | 24 | |
| Williamsburg | 7.5 miles | 24 | |
| Coal Creek | 8.0 miles | 23 | |
| Rockvale | 8.4 miles | 23 | |
| Brookside | 9.0 miles | 24 | |
| Adelaide | 10.0 miles | 21 |
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 Penrose | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2290504 | The 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 192038. 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.










