Sterling, Colorado
9 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1951 and the latest in 1983. It stands in the Sterling census division. It lies in ZIP code area 80751. The Survey maps it on the Sterling North quadrangle. 13,735 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 3,875 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Sterling
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 10 records
Downtown Sterling Historic Districtlisted 2013
First United Presbyterian Churchlisted 1982
W. C. Harris Houselisted 1984
I and M Buildinglisted 1982
Logan County Courthouselisted 1979
Conrad Luft Sr. Houselisted 1984
St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Churchlisted 1982
Sterling Public Librarylisted 2001
Sterling Union Pacific Railroad Depotlisted 1986
US Post Office, Federal Building, and Federal Courthouse-Sterling Mainlisted 1986
Population over time
2 figuresSterling fell from 14,777 to 13,735 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 | 14,777 | |
| 2020 | 13,735 | -1,042 (-7%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
4 surveys from 9 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.
- 1951 USGS Sterling North quadrangle1:24000, 4 printings
- 1954 USGS Sterling quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Sterling quadrangle1:250000
- 1983 USGS Sterling quadrangle1:100000
Fires near this place
155 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 155 fires within 5 miles of Sterling between 2006 and 2020, burning about 4,171 acres in total. 10 started naturally. 3 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/undetermined | 105 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 12 |
| Debris and open burning | 12 |
| Natural | 10 |
| Smoking | 5 |
| Fireworks | 4 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 3 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2019 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Colorado State Forest Service-State Headquarters | not named |
| 9 September 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Sterling Fire Rescue | UNKNOWN |
| 9 September 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Sterling Fire Rescue | UNKNOWN |
| 7 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Sterling Fire Rescue | N/A |
| 3 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Sterling Fire Rescue | UNKNOWN |
| 28 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Sterling Fire Rescue | N/A |
| 25 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Sterling Fire Rescue | N/A |
| 23 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Sterling Fire Rescue | UNKNOWN |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 13 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 13 workings within 5 miles of Sterling: 7 unknowns, 5 occurrences, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northeastern | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Pre-Ten | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Sterling Ready Mix | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | ||
| Unk | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Unk | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Unk | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Unk | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Occurrence | Sand | |
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Occurrence | Gravel | |
| Unknown | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Occurrence | Sand |
Storms near this place
60 of 146 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Sterling in 146 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 93 hail, 38 thunderstorm wind, 9 tornado, 3 flash flood. The reports record 3 injuries. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2004 | Tornado (F1) | Sterling | 2 hurt, $1,900,000 | A tornado touched down in downtown Sterling, causing extensive damage. At least two commercial buildings, including a car dealership, and one college dormitory lost roofs. Several trees were uprooted; one caused major damage to a home when it fell on it. A semi-truck was also knocked on its side. Downed power lines caused scattered electrical outages which affected about 6,000 customers. A total of 150 buildings received some degree of damage. Four families were left homeless and two residents received minor injuries. Some of the damage to property and structures included: $550,000 for damaged vehicles, $500,000 to the county fairgrounds including the stadium and arena, $200,000 to Sterling High School, $70,000 to Northeastern Junior College, and $20,000 to city property. The total economic impact to Sterling which also involved cleanup and repair was estimated to be between $5 million and $7 million. |
| July 2000 | Lightning | Sterling | 1 hurt | A man received minor injuries when lightning struck a nearby fence, shocking him. He was opening a gate attached to the fence when the bolt hit. Lightning also sparked two small grassfires in the area, but the heavy rain that accompanied the storm quickly extinguished them. |
| May 2015 | Flash Flood | Sterling | $25,000 | The small levee breached at the inlet ditch for North Sterling Reservoir. |
| June 2024 | Flash Flood | Sterling | $10,000 | Reports of flooded roads with water 2 to 3 feet deep in some areas. Hail clogged the city's storm drains. The basements of the Logan County Courthouse and the courthouse annex flooded. |
| July 1998 | Hail | Sterling | $2,500 | no account filed |
| August 2025 | Hail | Sterling | - | Delayed report via CoCoRaHS observer. |
| June 2025 | Hail | Sterling | - | Report from mping. |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Mesonet station (CDOT) on I-76 Sterling. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | The report was received from mesonet station CO035 I-76 near Sterling. The peak gust of 58 knots was reported at 1904, but the first reported gust of 50 knots was at 1854. |
| August 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | The mesonet station CO035 I-76 Sterling. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | From CDOT station on I-76 near Sterling. |
| June 2024 | Hail | Sterling | - | Also estimated 55 to 60 mph winds. |
| June 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Mesonet weather station CO035 at I-76 Sterling. |
| September 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Weather station CO035 I-76 Sterling. |
| May 2021 | Tornado (EF1) | Sterling | - | A tornado touched down and knocked power poles down along State Highway 61. |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Intense thunderstorm winds knocked down several power poles. |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Intense thunderstorm winds downed a powerline north of Sterling. |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Intense thunderstorm winds knocked down a tree along with nearby power lines. Broken tree limbs damages a car as well. |
| July 2020 | Hail | Sterling | - | The combination of large hail and heavy rain downed tree limbs. |
| September 2019 | Hail | Sterling | - | In addition to large hail, wind gusts in excess of 60 mph were observed. |
| May 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Intense thunderstorm winds ripped apart a livestock shed. |
| July 2018 | Hail | Sterling | - | Extensive crop damage was observed in the area between Sterling and Iliff. |
| July 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | A wet microburst caused tree damage and downed power lines in and around Sterling. |
| August 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Several trees were blown down. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Damaging winds were reported at the Logan County Fairgrounds. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Thunderstorm winds blew over a row of trailers and recreational vehicles at the Logan County Fairgrounds. |
| August 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Intense thunderstorm winds downed several power lines. At least 1,200 homes were without power in parts of Sterling and Atwood. The wind also wreaked havoc at the fairgrounds where tents and awnings covering booths were blown off. |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Microburst winds downed a light pole in Sterling, along with several trees. A roof was also torn off an apartment building. |
| July 2009 | Tornado (EF0) | Sterling | - | A tornado touched down briefly but did no damage. |
| May 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Outflow winds from a severe thunderstorm knocked downed a tree and downed power lines. |
| June 2006 | Tornado (F0) | Sterling | - | A small tornado touched down but did no damage. |
| April 2005 | Tornado (F0) | Sterling | - | A tornado touched down briefly but did no damage. |
| May 2005 | Tornado (F0) | Sterling | - | A small tornado touched down briefly but did no damage. |
| June 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Sterling | - | A small tornado touched down but did no damage. |
| July 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Strong winds snapped tree limbs, 10 inches in diameter. |
| July 2001 | Heavy Rain | Sterling | - | A wet microburst caused the roof of a service garage at a Cadillac dealership to collapse. Four cadillacs being serviced at the time were damaged. |
| May 2000 | Tornado (F1) | Sterling | - | A tornado touched down and destroyed a barn. |
| August 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | Thunderstorm winds gusting to 82 mph (71 kts) downed large tree limbs in Sterling. |
| June 1997 | Flash Flood | Sterling | - | Thunderstorms with torrential rain and hail flooded the Sterling area during the late afternoon. Two to three inches of rain fell in a 30 minute period. The town was left immobilized as the water was several feet deep in places. Snowplows had to be called to remove hail from Interstate 76. |
| June 2025 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| July 2023 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| July 2023 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| August 2023 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2023 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2023 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2023 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2023 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2022 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| May 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| October 2021 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| May 2020 | Hail | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sterling | - | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Hail | Sterling | - | 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.
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 Sterling | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q990163 | 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 202901. 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.



