Conifer, Colorado

Conifer, Colorado
unincorporated community
Sign along Highway 285
Sign along Highway 285
Conifer is located in the United States
Conifer
Conifer
Location of Conifer, Colorado.
Conifer is located in Colorado
Conifer
Conifer
Conifer (Colorado)
Coordinates: 39°31′16″N 105°18′19″W / 39.5211°N 105.3053°W / 39.5211; -105.3053 (Conifer, Colorado)[3]
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountyJefferson[1]
Settled1860s
Government
 • Typeunincorporated community
 • BodyJefferson County[1]
Elevation
[3]
8,262 ft (2,518 m)
Population
 (2009[4])
 • Total
19,683[2]
Time zoneUTC−07:00 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−06:00 (MDT)
ZIP code[5]
80433
Area codes303/720/983
GNIS place ID204717
WebsiteConifer CoC

Conifer is an unincorporated community in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States.[3] Conifer is located along U.S. Route 285 in the foothills west of Denver.

History

The Conifer, Colorado, post office operated from November 16, 1894, until February 28, 1929, but then a new Conifer, Colorado, post office open on October 1, 1960.[6] Some say the community was named after George Conifer, the proprietor of a local tavern, while others believe conifer trees near the original town site caused the name to be selected.[7] It is possible that George Conifer was merely a byname, or even that he never existed, as no person with this surname appears in the census.[8]

Geography

Conifer is located in Jefferson County at coordinates 39°31′16″N 105°18′19″W / 39.5211°N 105.3053°W / 39.5211; -105.3053 (Conifer, Colorado) and elevation 8,262 feet (2,518 m).[3]

A magnitude 3.1 tremor centered on Berrian Mountain about 1 mile north of Conifer occurred on November 1, 1981, at 8:03 p.m. MST.

Climate

Conifer has a humid continental climate (Koppen: Dfb) with a yearly temperature average of 38.6 °F (3.7 °C). Summertime is warm with cool nights, while winter is chilly with nights approaching zero.[9]

Climate data for Conifer, Colorado
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 65
(18) 		70
(21) 		72
(22) 		78
(26) 		86
(30) 		95
(35) 		95
(35) 		93
(34) 		91
(33) 		83
(28) 		72
(22) 		66
(19) 		95
(35)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 38
(3) 		41
(5) 		46
(8) 		53
(12) 		62
(17) 		73
(23) 		78
(26) 		76
(24) 		69
(21) 		59
(15) 		45
(7) 		38
(3) 		57
(14)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 7
(−14) 		10
(−12) 		17
(−8) 		23
(−5) 		31
(−1) 		38
(3) 		43
(6) 		42
(6) 		34
(1) 		24
(−4) 		15
(−9) 		9
(−13) 		24
(−4)
Record low °F (°C) −46
(−43) 		−48
(−44) 		−25
(−32) 		−15
(−26) 		6
(−14) 		22
(−6) 		28
(−2) 		26
(−3) 		7
(−14) 		−9
(−23) 		−26
(−32) 		−33
(−36) 		−48
(−44)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.40
(10) 		0.54
(14) 		1.28
(33) 		1.92
(49) 		2.10
(53) 		1.76
(45) 		2.55
(65) 		2.68
(68) 		1.25
(32) 		1.15
(29) 		0.89
(23) 		0.58
(15) 		17.1
(436)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 14
(36) 		11.3
(29) 		7.2
(18) 		2.5
(6.4) 		0.6
(1.5) 		0.1
(0.25) 		0
(0) 		0
(0) 		0.2
(0.51) 		1.7
(4.3) 		8.3
(21) 		17.6
(45) 		63.5
(161.96)
Source: Weather Underground[10]

Landmarks

  • The Clifton House Inn, Jefferson County Register of Historic Places
  • Conifer Junction Schoolhouse, National Register of Historic Places
  • The Conley Coffee Shop, Jefferson County Register of Historic Places
  • The Lubin-Blakeslee Place at Meyer Ranch, Conifer, Jefferson County Register of Historic Places
  • Midway House at Meyers Ranch, built 1889, National Register of Historic Places 5JF.303
  • Original Elk Creek Fire House, Jefferson County Register of Historic Places
  • Pleasant Park School, built 1894, Colorado Register of Historic Places 5JF.972
  • Yellow Barn at Bradford Junction, built 1918, Jefferson County Register of Historic Places
  • Coney Island Hot Dog Stand for many years it was in Aspen Park area of Conifer, but was moved to the nearby community of Bailey.
  • Staunton State Park - 3,908-acre (1,582 ha) state park located 6 miles west of Conifer

Education

Students living within Jefferson County attend Jefferson County schools. Those neighborhood schools are Elk Creek Elementary School, West Jefferson Elementary School, Marshdale Elementary School, West Jefferson Middle School, and Conifer High School. In 2011, Conifer High School was ranked 434 in the top 500 schools in the nation by Newsweek.[11]

Infrastructure

Conifer residents are served by the Elk Creek Fire Protection District, a mixed career/volunteer fire department with approximately 60 active-duty firefighters.[12]

US Route 285 is alongside The Town.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Colorado Counties". Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  2. ^ "Population numbers". Archived from the original on 2016-01-29. Retrieved 2016-01-23.
  3. ^ a b c d "Conifer, Colorado". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  4. ^ "Year that population was last estimated". Archived from the original on 2016-01-29. Retrieved 2016-01-23.
  5. ^ "ZIP Code Lookup". United States Postal Service. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  6. ^ Bauer, William H.; Ozment, James L.; Willard, John H. (1990). Colorado Post Offices 1859–1989. Golden, Colorado: Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation. ISBN 0-918654-42-4.
  7. ^ 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. 15.
  8. ^ Donovan, Dorothy (Winter 1995). "A Visit to Conifer: The Story of the Yellow Barn" (PDF). Historically Jeffco. 8 (2).
  9. ^ "Conifer climate: Average Temperature, weather by month, Conifer weather averages". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
  10. ^ "Intellicast | Weather Underground".
  11. ^ "Newsweek 2011 US Best 500 High Schools, Representing Top 2% - A Bridge to Ivy League-Esque Colleges". Newsweek. 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-03-18.
  12. ^ Elk Creek Fire Protection District
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