Manitou Springs

History

General William Jackson Palmer and Dr. William Abraham Bell founded Manitou Springs in 1872, intending the town to be a "scenic health resort". Bell's home, Briarhurst Manor, is open to the public as a fine dining restaurant, which is listed on the National Register of Historic places. In 1876, the town was incorporated. "Manitou Springs has been the quintessential tourist town since the 1870s, when visitors discovered the healing waters the Ute Indians had been drinking for years. Many of the town's mineral springs still function today and the water is free." In 1980, the Manitou Springs Historic District was formed by the Historic Preservation Committee to manage development, renovation and preservation within the town. and one of the country's largest National Historic Districts. In June 2012, the entire city was evacuated due to the Waldo Canyon fire nearby. Parts of western Colorado Springs were also evacuated. Manitou Springs did not suffer any fire damage, and the city was under evacuation orders from only 1:30 a.m. Monday until 8 p.m. the same day. There was no fire damage visible from Manitou Springs, and all businesses reopened. On the afternoon of August 9, 2013, the city was inundated by a flash flood entering the northern edges of the city via roadways and natural channels as it descended from the flooded-out US Hwy 24. Traffic was stopped in both directions as the highway barriers formed a river drifting several occupied cars down a runoff ditch. The strong current made a path down Manitou Avenue from Cavern Gulch, as well as Canon Avenue, meandering turbulently through streets, homes, businesses, and spillways, damaging 20 homes, 8 of them significantly. The flood water threatened buildings and parking lots along Fountain Creek, and closed a…

Geography

Situated directly along U.S. Route 24 just west of Old Colorado City and Cave of the Winds, the town is bordered by Mt. Manitou to the west, Red Mountain to the south, and Englemann Canyon, south and west. It is near Garden of the Gods, with the same red stone as Red Mountain, and is at the base of Pikes Peak. Manitou Springs has a humid continental climate (Koppen: Dfb), categorized by four distinct seasons. Summertime is hot, and wintertime is cool, sometimes cold. Spring and fall are generally very pleasant.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  33,980
• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  25,366
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  25,315
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  25,082
• Spotted Towhee

  Pipilo maculatus Swainson, 1827 · Aves
  24,055
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  23,101
• Dark-eyed Junco

  Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  20,438
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  19,401

Largest nearby schools

• Doherty High School
  High · COLORADO SPRINGS · 1,832 students · 22.3:1 ratio
• Rampart High School
  High · COLORADO SPRINGS · 1,454 students · 16.9:1 ratio
• Palmer High School
  High · COLORADO SPRINGS · 1,384 students · 19.2:1 ratio
• Air Academy High School
  High · USAF ACADEMY · 1,329 students · 15.8:1 ratio
• Coronado High School
  High · COLORADO SPRINGS · 1,305 students · 19.2:1 ratio
• Cheyenne Mountain High School
  High · COLORADO SPRINGS · 1,241 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• Harrison High School
  High · COLORADO SPRINGS · 1,179 students · 19.6:1 ratio
• The Vanguard School (Elementary)
  Elementary · COLORADO SPRINGS · 1,058 students · 17.1:1 ratio