Battlement Mesa is a census-designated place in Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The population was 4,471 at the 2010 census. The Battlement Mesa post office has the ZIP Code 81636. The community, which bills itself as a "covenant-protected community", is primarily a group of contiguous subdivisions developed in the later decades of the 20th century, catering to families and retirees. It is located on the flank of a hill on the south side of the Colorado River, across from the older town of Parachute. The two communities together are known as "Parachute-Battlement Mesa". The town takes its name from Battlement Mesa, an basalt-topped mesa that sits to the south of the town.
History
The community was first developed by an oil company as a residence for its workers in the expectation that the rising price of oil would make shale oil extraction economically viable. When adjusted oil prices fell, the housing estate was left as a stranded asset, and the oil company marketed it to retirees in conjunction with a real estate firm. The Battlement Mesa Schoolhouse stands as a testimony to education.
Geography
Battlement Mesa is located at , on the south side of the Colorado River. It is bordered to the northwest, across the river, by the town of Parachute. Interstate 70 passes through Parachute, providing access to Battlement Mesa from Exit 75. I-70 leads east to Glenwood Springs, the Garfield County seat, and southwest to Grand Junction. Denver is east via I-70. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of, of which is land and, or 2.02%, is water.
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,497 people, 1,476 households, and 1,031 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 433.3 people per square mile. There were 1,631 housing units at an average density of 202.1 per square mile. The racial makeup of the CDP was 94.94% White, 0.40% African American, 0.69% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 2.00% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.06% of the population. There were 1,476 households, out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couplesliving together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.79. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 24.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $36,680, and the median income for a family was $42,331. Males had a median income of $31,924 versus $21,798 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,653. About 3.2% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.
