Twin Lakes, Lake County, Colorado


Twin Lakes is a census-designated place in Lake County, Colorado, United States, near the base of Mount Elbert. The population as of the 2010 census was 171. Twin Lakes has the ZIP Code 81251. The name "Twin Lakes" also refers to a small unincorporated community west of the CDP along Colorado State Highway 82.
Lake County, one of the original 17 counties created by the Colorado legislature in 1861, was named for Twin Lakes. As originally defined, Lake County included a large portion of western Colorado to the south and west of its present boundaries.
The Twin Lakes District has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1974.

Geography

The Twin Lakes CDP is located in southern Lake County at, about south of Leadville, the county seat. The CDP is bounded on the east by U.S. Route 24, on the south by State Highway 82, and on the north and west by County Highway 24. About west of the CDP is the original community of Twin Lakes, near the west end of the Twin Lakes Reservoir for which the communities are named. The reservoir lies south of Highway 82, outside the CDP. Highway 82 leads west across Independence Pass to Aspen, while US 24 leads north to Leadville and south to Buena Vista.
The altitude of the Twin Lakes area ranges from to over, all of it somewhat lower than Leadville. Mount Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado, rises directly west of the CDP to its summit, just west of the center of the CDP.

Demographics

As estimated in 2006, the following demographic data applied to ZIP code 81251, the best available approximation to the village of Twin Lakes :
There were 216 people and 98 households residing in ZIP code 81251. The racial makeup of the village was 73.6% White, 0.5% African American, 2.3% Native American, 21.3% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 35.6% of the population.
Males were 56.9% of the population, females 43.1%. The median annual income for a household in the village was $49,322.