Canon City, Colorado

How Canon City is governed

Form of government not yet listed.

0 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.

• Mayor

  Executive

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  The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.

  • City Manager / Administrator

    Executive

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    The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).

    • Police Chief

      Administration & departments

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      Leads the police department.

    • Fire Chief

      Administration & departments

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      Leads the fire and emergency services department.

    • Public Works Director

      Administration & departments

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      Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.

    • Finance Director

      Administration & departments

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      The budget, taxes, and city accounts.

    • Planning & Zoning Director

      Administration & departments

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      Land use, zoning, building permits.

    • Parks & Recreation Director

      Administration & departments

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      Parks, programs, and public facilities.

• City Council

  Legislative

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  The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.

  • City Clerk

    Administration & departments

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    Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.

  • City Attorney

    Administration & departments

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    The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.

  • Boards & Commissions

    Legislative

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    Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.

• Municipal Court

  Judicial

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  Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.

  • Municipal Judge

    Judicial

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    Presides over the municipal court.

Website

canoncity.org

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Population over time

From 16,400 in 2010 to 17,141 in 2020 (+4.5%).

History

Cañon City, Kansas Territory, was laid out on January 17, 1858, during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush, but then the land was left idle. A new company "jumped the claim" to the town's site in late 1859, and it put up the first building in February 1860. The Cañon City, Kansas Territory, post office opened on December 13, 1860. The spelling of the town's name frequently omitted the tilde over the Spanish letter ñ. This town was originally intended as a commercial center for mining in South Park and the upper Arkansas River.

1860s to 1900

The new Territory of Colorado was organized on February 28, 1861, and Fremont County, Colorado Territory was created on November 1, 1861, with Cañon City as the first and only county seat.

In 1861, the town raised two companies of volunteers to serve with the Second Colorado Infantry during the American Civil War. This regiment fought in skirmishes in nearby New Mexico and as far east as the Indian Territory (Oklahoma) and Missouri before ending its organization in 1865.

In 1862, A. M. Cassaday drilled for petroleum 6 miles (10 km) north of Cañon City, close to a known oil seep. Cassaday struck oil at the depth of 50 feet (15 m), and he completed the first commercial oil well west of the Mississippi River. He drilled five or six more wells nearby, and he refined kerosene and fuel oil from the petroleum. Cassaday sold the products in Denver.

Congress approved the Territory of Colorado's request for funds to construct a penitentiary in 1867. The Colorado Territorial Penitentiary opened in 1871, becoming Colorado's first prison. The original structure held 43 prisoners, though the number of incarcerated people increased steadily to over 400 people by the turn of the century. Records of inmate labor at the penitentiary date to 1872, including numerous complaints that inmates were not receiving full compensation for their work. Incarcerated workers contributed significantly to the development of the city, including the construction of Skyline Drive by 60 inmates. The scenic road opened in 1905.

The City of Cañon City was incorporated on April 3, 1872. A number of metal ore smelters were built in Cañon City following the discovery of gold at Cripple Creek in 1891. On July 30, 1904, the spelling of the Cañon City post office was changed to the common English spelling "Canyon City", but the spelling was changed back to the Spanish spelling "Cañon City" on December 15 of that year.

Historical designations

The Cañon City Downtown Historic District is an historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Other cities in Colorado

• Denver 715,522
• Colorado Springs 478,961
• Aurora 386,261
• Fort Collins 169,810
• Thornton 141,867
• Arvada 124,402
• Westminster 116,317
• Pueblo 111,876

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