Orchard City, Colorado
town in Delta County, Colorado, United States
Orchard City is a statutory town in Delta County, Colorado, United States. The population was 3,142 at the 2020 census. There are three post offices serving Orchard City: Austin (ZIP code 81410), Cory (ZIP code 81414), Eckert (ZIP code 81418).
Geography
Orchard City is located in central Delta County at 38°48′59″N 107°58′37″W (38.816360, -107.976951). Colorado State Highway 65 passes through the town, leading southwest 9 miles (14 km) to Delta, the county seat, and northeast 6 miles (10 km) to the town of Cedaredge. Eckert is in the northern part of the town, and Cory is in the southwest, both along Highway 65. Austin is in the southeast corner of the town, on the north side of Colorado State Highway 92, which leads west 7 miles (11 km) to Delta and east 13 miles (21 km) to Hotchkiss.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Orchard City has a total area of 11.4 square miles (29.6 km2), of which 0.01 square miles (0.02 km2), or 0.06%, is water.
History
In the early 20th century, because residents in the area were getting sick from drinking ditch water, three small communities (Austin, Cory, and Eckert) agreed to consolidate in order to be able to raise enough money to build a water pipeline. Thus Orchard City was incorporated in 1912, but even to this day it's more common for people to refer to one of the three specific communities within the boundaries of Orchard City.
The public source identifies “Orchard City, Colorado” as town in Delta County, Colorado, United States. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Orchard, City and Colorado.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Orchard City, Colorado”, the useful work is to connect “town in Delta County, Colorado, United States” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2076744. Authority coordinates are 38.828, -107.969. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2020 and 1912.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
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Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Orchard City, Colorado”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Orchard City, Colorado primary sources, Orchard City, Colorado archive and Orchard research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Orchard City, Colorado” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.