Limon, Colorado, United States

🇺🇸 Limon is a statutory town that is the most populous municipality in Lincoln County, Colorado, United States. Limon has been called the "Hub City" of Eastern Colorado because Interstate 70, U.S. Highways 24, 40, and 287, and State Highways 71 and 86 all pass through or near the town. The Limon Correctional Facility is part of the Colorado Department of Corrections system and is a major employer in the area with employment of roughly 350. Limon is listed as the official AASHTO control city for signs on Interstate 70 between Denver and Hays, Kansas, although westbound signs in both Colorado and Kansas often omit Limon and list the larger city of Denver.

Limon is the western terminus of the Kyle Railroad and it is here the regional interchanges with the Union Pacific Railroad. Trains previously stopped at Limon Railroad Depot.

Transport: Road Limon is connected by Interstate 70 east to Goodland, Kansas (109 mi (175 km)), Topeka (450 mi (720 km)), Kansas City, Missouri (500 mi (800 km)), and west to Denver (eastern beltway-E-470 -75 mi (121 km); Interstate 25 - 87 mi (140 km)), Silverthorne (155 mi (249 km)), Winter Park (155 mi (249 km)), Frisco/Breckenridge (160 mi (260 km)/170 mi (270 km)), Vail (185 mi (298 km)), Steamboat Springs (245 mi (394 km)), Aspen (285 mi (459 km)), and Grand Junction (335 mi (539 km)). Interstate 70 is the major East-West Interstate between I-40 and I-80. The Ports-to-Plains Corridor including US 40/287 south and Colorado Highway 71 to the north of Limon connects to Amarillo (330 mi (530 km)), Lubbock (455 mi (732 km)) and Dallas (700 mi (1,100 km)) to the south and Cheyenne, Wyoming (210 mi (340 km)) and Rapid City, South Dakota and the Black Hills (390 mi (630 km)) to the north without using congested highways. This corridor provides an uncongested alternative to Interstate 25 and Interstate 35 in moving freight and people north–south.

Colorado State Highway 71 connects south from Limon to Rocky Ford (87 mi (140 km)), La Junta (98 mi (158 km)) and Pueblo (127 mi (204 km)). U.S. Route 24 is a direct passage south-west from Limon to Colorado Springs (72 mi (116 km)).

Railroads Limon is served by Class I Union Pacific Railroad and the Kyle Railroad owned by Genesee & Wyoming, Inc. The Kyle Railroad is a short-line railroad that runs from North Central Kansas into Eastern Colorado with Limon as the western terminus where it interchanges with the Union Pacific Railroad. With approximately 500 miles of track, Kyle offers interchanges with BNSF, NKCR and UP. The major commodities moving on the Kyle include wheat, soybeans, milo maize, alcohols, siding asphalt and roofing granules.

Railroads were the major factor for Limon’s original founding and location. The Kansas Pacific made its way across the plains from southern Kansas following the Smoky Hill Trail in 1870. In 1888 the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad (now the Kyle Railroad) made its way west to east from Colorado Springs, entering Lincoln County and intersected the Kansas Pacific (now Union Pacific) at the present day location of Limon. This union of the two railroads was the earliest founding of the “Hub City”.

Transport: Air The Town of Limon has easy, uncongested access to commercial airports in Denver and Colorado Springs. The distance between Limon and Denver International Airport is 83 miles or about 75 minutes via Interstate 70. Colorado Springs Airport is located about 74 miles from Limon and about 80 minutes via U.S. Highway 24.

Limon Municipal Airport is a public use airport located within the Town of Limon on the eastern edge of town. The airport encompasses approximately 397 acres and is owned and operated by the Town of Limon. The airport is a general aviation airport utilized by a range of aircraft ranging from single-engine aircraft up to small sized multi-engine business jets. Limon Municipal Airport is located at 39°16'29.2"N latitude and 103°39'57.1"W longitude. The Airport elevation is 5,374 feet mean sea level (MSL). The current Runway Design Code for Runway 16/34 and ARC for the Limon Municipal Airport is B-I (Small). The current design aircraft for the airport is the Beech King Air 100. There are two runways at Limon Municipal Airport: 16 and 34. They are 4,700 feet long and 60 feet wide. They are constructed of concrete with a published strength sufficient for 12,500 pound aircraft with single wheel gear. The taxiway system at the airport consists of partial parallel taxiway A with connector taxiway A1, A2, and A3. The taxiways are 25 feet wide and are in good condition. The aircraft apron provides an area for based and transient aircraft parking. Limon Municipal Airport has approximately 6,010 square yards of apron with 20 aircraft tie-downs. The airport provides fueling facilities by credit or proprietary cards.

Education *Limon Schools * Limon Schools has a new K-12 facility that opened in the fall of 2015. The $22.5 million project built two stories of new classrooms that accommodate up to 600 students.

Limon Elementary School is a public coed school with 240 students in grades K-5. According to state standards, 82% of students at this school are considered proficient in math or reading.

Limon Junior-Senior High School has 233 students in grades 6-12. According to state standards, 77% of students at this school are considered proficient in reading. Graduation rate is 90%.

Morgan Community College Morgan Community College: Limon Center serves Arickaree, Flagler, Genoa-Hugo, Karval, Kit Carson, Limon, and Woodlin high schools. It currently offers A.A., A.S., A.A.S. & A.G.S. degrees; Transfer courses; Nursing pre-requisites; Agriculture & Business Management; GED preparation & testing; Specialty classes for teacher re-licensure; EMS training; and Computer classes.

Limon Child Development Center Limon Child Development Center (Limon Head Start) offers a full-day, full-year preschool program for children ages 3–5. There are various funding programs available for children including Head Start, Colorado Preschool Program (CPP), CCCAP through the Lincoln County Department of Human Services, and private pay tuition.

Geography Limon is located at an elevation of 5,377 feet (1,639 m). Although entirely in Lincoln County, Limon is located immediately east of the Elbert County line. It lies on the north side of Big Sandy Creek, a tributary of the Arkansas River, on the eastern edge of the Colorado Piedmont region of the Great Plains, and is near the eastern end of the Palmer Divide. Located in east-central Colorado at the junction of Interstate 70, U.S. Highway 287, U.S. Highway 40, U.S. Highway 24, and State Highway 71, Limon is far from any major city or town, being 72 miles (116 km) north-east of Colorado Springs, 83 miles (134 km) south-east of Denver, and 486 miles (782 km) west of Kansas City.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²), all land.

Media: Print The Limon Leader is the city's weekly newspaper, published by Hoffman Publications, LLC and has a circulation of about 3,200 copies.

Media: Radio The following radio stations are licensed to or broadcast from Limon: AM 1120 KCRN - Adult Contemporary; FM 89.1 KYCO; 89.9 K210CC Public; 91.9 K220IK - Religious; 93.7 KBUD - Classic Hits.

Media: Television Limon is in the Denver television market.