The town was named for nearby gypsum deposits, and was incorporated in 1911.
Geography
Gypsum is located in western Eagle County at , in the valley of the Eagle River, a west-flowing tributary of the Colorado River. U.S. Route 6 passes through the center of town, leading east to Eagle, the county seat. Interstate 70 runs along the northern edge of Gypsum, with access from Exit 140. I-70 leads east to Denver and west to Grand Junction. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which, or 0.68%, is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,654 people, 1,150 households, and 917 families residing in the town. The population density was 992.8 people per square mile. There were 1,210 housing units at an average density of 328.8 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 81.28% White, 0.16% African American, 1.31% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 15.00% from other races, and 1.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 31.31% of the population. There were 1,150 households out of which 51.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.8% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.2% were non-families. 12.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.17 and the average family size was 3.47. In the town, the population was spread out with 33.1% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 38.7% from 25 to 44, 17.2% from 45 to 64, and 2.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.7 males. The median income for a household in the town was $59,671, and the median income for a family was $62,384. Males had a median income of $40,139 versus $29,764 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,790. About 4.4% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Gypsum is the location of the Eagle County Regional Airport, a popular regional airport used in the winter to transport skiers to nearby Vail, to the east. Gypsum is also the location of several ECO stops, there are stops at Jules Dr, Eagle Valley High School, Eagle County Regional Airport, Cooley Mesa Rd, and Navajo Rd. $1 fee for youth and $4 fee for adults, and for the elderly, a $1 fee.
The largest industry in the town is American Gypsum's drywall plant. The facility produces a variety of wallboard products, which is shipped by both rail and truck. The company also operates an open pit gypsum mine in the hills north of town. The mine currently in operation is the second to have been located in the area. Its grade is quickly dropping, and the company intends to close and reclaim it soon. A new mine, roughly a mile away, has been permitted, and is currently in the development stage. Unlike most surface mines, which utilize drill and blast methods to recover material, the Eagle mine uses machines similar to pavement mills to cut swaths through the relatively soft rock. Front-end loaders then sort the material by color and load it into trucks to be hauled either to the plant or to waste piles.
Climate
This climate type is dominated by the winter season, a long, bitterly cold period with short, clear days, relatively little precipitation mostly in the form of snow, and low humidity. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Gypsum has a subarctic climate, abbreviated "Dfc" on climate maps.
