Starkville, CO

Starkville sits just four miles south of Trinidad along Interstate 25, offering a quiet, tucked-away spot in southern Colorado. Home to only a few dozen residents, it originally grew as a bustling coal company town in the late 1800s. Once the local mine closed in the 1920s, the area slowed down significantly, evolving into the peaceful, close-knit residential pocket found today.

ATTRLoco Steve / CC BY 3.0

Reminders of that heritage are still around, most notably the historic Starkville Central School, an 1880s schoolhouse listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, residents head into neighboring Trinidad for groceries, dining, and work, while enjoying a relaxed rural setting in the shadow of Fishers Peak. The community is also home to the Fisher's Peak Fire Protection District, an all-volunteer crew that helps safeguard the surrounding valley and local stretch of I-25.