Palmer Lake

About Palmer Lake

Palmer Lake is a statutory town in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The population was 2,636 at the 2020 census. Palmer Lake was founded by General William Jackson Palmer in 1871 and was incorporated in 1889.

Palmer Lake is one of three communities in the Tri-Lakes region between Denver and Colorado Springs. The three lakes are Palmer Lake, Monument Lake, and Lake Woodmoor. Located off Interstate 25 near two major metropolitan centers, Palmer Lake is a growing community on the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains.

Downtown Palmer Lake, though small, features restaurants and coffee shops on Colorado Highway 105. There is also a library, town hall, and a historical museum. The Tri-Lakes Center for the Arts, a nonprofit fine arts venue, features rotating art exhibitions and concert events with nationally recognized artists.

The town's water comes from two reservoirs in the mountains behind the town and from wells. Both reservoirs and Monument Creek, which flows out of them, are considered part of the town's watershed. The town's namesake lake dried up completely during the summer of 2012 due to Douglas County stopping the water supply. They have allowed Palmer Lake a third of the previous area for aesthetics but will not allow drainage to travel through as it used to be. The town's Board of Trustees held a firm stance against transferring water from the reservoirs to be stored in the lake, asking "Should our water supply be protected for the health and safety of all of our citizens, or should it be utilized for mostly aesthetic purposes?" Downtown businesses and resident morale suffered greatly due to the lack of any surface water within city limits. By 2014, the lake was nearly dry again

Library services for the city are provided by the Palmer Lake Branch Library, located at 66 Lower Glenway in Palmer Lake.

Text: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Palmer Lake weather: 7-day forecast

Source: National Weather Service (NOAA).

Live webcams in Palmer Lake

Webcams: Windy.com

Living in Palmer Lake

Median household income

$125,357

Median home value

$485,700

Median rent

$1,911/mo

Median age

51.9

Map of Palmer Lake

Tap any street on the map to see it in Street View below. Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Palmer Lake Street View

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Palmer Lake, CO population

Palmer Lake had 2,636 residents in the 2020 Census.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Decennial Census.

Palmer Lake at a glance

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (Gazetteer, ZCTA), USGS GNIS, Wikidata.

Towns near Palmer Lake

• Woodmoor3.4 mi E
• Monument4.2 mi SE
• Gleneagle6.7 mi SE
• Larkspur8.1 mi N
• Air Force Academy8.6 mi S
• Perry Park10.7 mi N
• Woodland Park11.5 mi SW
• Black Forest12.6 mi E
• Cascade-Chipita Park12.7 mi S
• Green Mountain Falls13.8 mi SW
• Westcreek13.9 mi W
• Manitou Springs17.7 mi S

Straight-line distance between town centers.

Frequently asked questions about Palmer Lake