LIMON, Colo. — As one Limon resident pointed out to Denver7's Ryan Fish on Wednesday, signs for Interstate 70 east to Limon are scattered across Denver.
"Oh my gosh, that's got to be quite a metropolis," John Sullivan, that resident, said jokingly. "And then you get out here — there's less than 2,000 people [living here]."
However, the small town that successfully emerged from the devastating 1990 tornado is big on community spirit, as Denver 7 | Your Voice learned on a trip to the small Lincoln County town about 90 miles southeast of Denver.
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"I think it really just comes down to the right growth"
Growth was a common topic when chatting with residents at Ahimsa Coffee in Limon. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, the town's population has remained relatively flat at roughly 2,000 over the last decade.
"Most often [residents] say, well, we don't want to see a lot of growth because we like the small town feel," Sullivan said, who also noted the challenge of far-apart rural hospitals. "But the reality is, you have to pay for services. So, you know, if you're not growing, you're stagnant. So, you need to have some kind of growth."
Ben Vanderwerf, an entrepreneur who lives near Arriba and works in Limon, agrees.
"There are those people in a small town community who just want to see things stay the way they are," he said. "A lot of people want it. A lot of people don't want it. I think it really just comes down to the right growth."
Vanderwerf says there are barriers to that growth.
"People coming out from Denver, yes, they want to leave the high-stress jobs out there and come out to have a little more peaceful life," he explained. "But yeah, we don't have that much housing out here. There's really not a lot of employment out here."
Jake Herrera, who serves as a Limon police officer, school board member, and president of the chamber of commerce, said he would like to see more development in the eastern part of town. Still, more businesses are scheduled to arrive downtown.
"I want to do what's best for our businesses," he said. "I want to make our businesses thrive. I want to bring new businesses in."
"How can we bring one side and the other side together to work together?'"
Given that President Donald Trump's tariff plan has made recent headlines, some residents have commented on the current economic uncertainty.
"My opinion is... tariffs are taxes. Companies are not going to want to absorb the taxes themselves," Sullivan said. "They're going to want to pass it on. So, it's going to be more expensive [to live]."
Vanderwerf said he is keeping tabs on the tariffs because of his tiny home manufacturing company.
"Those things coming from China, I think at some point they'll get resolved," he said. "Personally, I think that we have been taken advantage of for years and years, and I feel that there is some level of, 'We're trying to get back on top of things.' And whether the president's doing it the right way, I think he's doing something. And that's, I think, a big step in the right direction."
Herrera said the mostly conservative community still faces the challenge of divisive politics.
"Everything is so divided right now that it makes it hard for even me, as being all the things that I do, I'm trying to be that middle person of, 'How can we bring one side and the other side together to work together?'" he said.
"If I need something, I can count on my neighbors"
One common thread throughout our chat with residents in Limon was they appreciate the tight-knit sense of community.
"I got the best neighbors ever. I got the mayor living across the street from me," said Limon resident Daniel Doll. "They're good people. All the people are good."
That goodness is on full display during bad weather — Limon is also known for getting pounded by snowstorms.
"We got 40 inches of snow last year in Arriba and out here in Limon, and everyone just dug in," Vanderwerf said. "We got our skid steers out. We got the plows out. We dug the town out in three days and helped some other communities out."
"They're selfless," Sullivan said of his neighbors. "If I need something, I can count on my neighbors to step in, as I would too if somebody needed help."
Herrera believes the town's K-12 school is the pillar of the community. The police department just added the Limon Badger, the school's mascot, to its new badge design.
"That's where everything happens on Friday night," he said of the school. "When the football team plays here, everything closes down... The way the community bonds together and the relationships that we have, I feel we work really well together, and that's the one thing that I don't want to see go away. I feel like that's what makes Limon, Limon."
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