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By Bill Wilson |
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By Bill Wilson |
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"Build it and they will come" that quote apparently applies to visitor centers as well as baseball fields. And for the Georgetown Gateway Visitor Center it means they come from all parts of Colorado, from throughout the United States, and from the far reaches of the globe. Visitors are encouraged to place a pin in one of three maps - Colorado, USA, and the World - mounted on a wall at the Center. Each pin identifies the town where a visitor lives, or the town where a group of visitors (such as a family) who are traveling together live. Periodically a count is made of the pins that have been placed in each Colorado county, each U.S. state, and in the countries of the world; then the pins are removed and a new accumulation begins. From mid-January to July 2, 2004, a total of 7,006 pins were inserted in the three maps. This number represents only a small fraction of the total number of visitors (86,990) to the Center during that time, but the geographic distribution of pins may be representative of the distribution of the visitor population as a whole. Knowledge of the origins of our visitors may aid the staff in better serving the public. A notebook is maintained at the Visitor Center giving details and a summary of each pin count. Below are some intriguing statistics that emerge from the pin counts after the first six months of operation.
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Overall distribution: In Colorado, 59 of the 63 counties are represented. The five areas with the most pins are, in order, Denver Metro area, Boulder County, Larimer County, El Paso County, and Mesa County. In the U.S., all 50 states are represented. Excluding Colorado, the five states with the most pins are, in order, California, Texas, Illinois, Florida, and Minnesota. In the world, 108 countries are represented. This number is nearly half of the 222 countries listed in the Oxford Atlas of the World. Also represented are 10 possessions (such as the Falkland Islands) and other geographic entities (such as Antarctica). Excluding the USA, the five countries with the most pins are, in order, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and Mexico. Visitors seem to enjoy marking their home towns. They take great care to find their exact site, and those from small towns are surprised and delighted if they discover that their town already has a pin (could it be somebody they know?). By inserting their own pin, perhaps travelers establish for themselves a sense of place and an identity. The pin makes a statement: this is our very own spot on earth - home! The next time you come to the Visitor Center, join the world and make your own statement! |
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