Dinosaur, Colorado isn’t the same sleepy town you may remember. Growth was promised when the original settlement called Baxter Flats was renamed Dinosaur. While that change didn’t necessarily help, growth and money came decades later after the town decided to allow cannabis retail in 2016. The town now has four cannabis stores that are clumped on the east side of town. These businesses have led to a growth in the population from 243 residents in 2020 to about 315 currently. The biggest boost has come in the form of taxes. The town expects to have about $3.5 million dollars in funds by year-end and Dinosaur draws some $230,000 a year in interest alone. The money has allowed the town to build new sewage ponds, repaint the inside of its water tank, and add new housing lots with paved roads and sewer and water connections.
