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Dolores County, Colorado

Dolores County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,326. The county seat is Dove Creek.

History
It is thought that the area has been the site of human habitation since at least 2500 B.C. Dolores County's western portions were densely populated between 900 and 1300 AD. Population estimates of as many as 10,000 inhabitants, with villages containing hundreds of rooms, have been discovered by archaeologists and other researchers. But this population was destroyed or migrated elsewhere, apparently following a drought and severe societal upheaval in the 14th century, and for centuries thereafter, both the western and eastern mountainous areas of the county were occupied mostly by nomads, including the Ute and the Navajo Indians. Like much of southwestern Colorado, Dolores County is rich in Indian ruins and sites of the Anasazi. According to the Anasazi Heritage Center, Dolores County contains at least 816 recorded archaeological sites as of 1989, with many more inventoried since that time.

The county also contains a portion of a site of regional historic interest, the Dominguez-Escalante Trail of 1776. The trail marks a historic 1800 mi trip, intended to discover an overland route between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Monterey, California. The Expedition camped on Dove Creek in the western portion of the county. The Old Spanish Trail later passed through the western portion of the county.

Anglo trappers worked the mountains of eastern Dolores County as early as 1832–33, and gold was discovered in the County in 1866. But it was not until the area was taken from the Ute and removed from the Ute Reservation by the Brunot Agreement of 1878 that large-scale minerals exploration and mining began in the county, although the Pioneer Mining District was established in 1876 in the Rico area. The development of the area was spurred by the discovery of large silver deposits near Rico in 1879, and the Rio Grande Southern Railroad was constructed through the county to connect Durango, Telluride, and Ridgway in 1890-92 The RGS served the eastern end of Dolores County until 1952 when it was abandoned. (The western portion of the county has never had railroad service.)

Rico's high point was in 1892, when the mining district population was more than 5,000; three times the current population of the entire county. The 1893 Silver Panic hit the town hard; by 1900 the population was 811. The mountainous area of Dolores County went through a series of booms and busts through the 20th Century. The low point of the community came in 1974 with an estimated population of 45; since then the town has become a bedroom community for Telluride and has limited tourism and subdivisions; the population has rebounded to almost 300. Efforts are underway in the early 21st Century to again begin major mining activities in the region.

Dove Creek was a way station on the Old Spanish Trail from the mid 19th century, for caravans and travelers moving between Santa Fe, Salt Lake City, and northern California and Nevada. The western portion of the county was used, beginning in the 1870s, for cattle ranching, but the lush grass soon suffered from overgrazing and then fire suppression, allowing the massive expansion of sagebrush, pinyon, and juniper. Homesteading in the area became common beginning in 1914, and dryland farming expanded throughout the Great Sage Plain. Today dryland farming of pinto beans and winter wheat is still a mainstay of the county's economy. But the development of irrigation using water from the Dolores Project in the 1980s, with the construction of McPhee Reservoir (immediately upstream in Montezuma County), has changed the history and population of the county.

Dolores County was created by the Colorado legislature on February 19, 1881, from the western portions of Ouray County, and was named for the Dolores River, which heads up in the county and passes through the county in the Dolores Canyon. The complete Spanish name was Rio de Nuestra Señora de los Dolores (River of our Lady of Sorrows), as reported by Father Silvestre Vélez de Escalante in 1776. Originally set in Rico, the first county courthouse was a 23x48 foot two storage log cabin, but was replaced by a stone and brick courthouse completed in 1883. the county seat was moved to Dove Creek in 1946, and the current courthouse built in 1957. (The original county courthouse in Rico is now the town hall and a branch of the public library.)

In 2009, Dolores County achieved notoriety as the most economically depressed county in Colorado.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1068 sqmi, of which 1067 sqmi is land and 1.0 sqmi (0.1%) is water.

Dolores County, like other counties in Colorado along its border with Utah, is split into two geographically distinct regions, and in fact, under normal travel conditions, it is necessary to leave the county to travel between the two regions. The western portion of the county (east of the Dolores River Canyon and along the Utah border) is the northern portion of the Great Sage Plain, relatively low (6500–7500 feet in elevation) and flat (but cut by large canyons, including that of the Dolores River itself), and consists of irrigated and dryland farming areas; it is especially well known for the cultivation of various varieties of beans, including pinto beans and many variety of old Anasazi beans. The central portion of the county has higher open grasslands with forested hills, ravines, and canyons, used for livestock raising. The eastern portion of the county is located in the highest peaks of the San Juan Mountains, around the old mining and modern tourist town of Rico, and except for cattle grazing in the San Juan National Forest, has virtually no agriculture, in part because its elevations range from 9,000 to 14,000+. Rico is developing in many ways as a bedroom community for the much wealthier town of Telluride in San Miguel County to the north.

Only 38% of the county is private land, located mostly in two large areas at the extreme western end of the county (dryland and irrigated cropland and towns along US 491) and in the central portion of the county (grazing land), with a few thousand acres in scattered parcels (mostly patented mining claims) in the eastern portion of the county around Rico. Separating this private land, 50% of the county is owned by the US Government and administered by the US Forest Service as part of San Juan National Forest. An additional 10% (68,456 acre) of the county is US government land administered by the Bureau of Land Management, including portions of Canyon of the Ancients National Monument. The State of Colorado owns 2% of the county, primarily used as wildlife areas.

Adjacent counties

 * San Miguel County, Colorado - north
 * San Juan County, Colorado - east
 * Montezuma County, Colorado - south
 * La Plata County, Colorado - southeast
 * San Juan County, Utah - west

Major highways

 * US 491.svg U.S. Highway 491
 * Colorado 141.svg State Highway 141
 * Colorado 145.svg State Highway 145

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,844 people, 785 households, and 541 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 /mi2. There were 1,193 housing units at an average density of one per square mile (0/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.28% White, 0.05% Black or African American, 1.95% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.60% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races. 3.85% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 785 households, out of which 24.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.70% were married couples living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.00% were non-families. 26.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.82.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.90% under the age of 18, 6.80% from 18 to 24, 26.30% from 25 to 44, 27.80% from 45 to 64, and 17.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 107.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,196, and the median income for a family was $38,000. Males had a median income of $30,972 versus $20,385 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,106. About 10.20% of families and 13.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.80% of those under age 18 and 18.30% of those age 65 or over.

In the third quarter of 2009, county unemployment was 13.1%, the worst in Colorado, and up from 7.3% in 2008. Average weekly wages were $489. Many residents of the county commute to San Miguel County (Telluride) or Montezuma County (primarily Cortez and rural-area industries and commercial establishments).

Towns

 * Dove Creek
 * Rico

Unincorporated Communities

 * Cahone

Politics
In its early history Dolores County favored the Democratic Party. It was one of the few western or northern counties to be won by Alton B. Parker in 1904, and was never won by a Republican until Warren G. Harding carried the county in 1920. In the 1924 election Dolores was the only county in Colorado to give a plurality of its vote to “Fighting Bob” La Follette, but since World War II Dolores has gradually become a powerfully Republican county. The last Democrat to win a majority in Dolores County has been Lyndon Johnson in his 1964 landslide, and although Jimmy Carter obtained a plurality in 1976, no subsequent Democratic presidential nominee has obtained 35 percent of the county's vote.

In gubernatorial elections, Dolores County is also Republican-leaning: in 2010 it was along with neighboring Montezuma County one of only two counties to give a plurality to Dan Maes The last Democratic gubernatorial candidate to win Dolores County was Bill Ritter in 2006, whilst Roy Romer carried the county twice in 1986 and 1990.

Dolores County is situated in Colorado House of Representatives, House District 58. The Current Representative is Marc Catlin, who has carried the county in all four of his terms.

National protected areas

 * Calico National Recreation Trail
 * Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (part)
 * Lizard Head Wilderness
 * Old Spanish National Historic Trail
 * San Juan National Forest

Transportation
With the Rio Grande Southern Railroad ceasing operation in 1952, Dolores County has no railroads operating today. The western third of the county is served by US 491 (formerly US 666) connecting to Cortez, CO, and Monticello, UT; and SH 141 to Nucla, CO. The eastern portion of the county is served by SH 145 connecting to Dolores, CO, and Telluride, CO. The central portion of the county is served by the joint County-USFS Norwood Road connecting to Dolores, CO, and Norwood, CO (in San Miquel County). The three portions of the county are connected directly to each other only by gravel-surface, low-speed county or federal agency roads.

The only airport is the privately owned Dove Creek Airport east of Dove Creek; a general aviation facility with a 4000 ft runway. The nearest commercial service is located at Cortez Municipal Airport to the south, and San Juan (UT) County Airport north of Monticello.

Bicycle routes

 * Great Parks Bicycle Route
 * Western Express Bicycle Route

Scenic byway

 * San Juan Skyway National Scenic Byway

title: Dolores County, Colorado


text:
Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Elements/Archive 1

Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Elements Talk archive 1
- Element table development discussion from talk:Beryllium; early 2002 - '''Ready for comments on the organization, look, size etc of the properties table I created. Are there any important properties that I missed? What about the order in which I list them; is this logical? How about the groupings -- is there a better way to do this? I am a biologist not a chemist, so I really can't say what the priorities should be. Would like to place the same table in all element pages. Also would like to get any ideas on the organization/layout & appearance of the headings. Does the order make sense? How about the titles? Remember, I plan on implementing this same format in each of the 113 or so element articles.''' --- User:maveric149

 * Comment Thread #1: I think the table is great, especially the colored bars at the top of each section. I like how the table is in the upper-right, and the text flows around it on the left.  The symbols like the angstrom symbol worked perfectly.  But, on my browser, the small fonts don't work well at all.  Electronegativity has a 106 where the 6 is completely illegible.  In fact, I didn't at first realize there was a character after the 10. There are also a few places where a superscript of 2 or 3 on the units is illegible, and at first I couldn't even tell there was something there.  I'd suggest using the "sup" and "sub" tags without any "font size=-X" tags at all.  That will make some rows of the table taller, but at least everyone will be able to read all the text. --[anon] STATUS: Mis-Feature Removed. Sadly the -2 fonts had to go - I shall miss them until modern browsers by default display super and sup-scripts very nicely. - Thanks for kind words and the input. -- User:maveric149

 * Comment Thread #2: The table works well, but I like the simplicity of the tables found in amino acid more (with the borders just 2 pixels thick.) If this isn't hard to implement I would prefer this kind. --sodium (who's IP address now seems to change daily :) STATUS: Change Implemented. Yep, it was easy. Thanks for the comment -- the table looks much better for such a minor change. -- User:maveric149

 * Comment Thread #3: The article currently has a lot of mismatched sup/sub tags which ought to be fixed. You can get a list of them by clicking the "Validate this page" link at the bottom of the page. --Zundark, 2002 Feb 3 STATUS: Bug Fixed. Thanks for the heads up -- I would have hated to have to do that to all 109 elements pages after I copied this format those pages. -- User:maveric149

 * Comment Thread #4: The State of matter link should point to the preexisting Phases of matter article. Bryan Derksen STATUS: Link Created. Looks like somebody already provided a redirect. Even though I prefer the terminology of "Phases of matter" to the somewhat older "States of matter", Google has overriden me: <"States of matter" +physics> returned 13,200 results. And <"Phases of matter" + physics> returned only 2,230 results. However, since there is a redirect, I don't personally plan on moving the "phases" article to a more aptly named "states" article.-- User:maveric149

 * Comments Thread #5: I personally don't like the floating table, though I have to admit it looks pretty. However, I do have to ask why the section headings are done with font tags rather than "=== Title ==="? --Carey Evans Believe me I would prefer to use "=== Title ===", since it is much easier to do than font and bold tags. However, "=== Title ===" always seems to place a space after the heading -- which I found to be distracting because the table is just to the right (the table is in that position to save space and make to article visually appealing). Doing it the way it is now saves more space and makes the article easier to follow. Besides, the extra workload doesn't matter, since I will make a headings and table template out of this article as soon as feature requests/changes subside.-- User:maveric149 Seems to me there's a fairly good chance someone will come along in a few months and boldly change them anyway to be more Wiki-like. --Carey Evans Maybe so. But it would take a couple of hours to convert all 109 or so articles to the more "standard" format. More likely scenario, is that someone will change a couple -- then, I or somebody else will edit those articles to match the others. -- User:maveric149 The key to Wikipedia presentation should really always be simplicity, for the user *and* the writer. I think the use of === tags and other standard wiki-conventions is more elegant and follows the pattern set by other articles. Saving space is not *that* important an issue. Setting the formatting of an article too rigidly will make it hard for people to continue changing and improving the content. user:sodium I agree that elegance of design for editors and end-users is very important. However, I don't see this particular issue as being a big deal; the font tags that were used are very simple: < font size="+2" >' ' 'Heading Title' ' '< /font > (I learned how to use font tags by reading  Wikipedia:How does one edit a page  -- so I don't see how they could be considered to non-"standard wiki-conventions" -- whatever those may be). This is nearly the equivalent of using < b > for bold instead of ' ' ' -- it's more of a matter of style than conformity to any one way of doing things. Besides the tags render correctly in the most recent Konqueror, IE, Navigator, Mozilla, Opera and Galeon and I plan on being around for a very long time to clean-up any messes that may be created in the future. If you like we can continue this discussion tomorrow evening on my  :Talk  page. -- User:maveric149   STATUS: Issue debated and considered closed; No Action Taken.
 * NOTE: A much later mailing list discussion convinced me to use wiki headings and remove the excess HTML. --mav

 * Comment #6: comment grouped under similar one under Comment Thread #5

 * Comment Thread #7: Per the edit comment, W/cmK is "watts per centimetre-kelvin". It should really be "W/mK", i.e. watts per metre-kelvin, the SI standard measure for thermal conductivity.--Carey Evans STATUS of 7a: Feature Implemented Thanks Carey. I most definetely would like the entire table expressed in SI units. Found this link by checking Google. I'll go through the units on the table to make sure they are all SI compliant. Thanks again for pointing that out. -- User:maveric149 I also agree that it would probably be better to standardize to SI rather than the current cgs units in the table. Trelvis STATUS of 7b: Feature Implemented (Non-SI units removed: Conversion info will be added to the as-yet-to-be-created units articles) Yep, this is already on my radar. I'm still undecided about whether to simply convert the cgs units to SI and not display them at all, or maybe have them in parenthesis (like it  already is in the boiling and melting point fields) or even create a separate column for the cgs values. Do working scientists and current students still use non-SI metric units anymore? I know I did a few years ago in general chemistry. Anyone have thoughts either way on this issue? Should we go totally SI and preserve the relative simplicity and elegance of the table at the risk of rendering it less usable for a significant minority of technically inclined end-users? Or should we have a dual SI/cgs unit table and have it "cluttered" with similar looking units and therefore confuse many (if not most) of the average (i.e. relatively non-technical) end-users and visitors to the page? -- User:maveric149 Yep, I was right -- The table does look cluttered with the cgs values in parenthesis. Tried adding an extra column in just those feilds that had both SI and cgs units in it, but that didn't work (all it did was add an extra column to the entire table - which was ugly, and consumed a lot of space). I am tempted to remove the non-SI values and then provide conversion info on the as-yet-to-be-created linked articles on the various units (W/m*K for example). What does everyone think about this idea? --User:maveric149 What does everyone think of my deletion of the non-SI units? Was this a wise thing to do in order to save space and de-clutter the table? Could we just as easily add another column for the cgs units now? (dare I say)  maveric149   The removal of the non-SI units works very well, I think the table is physically thinner now than it was before I pulled that 6-column trick [to fix to "Isotopic" part of the table]. I could add another column for other units easily enough, but then the table starts getting fat again and I'm not sure if that's a good idea. It already occupies about half the width of my browser already, and with conversion formulas easily available there doesn't seem to be a pressing need. Bryan Derksen Agreed, the non-SI units will stay out.  maveric149

 * Comment Thread #8: a(?) I note that the table of general information now has nice colorful backgrounds on the section headers. How about making the color used on an element's table match that used as its color in the periodic table? Anyone who does a lot of browsing around in the elements will then be able to tell at glance that they're looking at an alkaline earth or a noble gas, for example. Of course, now that I look a the periodic table I see that it will need some more colors to make this useful, but the basic idea is still neat. It'd make Wikipedia seem like more of a unified source of information. Bryan Derksen a(=) What a wonderful idea! That will definitely be done. STATUS of 8a: Feature Implemented.  b(?) You are right though, the periodic table entry needs a lot of work to make this happen. I have no idea why the table looks the way it does --  the "alternate" periodic tables are far more visually appealing and (and in my opinion) useful.  --User:maveric149 b(=) My guess would be that the table used on the main  periodic table  is intended to be as simple and as easily-displayed as possible, so that it will be useable by as wide a variety of browsers as possible. The various alternate tables are available for people with high resolution displays and such.  Bryan Derksen   b(?) You are plobably right -- My display is set at 1024x768 and even the "small" periodic table takes up my entire browser window. However this version of the table does downscale when I decrease the size of my browser window, which should mitigate for much of the problem. I still think the main periodic table is rather odd though, and I find it most difficult to navigate -- so I am unsure about what to do with it. --User:maveric149 STATUS of 8b: Feature Implemented. (Standard table is now the main one) c(?) Either way, the color scheme will be done to each of the tables -- just usure about which table to use as the primary (If this particular thread gets too long, I will move it to Talk:Periodic table). -- User:maveric149 c(=) Oh, and regarding the periodic table, there was no particular reason why I picked the colors I used for the various element groups other than that they looked reasonably good and were distinguishable; if you can think of a better color scheme I'd love to see it.  Bryan Derksen   Mea culpa. Sorry, I didn't know you had changed it -- looks good. However, I am going to do some searching on Google to see if the different periodic families already have colors associated with their presentation in various periodic tables. And if so, I would like to see if there isn't already soom sort of informal convention on which families are depicted in particular colors. --User:maveric149 Even if there isn't a convention, I'm thinking that perhaps I tried getting too fancy in giving every different group a different color. It looks kind of cluttered, and it winds up with 37 pink transition elements and only 5 halogens, chalcogens, etc. Plus, some of the colors I wound up using aren't very pretty. I'll put a list of links to some other colorful periodic tables I've found into talk:Periodic table for reference and discussion there. Bryan Derksen STATUS of 8c: Changes Implemented.

 * Comment #9: comment grouped under similar one under Comment Thread #5

 * Comment Thread #10: a(?) We may want to think about how we will make room for multiple forms of a metal (see plutonium for example - how will temperature ranges of stable forms be presented? - not a huge deal, but the current table won't be cut and paste for these types of complications. Trelvis STATUS of 10a: Feature not needed for Beryllium, but is Planned where Appropriate. This won't be a problem; there will just be several fields in the table for the different changes of state for the various stable forms of a metal. -- User:maveric149  b(?) For the isotope part of the table it would be good to include the dominant decay for unstable isotopes (alpha, beta, gamma)? Trelvis STATUS of 10b: Feature Implemented Will do; need to play around with the formatting to make this work, but it shouldn't be a problem.  Overall this looks great and will be quite useful. Trelvis Thanks for your ideas on improvement, I will implement them as I have time, and as appropriate for the particular elements in question.-- User:maveric149

 * Comment Thread #11: Is the table in this article redering incorrectly for anybody else? --User:maveric149 STATUS: Bug Fixed Just took a look a the HTML code for the table, and made a few changes:

 * removed nested table, it wasn't displaying properly in Mozilla and it doesn't look necessary anyway. Moved the align="right" attribute to the main table tag.
 * Changed header rows to <th> tags instead of <td>
 * changed colspan="3" into colspan="2", since the table only has 2 columns.
 * put quotation marks around all attribute values that I noticed without them. Bryan Derksen Wow, thanks again Bryan! --User:maveric149

Comment Thread #12: I hope the table never gets as wide as it did in revision 71 again, for any other elements - it didn't work very well in my browser, see. It probably doesn't work very well in set-top boxes either. --Carey Evans Can't agree more on the width issue, see my comments up in 7b about my ideas to keep the width of the table in check. -- User:maveric149

=
=== Last set of feature requests fulfilled; Open for final comment on minor to moderate glitches--Release Candidate phase has begun ( Beryllium is the prototype for what is planned for ALL the  elements ) Ideas still welcome about other possible features -- However, if they are too time consuming, then they will have to wait for the next version of the table and layout. ===

RC Comment Thread #1: Looking at the Oxygen tables for inspiration I just saw the "example" layout of the article today, and I think it is great! Much better than the attept I made on the Nupedia chalkboard (RIP) some time ago... --Magnus Manske Thank you! As you can see in the comments above, this has most certainly has been a team effort. (Bryan Derksen has been especially helpful with the layout and HTML coding) maveric149 One other Wikipedian (not me!) has made a somewhat differently-formatted table for another element: oxygen. Perhaps those interested in these things should look at that article, compare with the table here, and decide if they like some features of that table better; before maveric goes and reproduces this table style 108 times over would be a good idea! I'm not sure which I like better, and probably we should consider some ideas from here and some from there. ---BRG Hey, you found my oxygen chalkboard article! I don't remember putting it up here, but there it is (that is, the tables:) Anyway, I like the Beryllium design better; we might think about adding that isotope table, though. That could be an option, so it won't block the 180× conversion. --Magnus Manske I don't know what the "180× conversion" is... I didn't notice the isotope table in the oxygen article before. Hum, it does have some information that the "Isotopic" part of the Beryllium properties table does not. (see both of the tables below) But then again, the opposite is also true. I personaly like the elegance of the Isotopic part of the Beryllium properties table. The other information in the oxygen Isotope table can be inferred (such as atomic weight; just add or substract the weight of the correct number of neutrons), and I was already planning on having separate Isotope articles for many of the elements. In those cases, then an expanded, modified and improved version of either table would be needed. I wouldn't mind at all about having separate Isotope articles with the expanded table for each of the elements. We could then only have to sumarize the "most notable isotopes" in the main article for each element. But I do not want to expand the existing Beryllium table by adding more columns. I also do not want to have a separate Isotope table in the article, since I have already spent several hours (probably more) trying to get a separate table to "work" in a pleasing and functional mannor. In addition, in shorter articles having two tables would be a bad idea; each table would interfere with the placement of the other because of the fact that the properties table is right justified and long (this was done so that the table could be arbitrarily long without blocking out the text of the article and to make it very easy to copy the table in a browser, and paste the text in a text editor, with each numerical value right below each type of property). maveric149 I like the current Beryllium isotope table layout better too, it took me several minutes to figure out what the oxygen table meant. I think the "key" cell should have been at the beginning rather than the end. :) Bryan Derksen Updated alternate isotope table to current style. --Magnus Manske The alternate table is an improvement on the original alternate, but I need to agree with Bryan and still maintain that the one in the Beryllium  article is better. It is easier to follow than the alternate (each column has an obvious property type, and the fields in the alternate do not line up correctly). We still do need to think about what we want to do the the as-yet-to-be-created isotopes articles. Those entries will need a larger table than that in the Berylium article, yet be more easily followed than the alternate table. -- maveric149   I don't insist on the alternate layout at all, and you are right, the one in use at Beryllium is more easy to read. However, the alternate table does contain more information, which might become difficult to include in the standard layout. Or should that go to the isotopes article instead? I am not a physicist, but I have a copy of the Karlsruher Nuklidkarte (Nucleid map), that shows (about) all isotopes of (most) elements and their stability, decay rates and -products. I doubt it would fit on a 1024x768 screen, though. Anyway, shouldn't we at least incorporate all isotopes from the alternate table into the standard one? --Magnus Manske In its current form yes, the alternate table does contain more information. But remember, the current Beryllium table is only supposed to have the most important isotopic properties that couldn't otherwise be inferred from the data already given. This same table, however can easily contain much more information by adding additional columns -- which should only be done for the corresponding isotopes article for the element in question. We could list all the isotopes in the main elements article, but I think it would be best to only list the most important/stable ones. We could then easily have a 20 column and 50 row table in the corresponding isotopes article (to show 20 properties of 50 isotopes). But I don't really plan on implementing the isotopes articles until after the main articles are all converted to the new format. Of course, you are free to do so. And in that case, we can further discuss what that table should look like - which in my humble opinion, should work to same way as the abbreviated one in the elements articles - for consistency and to reduce confusion for end-users (who will switch back and forth between the the elements and isotopes articles). In addition, the alternate format takes up considerably more vertical space than the current one -- on my screen it takes up 2.3 times as much space to list the same number of isotopes (and I have already received complaints that the properties table is too long). In the current example, the listing of 3 isotopes in the alternate table would leave two empty cells on the second row. We will have to make a decision on the type of table to use for the isotopes articles after we decide just how much information we want to have on it. In the end, this is the most important factor (although it would be nice to have the two tables similar if possible - like I stated above). -- maveric149 OK, let's stay with the current layout. For the nucleotide table I was talking about, see and the following 11 pages. --Magnus Manske Saw the link, now that table is cool! We should try to do something similar with the isotopes articles when we get around to them. Oooh! I can't wait to get to work making an HTML table version of that beauty! Not today, though, I'm loaded with RL work. Perhaps tomorrow afternoon if nobody's beaten me to it. :) Bryan Derksen Update: I made a first attempt at one of those tables over on Talk:Isotope. Comments welcome. Bryan Derksen STATUS: Solved. Current layout stays.

RC Comment Thread #2: Should the Periodic table link at the end be removed? One minor thing: Is the link to Periodic Table at the end of the article really necessary? There's already a link in the first line, and that link at the end looks a little lost, especially on the printable version. --Magnus Manske That came from an idea I saw in Talk:Periodic table  and from several subsequent examples of that idea. The reason for it is to provide structure, consistancy, and an easy way to get back to the table if you have finished reading a moderate to long elements article. I use it all the time but I wouln't begin to suggest that I am at all a normal user. You are right that it is a bit redundant, and may not look the greatest, so I wouldn't change it back if someone felt that it needed to go so bably that they removed it themselves. However, if it stays in the article through the final testing phase, and gets copied into each of the elements articles, then I will replace it each time it is removed from an element article (to ensure consistency of layout). maveric149 So I removed it ;) --Magnus Manske STATUS: Issue resolved, redundant link removed and will not be part of template

RC Comment Thread #3: I like the layout a lot! --Axel Thank you! The idea of building a comprehensive table was mine, but it was Bryan Derksen who actually made it work (just look at some of my early attempts). --maveric Maybe the only thing is that the "Isotopic" table is a bit cryptic, with lots of non-standard abbreviations. Also, maybe it should be called "Isotopes". --Axel Standards, did you say standards? :-0 We are always happy to hear about standards. Please tell us about the standard abbreviations you speak of - the more standards compliant this table is, the more useful it will be. However, I think the table itself is as clear as it can be with rows for each isotope and columns for each property (BTW the name of each property shows up upon a mouse over of the abbreviation). I've seen it done this way in several other places and I simplified and adapted this table. The reason why "Isotopic" vs. "Isotopes" was chosen for the properties table was due to the fact that originally the word "Properties" was on each heading bar, thus: "General Properties", "Atomic Properties"... "Isotopic Properties". Later the redundent uses of the word "Properties" was removed and the rest of the headings were left intact. That part of the table still lists the isotopic properties, so "isotopic" is more appropriate (one wouldn't say "Isotopes Properties"). Besides, the heading of "Isotopes" is already taken in the text part of the article.--maveric I don't think there are any standard abbreviations for these properties, but the rest of the table doesn't use many abbreviations either, only the isotopic part. I couldn't figure out what all the fields in the isotopic table stood for; by contrast, the example below in the Sandbox is completely self-explanatory. AxelBoldt
 * For me it's the opposite; I keep losing track of which number belongs to which property, and have to keep searching for it. The eyes don't flow well over the table IMO. Bryan Derksen
 * Fair enough Axel, I will work on concepts for a key and run it by Bryan to make sure they will work in HTML. We both thought that appreviations such as "DP" for "Decay Product" were self explanatory - especially since the word "decay product" comes into view when you place your mouse pointer over "DP", and I plan on creating a linked article explaining what a "decay product" is. My first thought would be to have a colspan=6 heading bar right below the isotopic part of the table with: D = decay, M = mode, E = energy, P = product (see sandbox below). At first, this did increase the width of the table, so I inserted a -1 font for the key. Wasn't able to also include NA = natural abundance with only the one row cell - but I could insert another row with this info, along with a statement that all table values are in SI units (which was my original idea for the sole use of a key cell). However, anybody at all familiar with what isotopes are, will see right away what that column is for. As for the other abbreviations; well it would be silly to start add them to the key since they are all linked to articles that both spell out what they stand for and tell what they are (such MeV, or the linked iso for example). See RC comment thread #1 for the discussion on the other table and the reasons why we decided not to use it (although an improved and modified one may turn up elsewhere - such as the mentioned isotopes articles).

I have a question about Beryllium: is it known why it is toxic? What does it do to the body? AxelBoldt Interesting question. However, I haven't yet come across a good answer. Probably has something to do with its oxidation state of 2. Be is just begging to give away its electrons in chemical bonds because of this, and that leads to major oxidation. You might be surprised that it causes severe allergic reactions and an oftentimes overactive immune response that leads to lung damage. Haven't heard a good explanation for this either. (of course I could surmise that the oxidation causes an inflammatory response, which in turn ramps up the immune system). The cancer connection is not yet proven. -- maveric149 RC Comment Thread #4:' A minor question, over on http://www2.bnl.gov/CoN/nuchart1.html there is a bunch of additional isotope information for Beryllium (and everything else) but I don't know how to translate one of half-life units. 6Be has a half life of 92 KEV, which I'm guessing is kiloelectron volts, but how does that turn into a duration? Bryan Derksen Very interesting question. I had a hunch it had something to do with relativity so I asked my spouse about it (he's taken some high level physics). He said that if he remembers correctly, it has do to the fact that it begins to become meaningless to speak of time periods below a certain duration, so physicists switch to speaking about the kinetic energy of the decay particles. He's not totally sure about this explanation and I couldn't find anything useful while googling, so you might want to ask one of the physicists that actively contributes to wikipedia what they think. (I hear User:Trelvis  is a plasma physicist) -- maveric149
 * When a half-life is quoted in units of Energy (eV) then it is a measure of the energy width when observing the particle. You can not know the energy and the decay rate of a particle precisely (similar to the measurement of location and momentum). So the energy width (Γ) can be related to the half life (τ) by Planck's constant (h). Γ=h/τ - actually particle physicists often use the mean lifetime instead of half life I can't remember which this formula would describe, but they are related by a simple constant in any case. If you rewrite for τ then τ(s)=4*10^-15/Γ(eV). They are inversely proportional so a big energy width means a very short half life. Use of this unit means the particle is very unstable and this unit reflects the way which the half life is measured. As an additional note, I doubt any isotopes that are this unstable would be of use in a wikipedia, if someone needs to know this specialized info they will know where to find it elsewhere - or could be given a reference to help them, but its inclusion will just clutter up all of the element entries in my opinion. I would just list the common isotopes, which are either abundant or useful in some application. Trelvis

RC Comment Thread #5: Are there any unsolved issues left, or can we start on the other elements? --Magnus Manske No not really. I never heard a response back on my idea to assuage Axels concerns that the current isotope part of the table needed some type of key. Looking at the table again after a much needed break from working on this article, I can see that starting such a key is unneeded and potentially counter-productive (if one followed such a thing to a logical end, the key would become nearly as large as the entire current table). For numerous reasons already given above, Bryan and I both think that the current isotopes table is intuitive and logical. If somebody wants to know what DP is, then they can click to the linked article on it and find out that is stands for "decay product" (I will create these articles as soon as I am sure that it is OK to go ahead with creating the template). My only plan now is to include a note at the end of the table stating that SI  units were used where possible. That's it -- After that, and baring any loud protests, I will then give the go-ahead. maveric149, Monday, April 8, 2002

RC Comment Thread #6: This just concerns the language - how about following ACS style? Meaning: Other than that, it's lookin' good! -- Marj Tiefert, Friday, April 12, 2002
 * lower-case names of elements, compounds, minerals (unless it's the first word in a sentence)
 * don't use superfluous words like "grey in color" - "grey" is enough
 * use bulleted lists where there's a bunch of similar sentences one after the other (like under "Notable Characteristics" - forget how many synonyms you can think of for beryllium as the subject of the sentences and just make a list.
 * X-ray always, never x-ray and not X-Ray at the beginning of a sentence
 * "Other uses of beryllium occur in the making..." - do you actually talk like this? Lighten up! Chemistry should be written in English, not German, today! :-)
 * no hyphen in beryllium oxide (except when used as an adjective)

 * Thanks, I will keep all that in mind -- however the text was really secondary in importance to the general layout of the whole article and the look and functionality of the table. Most of the text came from a rewrite of LANL text along with some interesting tidbits thrown in. So I probably wont have time to stray too far from that while changing over all 109 elements. maveric149, Friday, April 12, 2002

Looks excellent to me -- go for it! The Anome, Saturday, April 13, 2002
 * Thank you! As you can see above, many people have provided great ideas and a few have worked directly on the article itself -- most notably Bryan, who's HTML table expertise was very valuable. maveric149

I think that the entire table needs to be redone, turning it on its side and making more of a modular framework in which all kinds of different data could be inserted, not just elements. It should be able to handle taxonomic information about species, astronomical data abuot planets, and also replace the current format of the CIA factbook information about countries.

Just kidding. I think the format is great. :) Bryan Derksen, Saturday, April 13, 2002

Ha, Ha very funny -- I just woke up and in that state of delirium you actually had me going for a second. :) Still don't have any idea how long it will take to change over all 109 elements articles, but I'm in no real hurry. Hopefully this can be done by the end of summer by the latest. This is assuming I do all the work myself -- however anybody else can jump in to help to expedite the process. All we then would have to do is work out who does what so we won't be working on the same element at the same time. I will do a few last modifications to the Berylium article to incorporate Marj's ideas; making the article a better example to follow. Cheers! maveric149

 * Glad you liked my contributions. :) I guess I should finish off the isotope tables now; I finished making the tables for the remaining elements, but but I haven't colored them yet. After I've finished that I'll chip in on a few element pages as well. Bryan Derksen

- Sandbox

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
Delta County, Colorado

Delta County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,196. The county seat is Delta.

History
Delta County was created by the Colorado legislature on February 11, 1883, out of portions of central Gunnison County. The county was named from a delta of arable land at the mouth of the Uncompahgre River, where it flows into the Gunnison River.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1149 sqmi, of which 1142 sqmi is land and 6.5 sqmi (0.6%) is water.

Adjacent counties

 * Mesa County – northwest
 * Gunnison County – east
 * Montrose County – south

Major highways

 * US 50.svg U.S. Highway 50
 * Colorado 65.svg State Highway 65
 * Colorado 92.svg State Highway 92
 * Colorado 133.svg State Highway 133
 * Colorado 348.svg State Highway 348

National protected areas

 * Dominguez Canyon Wilderness
 * Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area (part)
 * Grand Mesa National Forest
 * Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area (part)
 * Gunnison Gorge Wilderness
 * Gunnison National Forest

State protected areas

 * Crawford State Park
 * Sweitzer Lake State Park

Trails and byways

 * American Discovery Trail
 * Crag Crest National Recreation Trail
 * Old Spanish National Historic Trail
 * Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway
 * West Elk Loop Scenic Byway

Demographics
At the 2000 census there were 27,834 people, 11,058 households, and 7,939 families living in the county. The population density was 24 /mi2. There were 12,374 housing units at an average density of 11 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 92.29% White, 0.52% Black or African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.25% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. 11.39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 11,058 households 29.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.30% were married couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 24.80% of households were one person and 12.40% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.89.

The age distribution was 24.00% under the age of 18, 6.30% from 18 to 24, 23.60% from 25 to 44, 26.50% from 45 to 64, and 19.70% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 100.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.60 males.

The median household income was $32,785 and the median family income was $37,748. Males had a median income of $31,348 versus $19,916 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,152. About 8.50% of families and 12.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.00% of those under age 18 and 9.60% of those age 65 or over.

City

 * Delta

Towns

 * Cedaredge
 * Crawford
 * Hotchkiss
 * Orchard City
 * Paonia

Census Designated Place

 * Lazear

Unincorporated communities

 * Austin
 * Cory
 * Eckert

Politics
Delta County votes predominantly Republican in national, state, and local elections. No Democratic presidential candidate has reached forty percent of Delta County's vote since Lyndon Johnson carried the county in 1964, and since 1920 Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 is the only other Democrat to gain a majority, although Roosevelt did win a plurality against Alf Landon in 1936.

Delta County is split between two house districts for the Colorado House of Representatives, House District 58 & House District 54. Prior to the redistricting, which took affect in the November 2022 election, Delta County was split by House District 54 & 61. The Current Representative for House District 58 is Marc Catlin, who carried the county in the election.

Media
The local papers are the Delta County Independent and the Merchant Herald.

Education
The county is served by Delta County Joint School District 50-J.

Elementary Schools

 * Cedaredge Elementary School
 * Garnet Mesa Elementary School (Delta)
 * Hotchkiss K-8 School
 * Lincoln Elementary School (Delta)
 * Paonia K-8 School

Middle Schools

 * Cedaredge Middle School
 * Delta Middle School
 * Hotchkiss K-8 School
 * Paonia K-8 School

High Schools

 * Cedaredge High School
 * Delta High School
 * North Fork High School (Hotchkiss)

Higher Education
Technical College of the Rockies, a trade school offering technical training and professional certificates, is located in the city of Delta.

title: Delta County, Colorado


text:
Custer County, Colorado

Custer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,704. The county seat is Westcliffe.

History
Custer County was created by the Colorado legislature on March 9, 1877, out of the southern half of Fremont County. It was named in honor of Lt. Colonel George Armstrong Custer, who had died the previous year. Originally set in Ula, the county seat moved to Rosita in 1878, and to Silver Cliff in 1886 before settling in Westcliffe in 1928.

The county was the site of a silver rush during the 1870s. Thousands of men poured into the county during this time in the hunt for silver. Some of the notable mines include the Geyser Mine (on the north edge of the town of Silver Cliff), the Bassick Mine (near the ghost town of Querida) and the Bull Domingo (north of Silver Cliff).

During the late 19th century a railroad line was connected through the Grape Creek Canyon but was permanently closed after a few disastrous floods. The old rail house has been turned into a historical landmark in the town of Westcliffe.

After the mines were exhausted, the population dropped considerably and was replaced by cattle ranchers. An extensive system of irrigation ditches was built throughout the valley. Ranching in the Wet Mountain Valley continues to this day.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 740 sqmi, of which 739 sqmi is land and 1.3 sqmi (0.2%) is water.

The county is very rugged and would be virtually inaccessible without roads. The lowest point of the county is around 6000 ft in elevation, but most of the county is rugged and mountainous. The county seat of Westcliffe is about 7800 ft and along with nearby town Silver Cliff lies in the Wet Mountain Valley which sits at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the west reach heights in excess of 14000 ft with Crestone Peak being the highest at 14294 ft and 7th highest fourteener in Colorado.

A large percentage of the county is National Forest land in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the west side and in the Wet Mountains on the east. The only lake of size is the DeWeese Reservoir in the north end of the Wet Mountain Valley.

Adjacent counties

 * Fremont County - north
 * Pueblo County - east
 * Huerfano County - southeast
 * Saguache County - west

Major highways

 * Colorado 67.svg State Highway 67
 * Colorado 69.svg State Highway 69
 * Colorado 78.svg State Highway 78
 * Colorado 96.svg State Highway 96
 * Colorado 165.svg State Highway 165

National protected areas

 * San Isabel National Forest
 * Sangre de Cristo Wilderness
 * Frontier Pathways National Scenic and Historic Byway

Bicycle trails

 * TransAmerica Trail Bicycle Route
 * Western Express Bicycle Route

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,503 people, 1,480 households, and 1,077 families living in the county. The population density was 5 /mi2. There were 2,989 housing units at an average density of 4 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 95.89% White, 0.37% Black or African American, 1.11% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.71% from other races, and 1.63% from two or more races. 2.51% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,480 households, out of which 25.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.60% were married couples living together, 5.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.20% were non-families. 23.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.77.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.50% under the age of 18, 4.50% from 18 to 24, 23.30% from 25 to 44, 35.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 104.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,731, and the median income for a family was $41,198. Males had a median income of $32,460 versus $20,868 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,817. About 9.80% of families and 13.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.10% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.

Median household income (adjusted for inflation) dropped from $49,184 in 2009 to $32,261 in 2014, which made the county the third worst performing county in this respect in the country.

Government
The county is governed by three county commissioners who are elected to 4-year terms with a term limit of two. In 2023, the county was represented by:

-District 1: Bill Canda (Republican), serving from 2022 to 2026. 2nd term

-District 2: Kevin Day (Republican), serving from 2020 to 2024. 1st term.

-District 3: Lucas Epp (Republican), serving from 2020 to 2024. 1st term.

There are several other public offices including Coroner, Sheriff, County Clerk and others. Updated by the IT department of Custer County

Politics
Custer County is overall very conservative and heavily Republican. The most important election is not the general election, but the primary election between members of the Republican Party in August. During the 2004 presidential election, well over 60% of Custer County voters voted for the Republican candidates including George W. Bush and Pete Coors.

Despite the surface appearance of a homogeneous political culture, there is considerable dispute among residents over planning. One segment of residents (which includes ranchers) would like to see the County preserved in its present state as a mountain paradise with its rural ranching culture, with strict limitation on development. Proponents are sometimes seen as "anti-growth" and "anti-property rights." Another segment of the population would like to see less government and less restrictions on growth and development for the growth of business and the economy. Proponents are seen as "anti-environment" or "anti-agriculture."

Towns

 * Silver Cliff
 * Westcliffe (County seat)

Unincorporated communities

 * Cold Spring
 * Fairview
 * Greenwood
 * McKenzie Junction
 * San Isabel
 * Tanglewood Acres
 * Wetmore

Ghost towns

 * Colfax
 * Galena
 * Querida
 * Rosita
 * Ula

title: Custer County, Colorado


text:
Crowley County, Colorado

Crowley County is a county in Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,922. The county seat is Ordway. The county's per capita income, as of 2022, was $22,240, the lowest of any county in the nation.

History
Crowley County was created by the Colorado legislature on May 29, 1911, out of the northern portions of Otero County. Previously both were parts of Bent County. The county was named for John H. Crowley, senator from Otero County to the state legislature at the time of the split. Its original inhabitants decades earlier were Native Americans, more Cheyenne than other tribes at the time the western expansion of the U.S. arrived.

The first significant development and settlement occurred in 1887 when the Missouri Pacific Railroad came through from the east, on its way to Pueblo and Colorado's rich gold fields of "Pikes Peak Or Bust".

The county seat is in Ordway, a town established in 1890 that quickly became the economic hub of the area. Other towns still existing along the Missouri Pacific Railroad's route are Sugar City, Crowley, and Olney Springs.

A few years later, developers brought a canal east from the Arkansas River, with ambitious plans to irrigate a million acres (4000 km2) in Kansas; instead, the canal petered out in Crowley County but did irrigate 57,000 acre along its length. This turned early Crowley County into a lush agricultural mecca at first.

By the 1970s almost all the water rights were sold from what is now called the Twin Lakes Canal to the fast-growing cities of Colorado's Front Range corridor. The area's economic activity has shifted toward ranching. Much of the land has returned to its original sparse prairie grassland conditions.

The Crowley School, which is now the Crowley County Heritage Center, is the county's only historic site listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

Crowley County also today hosts a state prison. The 2000 census showed 5,518 county residents, of which 1,955 were prisoners, giving Crowley County the highest percentage of incarcerated prisoners of any county in the U.S. The county maintained this position in the 2010 census, with 2,682 prisoners out of 5,823 residents.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 800 sqmi, of which 787 sqmi is land and 13 sqmi (1.6%) is water. Lake Meredith, which lies south of Ordway and Sugar City, is the largest of several lakes in the county.

Adjacent counties

 * Lincoln County - north
 * El Paso County - northwest
 * Otero County - south
 * Kiowa County - east
 * Pueblo County - west

Major highways

 * Colorado 71.svg State Highway 71
 * Colorado 96.svg State Highway 96
 * Colorado 167.svg State Highway 167
 * Colorado 207.svg State Highway 207

Bicycle trail

 * TransAmerica Trail Bicycle Route

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 5,518 people, 1,358 households, and 957 families living in the county. The population density was 7 /mi2. There were 1,542 housing units at an average density of 2 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 82.95% White, 7.05% Black or African American, 2.59% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 4.77% from other races, and 1.81% from two or more races. 22.54% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,358 households, out of which 34.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.10% were married couples living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.50% were non-families. 25.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 18.80% under the age of 18, 9.90% from 18 to 24, 39.60% from 25 to 44, 20.80% from 45 to 64, and 10.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 205.40 males (this is the highest of any U.S. county/parish in 2000). For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 240.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $26,803, and the median income for a family was $32,162. Males had a median income of $20,813 versus $21,920 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,836. About 15.20% of families and 18.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.60% of those under age 18 and 13.50% of those age 65 or over. More recent data, published in 2011, estimated that 48.1 percent of the county's residents lived in poverty, and of 3,197 counties ranked by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2011 for "estimated percent of people of all ages in poverty", Crowley was second, due to the prison located in the county.

Census data for Crowley County includes 1,955 prisoners. The prison population is 19.23% Black, and 24.35% Hispanic. Without the prisoners, Crowley County would be 86.72% White, 0.36% Black, and 21.55% Hispanic. As a percentage of its population, Crowley County has more of its Census population in prison than any other county in the country.

Politics
Crowley is a predominantly Republican county. No Democratic presidential nominee has won Crowley County since Lyndon Johnson's 1964 landslide. Before that time, the county largely followed the patterns of Colorado politics in general, from strongly Democratic during the William Jennings Bryan and Woodrow Wilson eras to Republican leaning from the time of Wendell Willkie onwards.

Towns

 * Crowley
 * Olney Springs
 * Ordway
 * Sugar City

title: Crowley County, Colorado


text:
Costilla County, Colorado

Costilla County (Spanish for "rib") is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,499. The county seat is San Luis, the oldest continuously occupied town in Colorado.

History
On July 8, 1694, Spanish Conquistador Don Diego de Vargas and his army, two weeks before the Battle of Astialakwa, reached Costilla County. Diego Vargas is not the first Spaniard in Colorado. Juan de Archuleta led an expedition into Colorado in 1664 - but his expedition is the first traceable Spanish expedition into Colorado. In 1647, Governor Luis Rosas fought with the Utes in northern New Mexico. While Rosa came near Colorado, it has not been verified he actually did.

Costilla County was the first area of Colorado to have been colonized. The county made up the major part of the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant awarded by the government of New Mexico to the Carlos Beaubien family in 1843. Hispanic settlers from Taos, New Mexico, officially established San Luis on April 9, 1851. Costilla County was one of the original 17 counties created by the Territory of Colorado on November 1, 1861. The county was named for Costilla Creek. San Miguel was originally designated the county seat, but the county government was moved to San Luis in 1863. (In 1869, surveys placed San Miguel in the New Mexico Territory.)

The county's original boundaries extended over much of south-central Colorado. Much of the northern portion became part of Saguache County in 1866, and the western portions were folded into Hinsdale and Rio Grande counties in 1874. Costilla County arrived at its modern boundaries in 1913 when Alamosa County was created from its northwest portions.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1230 sqmi, of which 1227 sqmi is land and 304 sqmi (0.3%) is water.

Adjacent counties

 * Huerfano County - northeast
 * Las Animas County - east
 * Colfax County, New Mexico - southeast
 * Taos County, New Mexico - south
 * Conejos County - west
 * Alamosa County - northwest

Major highways

 * US 160.svg U.S. Highway 160
 * Colorado 142.svg State Highway 142
 * Colorado 159.svg State Highway 159

National protected area

 * San Isabel National Forest

Historic trails and sites

 * Fort Garland State History Museum
 * Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic and Historic Byway
 * Old Spanish National Historic Trail

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,663 people, 1,503 households, and 1,029 families living in the county. The population density was 3 /sqmi. There were 2,202 housing units at an average density of 2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 60.91% White, 0.79% Black or African American, 2.48% Native American, 1.01% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 29.46% from other races, and 5.21% from two or more races. 67.59% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,503 households, out of which 28.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.60% were married couples living together, 11.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.50% were non-families. 28.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.00% under the age of 18, 6.60% from 18 to 24, 23.30% from 25 to 44, 28.30% from 45 to 64, and 16.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 99.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $19,531, and the median income for a family was $25,509, the lowest for Colorado. Males had a median income of $22,390 versus $16,121 for females. The per capita income for the county was $10,748. About 21.30% of families and 26.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 32.40% of those under age 18 and 23.30% of those age 65 or over.

Politics
Costilla County tends to favor the Democratic candidate in Presidential elections. The last Republican to carry the county was Calvin Coolidge in 1924, and the last to gain an absolute majority William Howard Taft in 1912 – an era when most votes in these high valley counties were done for the voters by political machines. In the last eleven Presidential elections the Democratic candidate has consistently received over sixty percent of the county's vote and four times won over seventy percent.

In Colorado's first elections as a state in 1876, Auguste Lacome (D) ran against William H. Meyer (R) for State Senate in Costilla County, then Colorado's 18th District. Meyer would later become the Lt. Governor of Colorado. Votes cast for “Locome” and “Lacompte” were included in the count for Lacome. Meyer carried the election 349–204.

It is part of Colorado's 3rd congressional district, which has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+5 and is represented by Republican Lauren Boebert. In the Colorado Senate it is in District 35 and is represented by Rod Pelton. In the Colorado House of Representatives it is in District 62 and is represented by Democrat Matthew Martinez.

Towns

 * Blanca
 * San Luis

Census-designated places

 * Fort Garland
 * San Acacio

Other unincorporated places

 * Chama
 * Garcia
 * Jaroso
 * Mesita
 * Russell

title: Costilla County, Colorado


text:
Conejos County, Colorado

Conejos County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,461. The county seat is the unincorporated community of Conejos.

Being 50.7% Hispanic in 2020, Conejos was Colorado's largest Hispanic-majority county.

History
The first European known to visit this area was Juan de Oñate y Salazar in 1550 followed by Don Diego de Vargas in 1694, but he left behind no colonists. In 1708, Juan de Uribarri passed through searching for run-away Indian slaves.

Conejos County was one of the original 17 counties created by the General Assembly of the Territory of Colorado on 1851-11-01. Conejos County was originally named Guadalupe County but was renamed Conejos County a week later on November 7. Its name comes from the Spanish word "conejo", meaning rabbit, for the abundance of rabbits in the area. Also early in its existence, the county seat was moved from the town of Guadalupe to Conejos. The original boundaries of the county included a large portion of southwestern Colorado.

In 1874, most of the western and northern portions of the county were broken away to form parts of Hinsdale, La Plata and Rio Grande counties, and Conejos County achieved its modern borders in 1885 when its western half was taken to create Archuleta County.

Religious history
The community of Conejos is the location of the oldest extant church house in Colorado, constructed in 1856 and named "Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish". The first settlers into the area were from New Mexico, primarily from Abiquiu, San Juan de los Caballeros and Santa Cruz. As more people arrived, mission churches were set up and all had the records housed in Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish.

When the neighboring town Los Sauces of Anitonito was built, the Theatines, priests from Spain, came into the area and built St. Augustine church in 1880 within Antonito. The church records from Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish are now housed at the church offices of Saint Augustine. Conejos is approximately a mile northwest of Antonito.

Presbyterians came into Conejos County in 1880 establishing churches in Antonito, Alamosa, Cenicero, Del Norte, Mogote, San Rafael, and Monte Vista. They also established schools in the area and had a large number of Hispanic converts. A jacal went up in 1854 in Guadalupe, now known as Conejos, which was the beginning of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish.

There is also a large Mormon population within Conejos County. Settlers belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) began settling in the towns of La Jara, Manassa and Sanford; each town currently has an LDS meetinghouse. Fox Creek, a village approximately 11 miles west of Antonito, is the newest community to have an LDS meetinghouse erected, although there had previously been a meetinghouse there. Fox Creek, however, does not have a predominantly Mormon population.

Genealogy
Records available for this area are marriage records, which are held by the county clerk. Divorce records are maintained by the clerk of the district court. Agencies that hold records for marriages and divorces from 1900 to 1939 are the Colorado State Archives and Denver Public Library Genealogy Department. Other records available are marriage records from 1871 and death records from 1877 to 1907. This also include land records from 1871, probate records from 1875, and court records from 1877. However, some records were lost due to a fire, but birth records for 1877-1907 are still preserved. Websites that will be of use when doing genealogical research are The Colorado Genealogical Society and Conejos County WW II Enlistments.

Amendment 64
When Colorado Amendment 64 was being voted into effect by Coloradans, Conejos County residents voted against approving the measure to legalize and regulate recreational Marijuana consumption and possession for those 21 or older; Conejos residents simultaneously voted for a Democratic president in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections, making Conejos county the only Colorado county with the distinction of leaning liberal with the 2008 and 2012 presidential picks while leaning conservative with regard to marijuana policy.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1291 sqmi, of which 1287 sqmi is land and 3.6 sqmi (0.3%) is water.

Conejos County is in a broad high mountain valley in South Central Colorado. It has an area of approximately 825446 acre in 1290 sqmi. Roughly half the area is on the nearly level floor of the valley, where the average elevation is about 7700 ft. The western half of the county ranges from gently rolling to steep foothills with mountains that rise in elevation to about 13000 ft.

Conejos County is situated with the National Forest to the west and the Rio Grande to the east, along Colorado's southern border with the state of New Mexico. Only about 34 percent of Conejos County is privately owned with the other 66 percent being National Forest, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or State owned lands.

Climate
In winter, the average temperature is 21.6 degrees Fahrenheit, and the average daily minimum temperature is 4 degrees. In summer, the average temperature is 61.4 degrees, and the average maximum temperature is 79.6 degrees.

Seventy-one percent of the annual precipitation falls in the months of April through September. Average seasonal snowfall is 28 inches. The average relative humidity in mid-afternoon in spring is less than 35 percent; during the rest of the year, it is about 45 percent. The percentage of possible sunshine is 77 in the summer and 73 in the winter.

Adjacent counties

 * Rio Grande County - north
 * Alamosa County - northeast
 * Costilla County - east
 * Taos County, New Mexico - southeast
 * Rio Arriba County, New Mexico - south
 * Archuleta County- west

Major highways

 * US 285.svg U.S. Highway 285
 * Colorado 15.svg State Highway 15
 * Colorado 17.svg State Highway 17
 * Colorado 136.svg State Highway 136
 * Colorado 142.svg State Highway 142
 * Colorado 368.svg State Highway 368
 * Colorado 371.svg State Highway 371

National protected areas

 * Rio Grande National Forest
 * San Juan National Forest
 * South San Juan Wilderness
 * Rio Grande Natural Area

Historic trails and sites

 * Old Spanish National Historic Trail
 * Pike's Stockade, which is a National Historic Landmark

Scenic trails and byways

 * Continental Divide National Scenic Trail
 * Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic & Historic Byway

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,400 people, 2,980 households, and 2,211 families residing in the county. The population density was 6 /mi2. There were 3,886 housing units at an average density of 3 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 72.76% White, 0.21% Black or African American, 1.69% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 21.50% from other races, and 3.61% from two or more races. 58.92% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,980 households, out of which 38.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.30% were married couples living together, 12.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.80% were non-families. 23.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 32.10% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 23.60% from 25 to 44, 20.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,744, and the median income for a family was $29,066. Males had a median income of $26,351 versus $20,200 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,050. About 18.60% of families and 23.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.20% of those under age 18 and 17.30% of those age 65 or over.

Politics
Conejos County had a pretty solid track record as a bellwether county (Only voting for the losing party candidate in 1928, 1968, 1988 and 2004 since 1912). Donald Trump flipped the county in 2016 and held it even in his loss against Biden in 2020. In 2022, despite both Governor Jared Polis and Senator Micheal Bennet easily winning re-election by large margins, Conejos voted against both of them (even flipping to support Bennet’s opponent Joe O’Dea after Bennet had won the county in 2016). This could elude to Conejos trend to the right, becoming a consistently Republican County, in contrast to the state itself which has been trending to the left since 2004.

Towns

 * Antonito
 * La Jara
 * Manassa
 * Romeo
 * Sanford

Census-designated places

 * Capulin
 * Conejos

Other communities

 * Bear Creek
 * Bountiful
 * Cañon
 * Carmel
 * Cenicero a.k.a. Lobatos
 * Elk Creek
 * Fox Creek
 * Guadalupe
 * Horca
 * La Florida
 * La Isla
 * Los Sauses a.k.a. Lasauses, Colorado
 * Las Mesitas
 * Mogote
 * Ortiz
 * Osier
 * Platoro
 * Richfield
 * Rincones
 * San Antonio
 * Sheep Creek

Notable people

 * Fred Haberlein - Muralist
 * Jack Dempsey - Boxer born in Manassa, Colorado

title: Conejos County, Colorado


text:
Clear Creek County, Colorado

Clear Creek County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,397. The county seat is Georgetown.

History
Clear Creek County was one of the original 17 counties created by the Colorado legislature on November 1, 1861, and is one of only two counties (along with Gilpin) to have persisted with its original boundaries unchanged. It was named after Clear Creek, which runs down from the continental divide through the county. Idaho Springs was originally designated the county seat, but the county government was moved to Georgetown in 1867.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 396 sqmi, of which 395 sqmi is land and 1.3 sqmi (0.3%) is water.

Adjacent counties

 * Jefferson - east
 * Gilpin - northeast
 * Park - south
 * Summit - west
 * Grand - northwest

Major highways

 * I-70 (CO).svg Interstate 70
 * US 6.svg U.S. Highway 6
 * US 40.svg U.S. Highway 40
 * Colorado 5.svg State Highway 5
 * Colorado 103.svg State Highway 103
 * Central City Parkway

National protected areas

 * Pike National Forest
 * Roosevelt National Forest
 * James Peak Wilderness
 * Mount Evans Wilderness

Scenic trails and byways

 * American Discovery Trail
 * Continental Divide National Scenic Trail
 * Grays Peak National Recreation Trail
 * Mount Evans National Recreation Trail
 * Guanella Pass Scenic Byway
 * Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway

Demographics
At the 2000 census there were 9,322 people, 4,019 households, and 2,608 families living in the county. The population density was 24 /mi2. There were 5,128 housing units at an average density of 13 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 96.37% White, 0.28% Black or African American, 0.73% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.02% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. 3.87% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 4,019 households 28.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.60% were married couples living together, 6.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.10% were non-families. 27.20% of households were one person and 4.30% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.81.

The age distribution was 22.60% under the age of 18, 5.60% from 18 to 24, 32.60% from 25 to 44, 32.20% from 45 to 64, and 7.10% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.20 males.

The median household income was $50,997 and the median family income was $61,400. Males had a median income of $41,667 versus $30,757 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,160. About 3.00% of families and 5.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.80% of those under age 18 and 5.60% of those age 65 or over

City

 * Central City (partially)
 * Idaho Springs

Towns

 * Empire
 * Georgetown
 * Silver Plume

Census-designated places

 * Blue Valley
 * Brook Forest (partially)
 * Downieville-Lawson-Dumont
 * Echo Hills
 * Floyd Hill
 * Pine Valley
 * St. Mary's
 * Upper Bear Creek
 * Upper Witter Gulch

Ghost towns

 * Bakerville
 * Silver Creek

Politics
Throughout its history, Clear Creek County tended to be somewhat divided between Republicans and Democrats, but has reliably voted Democratic in recent elections, with George W. Bush having been the most recent Republican to win the county, in 2000, while his father, George H. W. Bush, was the last Republican to win the narrow majority of the county's votes, in 1988. During the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton became the first Democrat since her husband in 1996 to not win the majority of the county's vote, while still winning the county by a plurality.

Education
The county is served by Clear Creek School District RE-1.

Elementary Schools

 * Carlson Elementary School (Idaho Springs)
 * King-Murphy Mountain School (Evergreen)

Middle School

 * Clear Creek Middle School (Idaho Springs)

High School

 * Clear Creek High School (Evergreen)

Charter School

 * Georgetown Community School (Georgetown)

Historic areas

 * Georgetown Loop Historic Mining & Railroad Park
 * Georgetown–Silver Plume National Historic District

Ski areas

 * Echo Mountain
 * Loveland
 * Otter Mountain

title: Clear Creek County, Colorado


text:
Cheyenne County, Colorado

Cheyenne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. The county population was 1,748 at 2020 census. The county seat is Cheyenne Wells.

History
Cheyenne County was created with its present borders by the Colorado State Legislature on March 25, 1889, out of portions of northeastern Bent County and southeastern Elbert County. It was named after the Cheyenne Indians who occupied eastern Colorado.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1781 sqmi, of which 1778 sqmi is land and 3.2 sqmi (0.2%) is water.

The drainage basins in Cheyenne County include Bellyache, Big Timber, East and Middle Fork Big Spring, Eureka, Goose, Ladder, Little Spring, Pass, Rock, Sand, Turtle, White Woman, Wild Horse and Willow Creeks, as well as the Smoky Hill River. The Smoky Hill drains into the Republican River in Kansas. The creeks in the northern and eastern part of the county drain to the Republican or Smoky Hill Rivers; those in the central and southeastern part of the county drain ultimately to the Arkansas River. All of the creeks in Cheyenne County are generally dry with some flow when drawing snowmelt or rainfall. There are four summits in Cheyenne County: Agate Mound (4,457 ft.), Eureka Hill (4,700 ft.), Landsman Hill (4,695 ft.), and Twin Buttes (4,621 ft.) The highest point in the county is in the extreme northwest corner of the county on the Bledsoe Ranch (5,255 ft.)

Adjacent counties

 * Kit Carson County (north)
 * Wallace County, Kansas (east)
 * Greeley County, Kansas (southeast)
 * Lincoln County (west)
 * Kiowa County (south)

Major highways

 * US 40.svg U.S. Highway 40
 * US 287.svg U.S. Highway 287
 * US 385.svg U.S. Highway 385
 * Colorado 59.svg State Highway 59
 * Colorado 94.svg State Highway 94

Antipode
Cheyenne County is home of the Antipode of Île Saint-Paul making it one of the few places in the continental United States with a non-oceanic antipode.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,231 people, 880 households, and 602 families residing in the county. The population density was 1 /mi2. There were 1,105 housing units at an average density of 1 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 92.87% White, 0.49% Black or African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.13% Asian, 5.11% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. 8.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 880 households, out of which 34.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.30% were married couples living together, 5.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.50% were non-families. 29.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.80% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 26.20% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 16.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,054, and the median income for a family was $44,394. Males had a median income of $32,250 versus $19,286 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,850. About 8.70% of families and 11.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.90% of those under age 18 and 10.90% of those age 65 or over.

Towns

 * Cheyenne Wells
 * Kit Carson

Census Designated Place

 * Arapahoe

Unincorporated communities

 * Wild Horse

Politics
Since the 1920s, Cheyenne County has mostly supported Republican candidates in presidential elections. In the 25 presidential elections since 1920, the Democratic presidential candidates have carried the county only five times, none have broken 60% of the vote, and only Lyndon Johnson in 1964, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932 won the county by a double-digit margin. By contrast, the Republican nominees have carried the county 20 times, including the last ten in a row, with all except Wendell Willkie in 1940 winning by at least a double-digit margin. The four most recent GOP presidential candidates George W. Bush, John McCain, Mitt Romney, and Donald Trump all carried Cheyenne county with over 80% of the vote.

Historic Trails

 * Old Military Trail - This trail connected Fort Wallace (on the Smoky Hill River in Kansas) to Fort Lyon (on the Arkansas River in Colorado).
 * Omaha Trail - This trail came from Kansas into northeast Cheyenne County and merged with the Smoky Hill Trail east of Cheyenne Wells.
 * Smoky Hill Trail - The Smoky Hill Trail is also called the Butterfield Trail and the Starvation Trail. It followed the Smoky Hill River, crossing Cheyenne County from east to west. Lt. John C. Fremont is known to have used this trail as early as 1844. When gold was discovered on Cherry Creek in 1859, the trail was promoted as the most direct route to Denver from the Nebraska and Kansas Territories. The route was treacherous and earned the name "Starvation Trail." David Butterfield established the Butterfield Overland Dispatch along this trail. The area was Indian hunting grounds. Several military forts were established along the trail to protect travelers. The Kansas Pacific Railway followed this trail through Kansas. The trail split near "Old Wells" (about five miles north of present-day Cheyenne Wells) into north and south forks. The north fork of the trail went northwest from "Old Wells" Station through Deering Wells Station, Big Springs Station, and David Wells Station and eventually to Denver. The south fork was first surveyed in 1860, and again in 1865. The south fork ran southwest from Old Wells through Eureka Station to Dubois Station. Then it headed northwest to Grady Station. The two forks joined up again near Hugo.
 * Texas-Montana Cattle Trail - This trail was used during the Civil War. It ran south to north across Cheyenne County through Big Springs Station.

Historic Sites

 * Cheyenne County Courthouse in Cheyenne Wells. The courthouse was built in 1908 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
 * Old Cheyenne County Jail in Cheyenne Wells. The jail was built in 1894 and used as a jail until 1961. The structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The jail was designed by noted Colorado architect Robert Roeschlaub, who designed the Central City Opera House and other historic structures in Colorado. The Old Cheyenne County Jail is now a historical museum.
 * The Historic Plains Hotel in Cheyenne Wells. Built in 1919, the hotel is still used as a hotel.
 * Mountain States Telephone & Telegraph Building in Cheyenne Wells. The building's entablature frieze simply says "Telephone" in block letters. The building, constructed in 1927, is currently a museum.
 * Kit Carson Pool Hall in Kit Carson.
 * Union Pacific Pumphouse in Kit Carson. Built in about 1880, the stone pumphouse was used by Union Pacific Railroad's steam locomotives.
 * Wild Horse Mercantile in the town of Wild Horse. Built after the 1917 fire, the store was in continuous operation into the late 1960s.
 * Wild Horse School in the town of Wild Horse. The school was built in 1912.

title: Cheyenne County, Colorado


text:
Chaffee County, Colorado

Chaffee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,476. The county seat is Salida.

History
Chaffee County has a confusing origin. Between February 8 and 10, 1879, Carbonate County was created by the Colorado legislature out of northern Lake County. On February 10 the two counties were renamed, with the southern part of Lake County becoming Chaffee County, and Carbonate County becoming Lake County. Chaffee County is known as the “Heart of the Rockies”. It was named for Jerome B. Chaffee, Colorado's first United States Senator.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1015 sqmi, of which 1013 sqmi is land and 1.6 sqmi (0.2%) is water.

Adjacent counties

 * Lake County - north
 * Park County - northeast
 * Fremont County - southeast
 * Saguache County - south
 * Gunnison County - west
 * Pitkin County - northwest

Major highways

 * US 24.svg U.S. Highway 24
 * US 50.svg U.S. Highway 50
 * US 285.svg U.S. Highway 285
 * Colorado 291.svg State Highway 291
 * Colorado 306.svg State Highway 306

National protected areas

 * Browns Canyon National Monument
 * Buffalo Peaks Wilderness
 * Collegiate Peaks Wilderness
 * San Isabel National Forest

Recreation area

 * Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area

Trails

 * American Discovery Trail
 * Colorado Trail
 * Continental Divide National Scenic Trail

Bicycle routes

 * Great Parks Bicycle Route
 * Western Express Bicycle Route

Demographics
At the 2000 census there were 16,242 people, 6,584 households, and 4,365 families living in the county. The population density was 16 /sqmi. There were 8,392 housing units at an average density of 8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 90.94% White, 1.58% Black or African American, 1.09% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.21% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races. 8.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 6,584 households 25.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.70% were non-families. 28.40% of households were one person and 11.20% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.77.

The age distribution was 19.70% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 27.50% from 45 to 64, and 17.00% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 113.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.20 males.

The median household income was $34,368 and the median family income was $42,043. Males had a median income of $30,770 versus $22,219 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,430. About 7.40% of families and 11.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.30% of those under age 18 and 10.20% of those age 65 or over.

Chaffee County is also home to a source of water that Arrowhead water uses for some water bottles. The source is Ruby Mountain Springs.

Politics
Chaffee County is a bellwether county, having supported the winner of 8 out of the last 11 presidential elections. The most recent election where Chaffee County supported the presidential loser was in 2008, when John McCain narrowly won the county despite Barack Obama winning decisively nationally and statewide.

City

 * Salida

Towns

 * Buena Vista
 * Poncha Springs

Census-designated places

 * Garfield
 * Johnson Village
 * Maysville
 * Nathrop
 * Smeltertown

Unincorporated communities

 * Alpine
 * Belleview
 * Browns Canon
 * Centerville
 * Cleora
 * Futurity
 * Granite
 * Hamilton
 * Newett
 * Princeton
 * Riverside
 * Rockdale
 * St. Elmo
 * Stonewall
 * Turret

Ghost towns

 * St. Elmo
 * Vicksburg
 * Winfield

title: Chaffee County, Colorado