Alamosa County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the U.S. state of

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,376. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Alamosa. The county name is the

Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

word for a grove of cottonwood trees.

History

Alamosa County was created by the Colorado legislature on March 8, 1913, out of northwestern Costilla County.

Geography

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

Adjacent counties

* Saguache County, Colorado - north *

Huerfano County, Colorado Huerfano County ( ; ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 6,820. The county seat is Walsenburg, Colorado, Walsenburg. The county, whose name comes from the Sp ...

- east * Costilla County, Colorado - southeast *

Conejos County, Colorado Conejos County (Spanish language, Spanish for "rabbits") is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 7,461. The county seat is the Unincorporated area, unincorporated c ...

- southwest * Rio Grande County, Colorado - west

Major highways

U.S. Highway 160 * US 285

U.S. Highway 285 * Colorado 17

State Highway 17 * Colorado 150

State Highway 150 * Colorado 368

State Highway 368 * Colorado 370

State Highway 370 * Colorado 371

State Highway 371

National protected area

* Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Other protected areas

* Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge * Great Sand Dunes Wilderness * Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge * Rio Grande National Forest * San Luis Lakes State Wildlife Area * Sangre de Cristo Wilderness

Scenic trails

* Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic and Historic Byway * Old Spanish National Historic Trail

Transportation

Alamosa is served by San Luis Valley Regional Airport. The only commercial service is to Denver.

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 14,966 people, 5,467 households, and 3,651 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 6,088 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 71.19% White, 0.97% Black or African American, 2.34% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 20.34% from other races, and 4.16% from two or more races. 41.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 5,467 households 35.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.50% were married couples living together, 11.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.20% were non-families. 27.30% of households were one person and 8.70% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.14. The age distribution was 27.20% under the age of 18, 15.90% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 20.60% from 45 to 64, and 9.60% 65 or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 99.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.30 males. The median household income was $29,447 and the median family income was $38,389. Males had a median income of $27,733 versus $22,806 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,037. About 15.60% of families and 21.30% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 27.40% of those under age 18 and 13.90% of those age 65 or over. In 2000, the largest denominational groups were

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

s (with 5,716 members) and

Evangelical Protestant Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of the Christian ...

s (with 1,755 members). The largest religious bodies were the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

(with 5,716 adherents) and

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(with 1,155 adherents).

Politics

Alamosa County is a competitive swing county, voting for the winning presidential candidate in every election since its formation except 1944, 1960, 1976, 2016, and 2020.

Communities

City

* Alamosa

Town

* Hooper

Census Designated Place

* Alamosa East

Unincorporated communities

* Estrella * Hartner * Henry * La Fruto * Mosca * Waverly

Sheriff's Office

The Alamosa County Sheriff's Office is a county law enforcement agency in Alamosa County, Colorado, United States. It consists of 18 sworn law enforcement officers and 21 civilian support personnel.

Rank structure

License plate code

Alamosa County has used the following county codes on Colorado license plates issued to passenger vehicles in the county: XE-XG and EAA-ABD.Colorado County Codes
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References

External links

*
Colorado County Evolution by Don StanwyckColorado Historical SocietyOfficial page
at

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{{coord, 37.57, -105.78, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-CO_source:UScensus1990 1913 establishments in Colorado Populated places established in 1913 Colorado counties San Luis Valley of Colorado