Archuleta County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,359. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

and the only incorporated municipality in the county is Pagosa Springs.

History

Archuleta County was created by the Colorado legislature on April 14, 1885, out of western Conejos County. It was named for Jose Manuel Archuleta, "head of one of the old

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

families of

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

", and in honor of his son Antonio D. Archuleta, who was the Senator from Conejos County at the time.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Mineral County, Colorado - north * Rio Grande County, Colorado - northeast * Conejos County, Colorado - east *

Rio Arriba County, New Mexico Rio Arriba County is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 40,246. Its county seat is Tierra Amarilla. Its northern border is the Colorado state line. Rio Arriba County comprises the Española, N ...

- south *

San Juan County, New Mexico San Juan County is located in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 121,661 making it the fifth-most populous county in New Mexico. Its county seat is Aztec. The county was created in 1887. San Juan Count ...

- southwest *

La Plata County, Colorado La Plata County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,638. The county seat is Durango. The county was named for the La Plata River and the La Plata Mountains. "La plata" means "the ...

- west *

Hinsdale County, Colorado Hinsdale County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 788, making it the second-least populous county in Colorado. With a population density of only , it is also the least-densely populated ...

- northwest

Airport

* Stevens Field

Major Highways

U.S. Highway 84 * US 160

U.S. Highway 160 * Colorado 17

State Highway 17 * Colorado 151

State Highway 151

National protected areas

Rio Grande National Forest Rio Grande National Forest is a 1.86 million-acre (7,530 km²) U.S. National Forest located in southwestern Colorado. The forest encompasses the San Luis Valley, which is the world's largest agricultural alpine valley, as well as one of the ...

San Juan National Forest The San Juan National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering over 1,878,846 acres (2,935.7 sq mi, or 7,603.42 km²) in western Colorado. The forest occupies land in Archuleta, Conejos, Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, Montezu ...

Chimney Rock National Monument Chimney Rock National Monument is a U.S. National Monument in San Juan National Forest in southwestern Colorado which includes an archaeological site. This area is located in Archuleta County, Colorado, between Durango and Pagosa Springs, and ...

South San Juan Wilderness The South San Juan Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located in the San Juan National Forest, east of Pagosa Springs, in southern Colorado . The last known grizzly bear in Colorado was killed in the wilderness in 1979. Some believe that it ...

State protected area

* Navajo State Park

Scenic and historic trails

* Continental Divide National Scenic Trail * Old Spanish National Historic Trail

Waterways

* Chamita River * Dutton Creek * Little Navajo River * Martinez Creek * McCabe Creek * Mill Creek * Piedra River * Rio Blanco * Rio Chama * San Juan River * Stollsteimer Creek * Williams Creek

Demographics

According to the 2020 census, there were 13,359 people, 5,736 households living in the county. The average household size was 2.34 persons. The population density was 9.9 people per square mile (3.8/km²). As of 2021, there were 9,693 housing units at an average density of 7.2 per square mile (2.8/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the county was 90.9% White, 0.9% Black or African American, 3.8% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, and 3.1% from two or more races. 18.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. The age distribution was 4.1% under 5 years, 17.5% under 18 years, 51.1% between 18 and 64 years, and 27.3% 65 years or older. 49.9% were female. The median household income (in 2020 dollars) was $55,658. The per capita income for the county was $32,995. About 9.40% of the population were at or 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 t ...

Politics

As of January 2022, Archuleta County had approximately 10,696 active registered voters. There were 40.6% unaffiliated with a party, 38.3% Republican, 19.6% Democrat, .8% Libertarian, .2% Green, and .5% various other parties. Voting in the county tends to favor conservative choices, especially at the state and national level, but winning elections for unaffiliated local candidates are not uncommon.

Communities

Town

* Pagosa Springs

Census-designated place

* Arboles

Other unincorporated places

* Chimney Rock * Chromo * Juanita *Dyke **Apparently named for the first county sheriff (circa 1890) and later county commissioner, Wm. Dyke. It can be found listed on

USGS The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, a ...

and

FAA The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

maps.

Education

School districts include:
Text list
/ref> * Archuleta County School District 50-JT *

Bayfield School District 10 JT-R Bayfield may refer to: Boats * Bayfield 25, a Canadian sailboat design built in Bayfield Ontario. People *Bayfield (surname) Places *in the United States: **Bayfield, Colorado, a town **Bayfield, Indiana, an unincorporated community **Bayfield, M ...

* Ignacio School District 11-JT

References

External links

Archuleta County Government websiteColorado Historical Society
{{authority control 1885 establishments in Colorado Populated places established in 1885 Colorado counties