Mosca is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and a

U.S. Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the Federal government of the Uni ...

Alamosa County Alamosa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,376. The county seat is Alamosa. The county name is the Spanish language word for a " grove of cottonwood trees." History Alamosa ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the 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 western edge of t ...

, United States. It was named for the nearby

Mosca Pass Mosca Pass, elevation , is a mountain pass in Alamosa and Huerfano counties in the Sangre de Cristo Range in southern Colorado. The pass lies on the eastern border of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve about 40 miles west of Walsenb ...

, which was named for the Spanish explorer,

Luis de Moscoso Alvarado Luis de Moscoso Alvarado (1505–1551) was a Spanish explorer and conquistador. Luis de Moscoso Alvarado assumed command of Hernando De Soto's expedition upon the latter's death. Early life Luis de Moscoso Alvarado was born in Badajoz, Spain, t ...

. The Mosca Post Office has the ZIP Code 81146.

Geography

Mosca is located at (37.647675,-105.874043). The elevation of Mosca is 7,559 feet (2304 meters).

Climate

The climate in this area is characterized by warm to hot, dry summers, and cold to freezing winters. According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Mosca has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Nearby attractions

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is an American national park that conserves an area of large sand dunes up to tall on the eastern edge of the San Luis Valley, and an adjacent national preserve in the Sangre de Cristo Range, in south- ...

(including the Superintendent's Residence and Indian Grove) *

Colorado Gators Reptile Park Colorado Gators Reptile Park was opened to the public in 1990, in Mosca, Colorado, United States. Located north of Alamosa, Colorado, it started as a tilapia farm in 1977, and now includes a bird sanctuary, reptile rescue, education, and display ...

UFO Watchtower The UFO Watchtower is an observation platform and campground north of Hooper, Colorado. The watchtower, which has a 360-degree view of the San Luis Valley, was created by Judy Messoline in May 2000 to capitalize on the existing use of the propert ...

Trujillo Homesteads The Trujillo Homesteads are a historic ranch site near Mosca, Alamosa County, Colorado, not far from the Great Sand Dunes National Park. The area was first settled in the 1860s by Teofilo Trujillo, a Mexican sheep farmer. His son Pedro built a ...

Power Plants

San Luis Valley Solar Ranch The San Luis Valley Solar Ranch is a 30 megawatt ( MWAC) photovoltaic power station in the San Luis Valley, located near the town of Mosca, Colorado. It was the largest solar facility in the state when it came online at the end of 2011. ...

Hooper Solar PV Power Plant The Hooper Solar PV Power Plant is a 50 megawatt ( MWAC) photovoltaic power station in the San Luis Valley, located near the town of Mosca, Colorado. It was the largest solar facility in the state when it came online at the end of 2015. ...

Greater Sandhill Solar Plant The Greater Sandhill Solar Plant is a 19 megawatt ( MWAC) photovoltaic power station in the San Luis Valley, located near the town of Mosca, Colorado. It was the largest solar facility in the state when it came online at the end of 2010. ...

Alamosa Solar Generating Project The Alamosa Solar Generating Plant is a 35.3 Watt-peak, MWp (30.0 Watt-peak AC, MWAC) concentrator photovoltaics (CPV) power station, the largest in the world when it was completed, in May 2012. It is currently the world's List o ...

Alamosa Photovoltaic Power Plant Alamosa Photovoltaic Power Plant, is a 7.7 MWAC (8.2 MWp) photovoltaic power station located in San Luis Valley, Colorado. The facility was the largest in the United States to service a major public utility when its activation was a ...

Economy

FairPoint Communications FairPoint Communications, Inc. was headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and operated communication services in 31 markets in 17 states, mostly in rural areas. FairPoint services include local and long distance phone service, data, Interne ...

operated the Columbine Telecom Company in the community.

Education

Mosca is served by the Sangre de Cristo School District Re-22J. It is home to Sangre de Cristo Elementary School and Sangre de Cristo Undivided High School.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Alamosa County, Colorado Unincorporated communities in Colorado