Rio Blanco County is a
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers 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 sover ...
of
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 ...
. As of the
2020 census, the population was 6,529.
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 ...
is
Meeker.
The name of the county is the
Spanish language
Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...
name for the
White River which runs through it.
History
Rio Blanco County was created on March 25, 1889, when it was split from Garfield County. The town of Meeker became the county seat.
On May 17, 1973, Rio Blanco County became one of two counties in Colorado to have a
peaceful nuclear explosion
Peaceful nuclear explosions (PNEs) are nuclear explosions conducted for non-military purposes. Proposed uses include excavation for the building of canals and harbours, electrical generation, the use of nuclear explosions to drive spacecraft, and a ...
as a part of
Operation Plowshare
Project Plowshare was the overall United States program for the development of techniques to use nuclear explosives for peaceful construction purposes. The program was organized in June 1957 as part of the worldwide Atoms for Peace efforts. As ...
. There were three nearly simultaneous explosions targeted at fracking oil, all detonated as
Project Rio Blanco
Project Rio Blanco was an underground nuclear test that took place on May 17, 1973 in Rio Blanco County, Colorado, approximately 36 miles (58 km) northwest of Rifle.
Three 33-kiloton nuclear devices were detonated nearly simultaneously in ...
. The other county is
Garfield County under
Project Rulison
Project Rulison, named after the rural community of Rulison, Colorado, was an underground 40-kiloton nuclear test project in the United States on September 10, 1969, about SE of the town of Grand Valley, Colorado (now named Parachute, Col ...
.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.06%) is water.
Adjacent counties
*
Moffat County - north
*
Routt County
Routt County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,829. The county seat is Steamboat Springs. Routt County comprises the Steamboat Springs, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
P ...
- northeast
*
Garfield County - south
*
Uintah County
Uintah County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2020 United States Census the population was 35,620. Its county seat and largest city is Vernal. The county was named for the portion of the Ute Indian tribe that lived in the b ...
,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
- west
Major Highways
*
State Highway 13
*
State Highway 64
*
State Highway 139
National protected areas
*
Routt National Forest Routt may refer to:
;Places
In the United States:
* Routt, Louisville, Kentucky
*Routt County, Colorado
;People
*Joe Routt
*John Long Routt
*Stanford Routt
Stanford Bermond Routt (born July 26, 1983) is a former American football cornerback. Aft ...
*
White River National Forest
White River National Forest is a United States National Forest, National Forest in northwest Colorado. It is named after the White River (Green River), White River that passes through its northern section. It is the most visited National Forest ...
*
Flat Tops Wilderness
Flat Tops Wilderness Area is the second largest U.S. Wilderness Area in Colorado. It is , with in Routt National Forest and in White River National Forest. It was designated a wilderness area in 1975. Trappers Lake, located in the north of the ...
Scenic byways
*
Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway National Scenic Byway
The Dinosaur Diamond is a scenic and historic byway loop through the dinosaur fossil laden Uinta Basin of the U.S. states of Utah and Colorado. The byway comprises the following two National Scenic Byways:
*The Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric High ...
*
Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway
State parks and wildlife areas
*
Colorow Mountain State Wildlife Area
Demographics
At the
2000 census there were 5,986 people, 2,306 households, and 1,646 families living in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile (1/km
2). There were 2,855 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0/km
2). 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 95.01% White, 0.18% Black or African American, 0.77% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 2.02% from other races, and 1.74% from two or more races. 4.94% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 2,306 households 35.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.10% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.60% were non-families. 24.80% of households were one person and 8.70% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.98.
The age distribution was 26.50% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 25.60% from 45 to 64, and 11.20% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 101.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.60 males.
The median household income was $37,711 and the median family income was $44,425. Males had a median income of $38,125 versus $19,940 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,344. About 6.70% of families and 9.60% 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 t ...
, including 11.60% of those under age 18 and 10.40% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Rio Blanco is an overwhelmingly Republican county in Presidential elections. It was along with
Clark County, Idaho
Clark County is a rural county in the U.S. state of Idaho; its county seat and largest city is Dubois. As of the 2020 Census, the county had a population of 790, making it the least populous county in the state.
History
Establishment of stag ...
and
Kane County, Utah
Kane County is a county in the U.S. state of Utah. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 7,125. Its county seat and largest city is Kanab.
History
The county was created on January 16, 1864, by the Utah Territory legislature, ...
one of only three counties west of the
Continental Divide
A continental divide is a drainage divide on a continent such that the drainage basin on one side of the divide feeds into one ocean or sea, and the basin on the other side either feeds into a different ocean or sea, or else is endorheic, not ...
to vote for
Alf Landon
Alfred Mossman Landon (September 9, 1887October 12, 1987) was an American oilman and politician who served as the 26th governor of Kansas from 1933 to 1937. A member of the Republican Party, he was the party's nominee in the 1936 presidential ...
over
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
in 1936. In that election Rio Blanco was Landon's strongest county in the eleven western states, marginally shading normal Republican “banner county” Kane. Since that time only two Democrats –
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
in 1948 and
Lyndon Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...
who narrowly carried the county in 1964 – have obtained over forty percent of the county's vote. In fact, since 1968 only one Democratic presidential candidate, Michael Dukakis in 1988, and him only very marginally, has topped thirty percent of Rio Blanco County's ballots.
In other statewide elections, Rio Blanco County also leans Republican, although it was carried by Democrat
Roy Romer
Roy Rudolf Romer (born October 31, 1928) is an American politician who served as the List of governors of Colorado, 39th Governor of Colorado from 1987 to 1999, and subsequently as the Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, su ...
in 1990 – when he carried all but four counties statewide – and by Constitution Party candidate
Tom Tancredo
Thomas Gerard Tancredo (; born December 20, 1945) is an American politician from Colorado, who represented the state's sixth congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to 2009 as a Republican. He ran for Presi ...
in 2010. Rio Blanco County was also carried by Democratic Senatorial candidate
“Nighthorse” Campbell in 1992, although since then no Democratic candidate for this office has surpassed thirty percent since.
Communities
Towns
*
Meeker (county seat)
*
Rangely
Unincorporated communities
*
Buford Buford may refer to:
Places
United States
*Buford, Arkansas
*Buford, Colorado, an unincorporated community
* Buford, Georgia
*Buford Highway corridor, in Fulton, DeKalb, and Gwinnett Counties in Georgia
* Buford, North Dakota
*Buford, Ohio
*Bufo ...
*
White River City
See also
*
Outline of Colorado
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the U.S. state of Colorado:
Colorado – 22nd most populous, the eighth most extensive, and the highest in average elevation of the 50 United States. Colorado ...
*
Index of Colorado-related articles
This is an alphabetical list of articles related to the U.S. State of Colorado.
0–9
* .co.us – Internet second-level domain for the State of Colorado
* 4 Corners
** 4 Corners Monument
* 6th Principal Meridian
* 10-mile Range
* 10t ...
*
References
External links
Rio Blanco County Government websiteColorado Historical Society
{{authority control
Colorado counties
1889 establishments in Colorado
Populated places established in 1889