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Otero County is a county 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 so ...
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 18,690. 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 La Junta. The county was named for Miguel Antonio Otero, one of the founders of the town of La Junta and a member of a prominent
Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
family.


Geography

According to the
U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...
, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.6%) is water.


Adjacent counties

* Crowley County - north * Kiowa County - northeast * Bent County - east * Las Animas County - south * Pueblo County - west


Major highways

* U.S. Highway 50 * U.S. Highway 350 * State Highway 10 * State Highway 71 * State Highway 109 * State Highway 167 * State Highway 207 * State Highway 266


National protected areas

* Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site * Comanche National Grassland * Santa Fe National Historic Trail


Trails and byways

*
American Discovery Trail The American Discovery Trail is a system of recreational trails and roads that collectively form a coast-to-coast hiking and biking trail across the mid-tier of the United States. Horses can also be ridden on most of this trail. The coastal tr ...
* Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byway


Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 20,311 people, 7,920 households, and 5,472 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 8,813 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 79.02% White, 0.76% Black or African American, 1.43% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 15.06% from other races, and 2.96% from two or more races. 37.62% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 7,920 households 32.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.70% were married couples living together, 12.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 27.80% of households were one person and 12.90% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.04. The age distribution was 26.90% under the age of 18, 8.90% from 18 to 24, 24.40% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 16.50% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.50 males. The median household income was $29,738 and the median family income was $35,906. Males had a median income of $26,996 versus $21,001 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,113. About 14.20% of families and 18.80% 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 25.90% of those under age 18 and 11.80% of those age 65 or over.


Politics

Otero is a strongly Republican county, although less so than the counties of the Colorado High Plains. It was last won for the Democratic Party by
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
in 1996. Before that, Otero tended to be a Republican-leaning county at the Presidential level, although it did vote for Wilson twice, FDR in 1932 and 1936, Truman in 1948 and Lyndon Johnson in 1964.


Communities


Cities

* La Junta * Rocky Ford


Towns

*
Cheraw The Cheraw people, also known as the Saraw or Saura,Sebeok, Thomas Albert''Native Languages of the Americas, Volume 2.''Plenum Press, 1977: 251. were a Siouan-speaking tribe of Indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands,Swanton''The Indians ...
* Fowler * Manzanola * Swink


Census-designated places

* La Junta Gardens * North La Junta


See also

*
Bibliography of Colorado This is a bibliography of the U.S. State of Colorado. __TOC__ General history * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Sibley, George. ''Water Wranglers - The 75-Year History of the Colorado River District: A Story About the Embattled Co ...
*
Geography of Colorado The geography of the U.S. State of Colorado is diverse, encompassing rugged mountainous terrain, vast plains, desert lands, desert canyons, and mesas. Colorado is a landlocked U.S. state. In 1861, the United States Congress defined the boun ...
*
History of Colorado The region that is today the U.S. state of Colorado has been inhabited by Native Americans and their Paleoamerican ancestors for at least 13,500 years and possibly more than 37,000 years. The eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains was a major mi ...
** G.W. Swink, pioneer county commissioner ** National Register of Historic Places listings in Otero County, 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 * 10 ...
*
List of Colorado-related lists The following two master lists include links to lists related to the United States, U.S. Colorado, State of Colorado. #Colorado-related lists by topic #Alphabetical list of Colorado-related lists Colorado-related lists by topic General lists *Bib ...
**
List of counties in Colorado The U.S. State of Colorado is divided into 64 counties. Two of these, the City and County of Denver, which serves as the state capital, and the City and County of Broomfield, have consolidated city and county governments. In addition to Denv ...
*
Outline of Colorado The following Outline (list), outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the U.S. state of Colorado: Colorado – List of U.S. states and territories by population#State and territory rankings, 22nd most populous, the Lis ...


References


External links


Otero County Homepage
{{coord, 37.90, -103.71, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-CO_source:UScensus1990 Colorado counties 1889 establishments in Colorado Eastern Plains Populated places established in 1889