'Alamosa County' is one of the
64 counties of the
State of Colorado of the
United States. The county name is the
Spanish language word for a "
grove of
cottonwood trees." The county population was 14,966 at
U.S. Census 2000.
[ Annual County Population Estimates and Estimated Components of Change: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 (CO-EST2006-alldata) ] The
county seat is the
City of Alamosa.
History
Alamosa County was created by the Colorado legislature on
March 8,
1913 out of northeastern
Costilla County.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,874
km² (724
mi²). 1,872 km² (723 mi²) of it is land and 2 km² (1 mi²) of it (0.11%) is water.

Alamosa County, Colorado
Adjacent Counties
★
Saguache County, Colorado - north
★
Huerfano County, Colorado - east
★
Costilla County, Colorado - east
★
Conejos County, Colorado - southwest
★
Rio Grande County, Colorado - west
Demographics
As of the
census2 of 2000, there were 14,966 people, 5,467 households, and 3,651 families residing in the county. The
population density was 8/km² (21/mi²). There were 6,088 housing units at an average density of 3/km² (8/mi²). 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.
There were 5,467 households out of which 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 all households were made up of individuals and 8.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the county the population was spread out with 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% who were 65 years of age 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 income for a household in the county was $29,447, and the median income for a family 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, including 27.40% of those under age 18 and 13.90% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
★
Alamosa
★
Alamosa East
★
Hooper
★
Mosca
National park
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Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Other protected areas
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Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge
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Great Sand Dunes Wilderness
★
Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge
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Rio Grande National Forest
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San Luis State Park
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Sangre de Cristo Wilderness
Scenic byway and historic trail
★
Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic and Historic Byway
★
Old Spanish National Historic Trail
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.
[1]
Transportation
Alamosa is served by
San Luis Valley Regional Airport. The only commercial service is to Denver.
See also
★
Colorado census statistical areas
★
Colorado counties
★
Colorado municipalities
External links
★
Alamosa County Government website
References