Conejos County, Colorado
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Conejos County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of 2000, the population is 8,400. The county seat is Conejos.
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[edit] History
Conejos County was one of the original 17 counties created by the Colorado legislature on November 1, 1861, although it was created as Guadalupe County and renamed Conejos a week later, on November 7. It was named after the Conejos River in the area. Also early in its existence, the county seat was moved from the town of Guadalupe to Conejos. The original boundaries of the county had it extend much of the southwestern corner of Colorado.
In 1874, most of the western and northern portions of the county were broken away to form parts of Hinsdale, La Plata and Rio Grande counties, and Conejos County achieved its modern borders in 1885 when its western half was taken to create Archuleta County.
[edit] Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3,343 km² (1,291 mi²). 3,334 km² (1,287 mi²) of it is land and 9 km² (4 mi²) of it (0.28%) is water.
Conejos County is in a broad high mountain valley in South Central Colorado. It has an area of approximately 825,446 acres in 1,290 square miles. Roughly half the area is on the nearly level floor of the valley, where the average elevation is about 7,700 feet. The western half of the county ranges from gently rolling to steep foothills with mountains that rise in elevation to about 13,000 feet.
Conejos County is situated with the National Forest to the west and the Rio Grande River to the east, along Colorado's southern border with the state of New Mexico. Only about 34 percent of Conejos County is privately owned with the other 66 percent being National Forest, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or State owned lands.
[edit] Adjacent Counties
- Rio Grande County, Colorado - north
- Alamosa County, Colorado - northeast
- Costilla County, Colorado - east
- Taos County, New Mexico - southeast
- Rio Arriba County, New Mexico - south
- Archuleta County, Colorado - west
[edit] Photographs of Sites Within Conejos County
Photographs Various Points of Interest in Conejos County
[edit] Climate
In winter, the average temperature is 21.6 degrees Fahrenheit, and the average daily minimum temperature is 4 degrees. In summer, the average temperature is 61.4 degrees, and the average maximum temperature is 79.6 degrees.
Seventy-one percent of the annual precipitation falls in the months of April through September. Average seasonal snowfall is 28 inches. The average relative humidity in mid-afternoon in spring is less than 35 percent; during the rest of the year, it is about 45 percent. The percentage of possible sunshine is 77 in the summer and 73 in the winter.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 8,400 people, 2,980 households, and 2,211 families residing in the county. The population density was 3/km² (6/mi²). There were 3,886 housing units at an average density of 1/km² (3/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 72.76% White, 0.21% Black or African American, 1.69% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 21.50% from other races, and 3.61% from two or more races. 58.92% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 2,980 households out of which 38.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.30% were married couples living together, 12.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.80% were non-families. 23.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.33.
In the county the population was spread out with 32.10% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 23.60% from 25 to 44, 20.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 98.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $24,744, and the median income for a family was $29,066. Males had a median income of $26,351 versus $20,200 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,050. About 18.60% of families and 23.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.20% of those under age 18 and 17.30% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Cities, Towns & Villages
- Antonito
- Bear Creek
- Bountiful
- Canon
- Capulin
- Carmel
- Conejos
- La Florida
- Elk Creek
- Fox Creek
- Guadalupe
- Horca
- La Jara
- La Sauses
- Las Mesitas
- Lobatos
- Manassa
- Mogote
- Ortiz
- Osier
- Platoro
- Richfield
- Rincones
- Romeo
- San Antonio
- Sanford
- Sheep Creek
[edit] Attractions & Tourism Links
- SLV Dweller - A website dedicated to all things San Luis Valley.
- Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad
[edit] Religious History
The city of Conejos is the location of the oldest church in Colorado, called Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. This church was constructed in 1856. The first settlers into the area were from New Mexico, primarily from Abiquiu, San Juan de los Caballeros y Santa Cruz. As more people arrived, mission churches were set up and all had the records housed with Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish.
When the neighboring town of Antonito was built, the Theatines, priests from Spain came into the area and built St. Augustine church in 1880 within Antonito. The church records from Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish are now housed at the church offices of Saint Agustine. Conejos is approximately a mile northwest of Antonito.
Presbyterians came into Conejos County in 1880 establishing churches in Antonito, Alamosa, Cenicero, Del Norte, Mogote, San Rafael, and Monte Vista. They also established schools in the area and had a large number of Hispanic converts. A jacal went up in 1854 in Guadalupe, now known as Conejos, which was the beginning of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish.
There is also a large Mormon population within Conejos County. These Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS) settlers began settling in the towns of La Jara, Manassa and Sanford where each town also has an LDS church.
