| Alamosa County, Colorado | |
Location in the state of Colorado |
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Colorado's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | March 8, 1913 |
|---|---|
| Named for | Spanish language word for a grove of cottonwood trees |
| Seat | Alamosa |
| Largest city | Alamosa |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
723.53 sq mi (1,874 km²) 722.74 sq mi (1,872 km²) 0.78 sq mi (2 km²), 0.11% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
14,966 20.7/sq mi (8.0/km²) |
| Time zone | Mountain: UTC-7/-6 |
| Website | www.alamosacounty.org |
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.[1] The county seat is Alamosa.
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Alamosa County was created by the Colorado legislature on March 8, 1913, out of northwestern Costilla County.
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 723.53 square miles (1,873.9 km2), of which 722.74 square miles (1,871.9 km2) (or 99.89%) is land and 0.78 square miles (2.0 km2) (or 0.11%) is water.[2]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1920 | 5,148 |
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| 1930 | 8,602 | 67.1% | |
| 1940 | 10,484 | 21.9% | |
| 1950 | 10,531 | 0.4% | |
| 1960 | 10,000 | −5.0% | |
| 1970 | 11,422 | 14.2% | |
| 1980 | 11,799 | 3.3% | |
| 1990 | 13,617 | 15.4% | |
| 2000 | 14,966 | 9.9% | |
| Est. 2009 | 15,424 | [3] | 3.1% |
| Source: County Populations For Colorado[4] | |||
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 14,966 people, 5,467 households, and 3,651 families residing in the county. The population density was 21 people per square mile (8/km²). There were 6,088 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3/km²). 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.
In 2000, the largest denominational groups were Catholics (with 5,716 members) and Evangelical Protestants (with 1,755 members).[6] The largest religious bodies were The Catholic Church (with 5,716 adherents) and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (with 1,155 adherents).[6]
Alamosa County has used the following county codes on Colorado license plates issued to passenger vehicles in the county: XE-XG and EAA-ABD. [2]
Alamosa is served by San Luis Valley Regional Airport. The only commercial service is to Denver.
| Saguache County | ||||
| Rio Grande County | Huerfano County and Costilla County | |||
| Alamosa County, Colorado | ||||
| Conejos County |
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