Chaffee 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 sov ...
of
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, 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 wes ...
. As of the
2020 census, the population was 19,476.
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 ...
is
Salida.
History
Chaffee County has a confusing origin. Between February 8 and February 10, 1879,
Carbonate County was created by the Colorado legislature out of northern
Lake County. On February 10 the two counties were renamed, with the southern part of Lake County becoming Chaffee County, and Carbonate County becoming Lake County. Chaffee County is known as the “Heart of the Rockies”. It was named for
Jerome B. Chaffee,
Colorado's first United States Senator.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water.
Adjacent counties
*
Lake County - north
*
Park County - northeast
*
Fremont County - southeast
*
Saguache County - south
*
Gunnison County - west
*
Pitkin County - northwest
Major Highways
*
U.S. Highway 24
U.S. Route 24 (US 24) is one of the original United States highways of 1926. It originally ran from Pontiac, Michigan, in the east to Kansas City, Missouri, in the west. Today, the highway's eastern terminus is in Independence Township, Mic ...
*
U.S. Highway 50
*
U.S. Highway 285
*
State Highway 291
*
State Highway 306
National protected areas
*
Browns Canyon National Monument
Browns Canyon National Monument is a national monument in Chaffee County, Colorado, that was designated as such by President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th ...
*
Buffalo Peaks Wilderness
*
Collegiate Peaks Wilderness
The Collegiate Peaks Wilderness is a area located in central Colorado between Leadville and Buena Vista to the east and Aspen to the west and Crested Butte to the southwest. Most of the area is in the San Isabel and Gunnison National Forests, ...
*
San Isabel National Forest
San Isabel National Forest is located in central Colorado. The forest contains 19 of the state's 53 fourteeners, peaks over high, including Mount Elbert, the highest point in Colorado.
It is one of eleven national forests in the state of Colo ...
Recreation area
*
Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area
Trails
*
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 t ...
*
Colorado Trail
*
Continental Divide National Scenic Trail
Bicycle routes
*
Great Parks Bicycle Route
*
Western Express Bicycle Route
Demographics
At the
2000 census there were 16,242 people, 6,584 households, and 4,365 families living in the county. The population density was 16 people per square mile (6/km
2). There were 8,392 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3/km
2). The
racial makeup of the county was 90.94% White, 1.58% Black or African American, 1.09% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.21% from other races, and 1.69% from two or more races. 8.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
Of the 6,584 households 25.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.70% were married couples living together, 6.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.70% were non-families. 28.40% of households were one person and 11.20% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.77.
The age distribution was 19.70% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 27.50% from 45 to 64, and 17.00% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 113.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 116.20 males.
The median household income was $34,368 and the median family income was $42,043. Males had a median income of $30,770 versus $22,219 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,430. About 7.40% of families and 11.70% 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 17.30% of those under age 18 and 10.20% of those age 65 or over.
Chaffee County is also home to a source of water that Arrowhead water uses for some water bottles. The source is Ruby Mountain Springs.
Politics
Chaffee County is a bellwether county, having supported the winner of 8 out of the last 11 presidential elections. The most recent election where Chaffee County supported the presidential loser was in 2008, when John McCain won the county despite Barack Obama winning decisively nationally and statewide.
Communities
City
*
Salida
Towns
*
Buena Vista
*
Poncha Springs
Census-designated places
*
Garfield
''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976, then in nationwide Print syndication, syndication from 1978 as ''Garfield'', it chronicles the life of the t ...
*
Johnson Village
*
Maysville
*
Nathrop
*
Smeltertown
Unincorporated communities
*
Alpine
*
Americus
*
Belleview Belleview can refer to:
* Belleview (Middletown, Delaware), listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in southern New Castle County, Delaware
* Belleview (Harrods Creek, Kentucky), listed on the National Register of Historic Pl ...
*
Browns Canon
*
Centerville
*
Cleora
*
Futurity
*
Granite
Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies unde ...
*
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilto ...
*
Newett
*
Princeton
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...
*
Riverside
*
Rockdale
*
St. Elmo
*
Stonewall
*
Turret
Ghost towns
*
St. Elmo
*
Vicksburg
*
Winfield
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
* 10th ...
*
National Register of Historic Places listings in Chaffee County, Colorado
References
External links
Cultural, Historical and Archeological ResourcesChaffee County Clerk of CourtChaffee County Government websiteColorado Historical SocietyGeologic Map of the Harvard Lakes 7.5ʹ Quadrangle, Park and Chaffee Counties, ColoradoUnited States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...
{{authority control
Chaffee County, Colorado,
1879 establishments in Colorado
Colorado counties
Populated places established in 1879