Saguache County (suh-WATCH ) 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 sove ...
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 6,368.
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 st ...
is
Saguache.
History
Saguache County was formed December 29, 1866 in the
Territory of Colorado when it was extracted from the northern half of
Costilla County. A partition from
Lake County on February 9, 1872, added the northwest section of the present-day county.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.05%) is water.
It is the 7th largest of Colorado's
64 counties.
Adjacent counties
*
Chaffee County - north
*
Fremont County - northeast
*
Custer County - east
*
Huerfano County - southeast
*
Rio Grande County - south
*
Alamosa County - south
*
Mineral County - southwest
*
Hinsdale County - southwest
*
Gunnison County - northwest
Major Highways
*
U.S. Highway 285
*
State Highway 17
*
State Highway 112
*
State Highway 114
National protected areas
*
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is an American national park that conserves an area of large sand dunes up to tall on the eastern edge of the San Luis Valley, and an adjacent national preserve in the Sangre de Cristo Range, in sou ...
*
Great Sand Dunes Wilderness
*
Gunnison National Forest
*
La Garita Wilderness
*
Rio Grande National Forest
Rio Grande National Forest is a 1.86 million-acre (7,530 km²) U.S. National Forest located in southwestern Colorado. The forest encompasses the San Luis Valley, which is the world's largest agricultural alpine valley, as well as one of the ...
*
Sangre de Cristo Wilderness
The Sangre de Cristo Wilderness is a long and narrow wilderness area covering of the Sangre de Cristo Range centered about Saguache and Custer counties, Colorado. Smaller areas are located in Fremont, Alamosa, and Huerfano counties. The wild ...
Trails and byways
*
Colorado Trail
*
Continental Divide National Scenic Trail
*
Great Parks Bicycle Route
*
Liberty Road historic mail route open to foot, horse, and bicycle travel between Crestone and the ghost towns of Duncan and Liberty crossing the Baca Mountain Tract
Rio Grande National Forest
Rio Grande National Forest is a 1.86 million-acre (7,530 km²) U.S. National Forest located in southwestern Colorado. The forest encompasses the San Luis Valley, which is the world's largest agricultural alpine valley, as well as one of the ...
.
*
Medano Pass Primitive Road
*
Montville Nature Trail
*
Mosca Pass Trail
*
Old Spanish National Historic Trail
*
Sand Ramp Trail, a
hiking trail within the
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is an American national park that conserves an area of large sand dunes up to tall on the eastern edge of the San Luis Valley, and an adjacent national preserve in the Sangre de Cristo Range, in sou ...
which skirts the east and north of the dune field.
Hiking and Backpacking
accessed July 16, 2010
* Western Express Bicycle Route
Demographics
As of the census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2000, there were 5,917 people, 2,300 households, and 1,557 families living in the county. The population density
Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...
was 2 people per square mile (1/km2). There were 3,087 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 71.29% White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 0.12% Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...
or African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 2.06% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 23.00% from other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 3.08% from two or more races. 45.26% of the population were Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or Latino of any race.
There were 2,300 households, out of which 33.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.70% were married couples living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.30% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.70% 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 3.15.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.40% under the age of 18, 7.90% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 26.90% from 45 to 64, and 10.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 101.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $25,495, and the median income for a family was $29,405. Males had a median income of $25,158 versus $18,862 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the county was $13,121. About 18.70% of families and 22.60% 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 t ...
, including 27.60% of those under age 18 and 12.50% of those age 65 or over.
Politics
Like many Colorado counties with a strong Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
presence, Saguache leans Democratic in Presidential elections. The last Republican to carry the county was Ronald Reagan in 1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...
.
Communities
Towns
* Bonanza
*Center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
* Crestone
*Moffat
Moffat ( gd, Mofad) is a burgh and parish in Dumfriesshire, now part of the Dumfries and Galloway local authority area in Scotland. It lies on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. It was a centre of the wool trade and a spa town.
...
* Saguache
Unincorporated Communities
*Alder
Alders are trees comprising the genus ''Alnus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few sp ...
* Bonita
* Chester
* Duncan
*Iris
Iris most often refers to:
*Iris (anatomy), part of the eye
*Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess
* ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants
* Iris (color), an ambiguous color term
Iris or IRIS may also refer to:
Arts and media
Fictional ent ...
* Kerper
* La Garita
*Liberty
Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom.
In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...
* Mineral Hot Springs
* Parkville
* Sargents
* Spook City
* Villa Grove
National Register of Historic Places
Saguache County has nine locations listed in the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
.
See also
* Outline of Colorado
* Index of Colorado-related articles
* Colorado counties
* Colorado municipalities
* State of Colorado
References
Further reading
*Lindsey, D.A. et al. (1985). ''Mineral resources of the Black Canyon and South Piney Creek Wilderness Study Areas, Saguache County, Colorado'' .S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1716-A Washington, D.C.: U.S Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
External links
*
Crestone and Saguache County Visitor's Agency website
Colorado Historical Society
*
{{authority control
Colorado counties
Colorado placenames of Native American origin
1866 establishments in Colorado Territory
San Luis Valley of Colorado
Populated places established in 1866