:Pueblo, Colorado

{{Main|Early history of the Arkansas Valley in Colorado}}

James Beckwourth, George Simpson, and other trappers such as Mathew Kinkead and John Brown, claimed to have helped construct the plaza that became known as El Pueblo around 1842.{{cite book

| last = Broadhead

| title = Fort Pueblo

| year = 1995

| page = 1

| no-pp = true

}} According to accounts of residents who traded at the plaza (including that of George Simpson), the Fort Pueblo Massacre happened sometime between December 23 and 25, 1854, by a war party of Utes and Jicarilla Apaches under the leadership of Tierra Blanca, a Ute chief.{{cite book

| last = Broadhead

| title = Fort Pueblo

| year = 1942

| page = 23

| no-pp = true

}} They allegedly killed between fifteen and nineteen men, as well as captured two children and one woman.{{cite book|last=Lecompte|first=Janet|title=Pueblo, Hardscrabble, Greenhorn: The Upper Arkansas, 1832-1856|year=1978|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|location=Norman, Oklahoma|isbn=0-8061-1462-2|pages=35–53, 54–62, 63–85, 246–253|quote=Sometime during the winter of 1841-42 George Simpson and Robert Fisher met with other men and planned the Pueblo.}} The trading post was abandoned after the raid, but it became important again between 1858 and 1859 during the Colorado Gold Rush of 1859.{{cite book

| last =Dodds

| title=Pueblo

| year = 1982

| pages=16, 23

| no-pp =true

}}

File:Colorado - Pueblo - NARA - 23936131 (cropped).jpg

The current city of Pueblo represents the consolidation of four towns: Pueblo (incorporated 1870), South Pueblo (incorporated 1873), Central Pueblo (incorporated 1882), and Bessemer (incorporated 1886). Pueblo, South Pueblo, and Central Pueblo legally consolidated as the City of Pueblo between March 9 and April 6, 1886. Bessemer joined Pueblo in 1894.

{{cite book

| last =Aschermann

| title=Winds in the Cornfields

| year = 1994

| page = 51

}}

{{cite book

| last =Dodds

| title=They All Came To Pueblo

| year = 1994

| page = 168

}}

{{cite book

| last =Dodds

| title=Pueblo

| year = 1982

| pages = 54, 63

| no-pp =true

}}

The consolidated city became a major economic and social center of Colorado, and was home to important early Colorado families such as the Thatchers, the Ormans, and the Adams. By the early 1870s the city was being hailed as a beacon of development, with newspapers like the Chicago Tribune boasting of how the region's lawless reputation was giving way to orderly agriculture with triumphalist rhetoric. One author crowed of Pueblo that "the necessity exists no longer for Sharp's rifles and revolvers. These have been [supplanted] by the plow and the mowing-machine."{{Cite journal|title = Pueblo: a Glimpse of Life in Southern Colorado|date = April 16, 1873|journal = Chicago Tribune}}

Pueblo's development stretched beyond agriculture. Steel emerged as a key industry very early, and in 1909 the city was considered the only steel town west of the Mississippi River.{{Cite journal|title = Pueblo has Been Developed into Great Steel City by Vast Industry of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Co.|date = September 17, 1909|journal = Christian Science Monitor}}

Until a series of major floods culminated in the Great Flood of 1921,{{cite web| url = https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025514/1921-06-11/ed-1/seq-2/#date1=06%2F01%2F1921&index=6&date2=07%2F31%2F1921&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=flood+Flood+FLOOD+flooded+Flooded+flooding+floods&proxdistance=5&state=Colorado&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=Flooding&phrasetext=&andtext=&dateFilterType=range&page=1| title = The Colorado statesman. [volume], June 11, 1921, Image 2 estimated that 500 out of 575 flood fatalities came from Pueblo Chronicling America accessed OCtober 6.2020| date =June 11, 1921}} Pueblo was considered the 'Saddle-Making capital of the World'. Roughly one-third of Pueblo's downtown businesses were lost in this flood, along with a substantial number of buildings. Pueblo struggled with this significant loss, but has had a resurgence in growth.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}}

Historically, many people were influenced by the orphanages of Pueblo, and the homes are now all historical sites. The three orphanages in Pueblo were known as Sacred Heart, Lincoln, and McClelland. Lincoln was the first historically black orphanage in Colorado, and one of only seven in the country. Sacred Heart was run by the Catholic Welfare Bureau, while McClelland was run by the Lutheran Church. Several children from Cuba were placed at Sacred Heart as part of "Operation Pedro Pan". Though the orphanages in Pueblo are no longer in service, the buildings still exist and have transformed with the times. According to the Rocky Mountain News, in 1988 the Sacred Heart Orphanage was bought by the Pueblo Housing Authority and turned into 40 small-family housing units.{{Cite journal|title = Sacred Heart Orphanage bought by the Pueblo Housing Authority |date = May 29, 1988|journal = Rocky Mountain News}}

File:Pueblo Colorado Business District Flood 1921.JPG magazine (1921)]]

{{Main|Colorado Fuel and Iron}}

The main industry in Pueblo for most of its history was the Colorado Fuel and Iron (CF&I) Steel Mill on the south side of town. For nearly a century the CF&I was the largest employer in the state of Colorado. The steel-market crash of 1982 led to the decline of the company. After several bankruptcies, the company was acquired by Oregon Steel Mills and changed its name to Rocky Mountain Steel Mills. The buyout, as well as the end of the union contract in 1997 led to a union strike over pension liabilities, as well as working conditions, wherein the union argued the new owners still needed to pay the pension liabilities provided by the previous owners. With the conclusion of the strike on December 30, 1997, CF&I had replaced several hundred union workers with local employees.{{Cite web |last=Berry |first=Brian |date=March 2000 |year=2000 |title=The Heroes of Pueblo |url=https://wooster.summon.serialssolutions.com/#!/search?bookMark=eNpNzD1rwzAUhWENKTRJs3UtuHMxSJYs644h9CMQaAfvRpauP4qxU13p_9cQKF3O8j6cHTvYFAec4-hsRL9hW8ErlQsN_J7tiL4554UwsGWP9YDZgGFBypYu-0rYTssDu-vsRHhgmxgS7ln99lqfPvLL5_v5dLzkvVEyN8Jr6bkHX4lCGWjRAddWKQeI0koHYDVoV8quLEzRopDGtl65ShquK5B79ny7vYblJyHFJuB1CZGaQkjBNYBczdPN9HbCZpy7JQbrGi20rEowa3_519tE44y0Do39EKm3iag5_ulf2ZZPyA |url-access=limited |access-date=January 26, 2023 |website=EBSCOHOST |series=Volume 16, Issue 3 |publisher=New Steel}}

In September 2004, both United Steelworkers locals 2102 and 3267 won the strike and the unfair labor practice charges. All of the striking steel workers returned to their jobs, and the company paid them the back pay owed for the seven years they were on strike. In 2007, shortly after Oregon Steel made amends with the union and its workers, Evraz Group, one of Russia's biggest steel producers, agreed to buy the company for $2.3 billion.{{cite web|url=http://www.chieftain.com/metro/russian-steel-giant-to-buy-oregon-steel/article_d51a1587-a249-5f23-8aca-89028033acbd.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120723232110/http://www.chieftain.com/metro/russian-steel-giant-to-buy-oregon-steel/article_d51a1587-a249-5f23-8aca-89028033acbd.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 23, 2012 |title=Russian steel giant to buy Oregon Steel - Pueblo Chieftain: Metro |publisher=Chieftain.com |date=November 21, 2006 |access-date=May 26, 2012 }}

Of the many production and fabrication mills that once existed on the site, only the steel production (electric furnaces, used for scrap recycling), rail, rod, bar, and seamless tube mills are still in operation. The wire mill was sold in the late 1990s to Davis Wire, which still produces products such as fence and nails under the CF&I brand name. The facility operated blast furnaces until 1982, when the steel market collapsed. The main blast furnace structures were torn down in 1989, but due to asbestos content, many of the adjacent stoves still remain. The stoves and foundations for some of the furnaces can be seen from Interstate 25, which runs parallel to the plant's west boundary.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}}

Several of the administration buildings, including the main office building, dispensary, and tunnel gatehouse were purchased in 2003 by the Bessemer Historical Society. In 2006, they underwent renovation. In addition to housing the historic CF&I Archives, they also house the Steelworks Museum of Industry and Culture.{{Cite web|title=The Museum|url=https://www.steelworks.us/the-museum/|access-date=September 23, 2020|website=Steelworks Center of the West}}

Due to the growth of the CF&I steel mill and the employment that it offered, Pueblo in the early twentieth century attracted a large number of immigrant laborers. The groups represented led to Pueblo becoming the most ethnically and culturally diverse city in Colorado and the West. At one point, more than 40 languages were spoken in the steel mill and more than two-dozen foreign language newspapers were published in the city.{{cite news|url= https://www.denverpost.com/2015/12/05/slow-to-rebound-pueblo-is-redefining-its-economic-image/|title=Slow to rebound, Pueblo is redefining its economic image|newspaper=The Denver Post|date=December 5, 2015|access-date=February 1, 2018}} Irish, Italian,{{Cite news|url=https://www.chieftain.com/entertainmentlife/20200313/la-museum-spotlights-pueblos-st-joseph-tables|title=LA museum spotlights Pueblo's St. Joseph Tables|work=The Pueblo Chieftain|language=en|access-date=March 14, 2020}} German, Slovenian, Greek, Jewish, Lithuanian, Russian, Hungarian, Japanese, and African-American groups arrived in the area at the turn of the century and remain to the present time. The convergence of cultures led to a cosmopolitan character to the city that resulted in a number of ethnically rooted neighborhoods that are typically not seen west of the Mississippi. Respective cultural groups maintain cultural festivals to the present, with the city being home to locations of the Order Sons of Italy, American Slovenian Catholic Union, and I.O.O.F., among others.

Another major employer in Pueblo is Colorado State Hospital. The hospital is the preeminent mental health facility in the Rocky Mountain region. Established in 1879 as the Colorado State Insane Asylum, it was renamed as the Colorado State Hospital in 1917. In 1991, the name was changed to the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo (CMHIP). The Robert L. Hawkins High Security Forensic Institute opened in June 2009 and is a 200-bed, high-security facility.{{cite web|url=http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/CDHS-BehavioralHealth/CBON/1251580690622 |title=About Us |publisher=State of Colorado |year=2015 |access-date=March 31, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009074137/http://www.colorado.gov/cs/Satellite/CDHS-BehavioralHealth/CBON/1251580690622 |archive-date=October 9, 2014 }}

Pueblo is the hometown of four Medal of Honor recipients (tied only with Holland, Michigan, also with four,{{cite web|url= http://hollandmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Medal-of-Honor-Brochure.pdf |title=HOLLAND'S CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS |publisher=Holland Museum |access-date=March 28, 2022}} each having more than any other municipality in the United States): William J. Crawford, Carl L. Sitter, Raymond G. Murphy, and Drew D. Dix. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, upon presenting Raymond G. "Jerry" Murphy with his medal in 1953, commented, "What is it... something in the water out there in Pueblo? All you guys turn out to be heroes!"

In 1993, Pueblo City Council adopted the tagline "Home of Heroes" for the city due to the fact that Pueblo can claim more recipients of the Medal per capita than any other city in the United States. On July 1, 1993, the Congressional Record recognized Pueblo as the "Home of Heroes."{{cite web|url= http://www.pueblo.org/homeofheroes/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060626224921/http://www.pueblo.org/homeofheroes/ |title=Pueblo, Colorado - The Home of Heroes |publisher=The Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce and The Pueblo Chieftain Newspaper |year=1999 |archive-date=June 26, 2006 |access-date=March 31, 2015}} A memorial to the recipients of the medal is at the Pueblo Convention Center.

From 1846 to 1847 three detachments of the Mormon Battalion wintered in Pueblo during the Mexican–American War.{{Cite web |title=Mormon Battalion Detachments {{!}} Church History Biographical Database |url=https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/chd/organization/pioneer-company/mormon-battalion-sick-detachments-1847?lang=eng |access-date=2024-08-24 |website=history.churchofjesuschrist.org}}

Pueblo is {{convert|100|mi|km}} south of Denver and is on the front range of the Rocky Mountains.{{cite news|url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FIAsAAAAIBAJ&pg=6114,4476485&dq=pueblo+100-miles-south&hl=en |title=Irate Farmers Pressing Demands |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=The Herald Journal |date=September 23, 1977 |page=A2 |access-date=March 31, 2015}} Pueblo sits on the western edge of the Great Plains in a high desert area of terrain in southern Colorado and is near the western edge of the Southwestern Tablelands ecology region.

According to the 2020 United States census, the city had a total area of {{convert|145.254|km2|acre|order=flip}}, including {{convert|1.815|km2|acre|order=flip}} of water.

File:Monthly Climate Normals (1991-2020) - Pueblo Area, CO(ThreadEx).svg

Pueblo has a Semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk), with four distinct seasons. Winter days are usually mild, but the high does not surpass freezing on an average 14.4 days per year, and lows fall to {{convert|0|°F|0}} or below on 6.2 nights. Snowfall usually falls in light amounts, and rarely remains on the ground for long (typically, for one or two days). January is the snowiest month, and the seasonal average is {{convert|28.3|in|cm|0}}; however, snow is uncommon in October, and in May or September, snow is exceedingly rare, with an average first and last date of measurable (≥{{convert|0.1|in|cm|abbr=on|disp=or}}) snowfall being November 4 and April 9, respectively. Summers are hot and dry, with {{convert|90|°F|0}} or greater highs are on average seen 71.6 days per year, with {{convert|100|°F|0}} or greater on 12.0 days. Diurnal temperature ranges are large throughout the year, averaging {{convert|32.5|F-change|1}}.

Precipitation is generally low, with the winter months receiving very little. Sunshine is abundant throughout the year, with an annual total of nearly 3,470 hours, or 78% of the possible total.{{cite web |title=WMO Climate Normals for Pueblo/Memorial AP, CO 1961–1990 |url=ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/US/GROUP3/72464.TXT |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804000940/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/US/GROUP3/72464.TXT |archive-date=August 4, 2020 |access-date=February 12, 2017 |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration}} Pueblo is considered a high desert climate, and sits on the desert lands in southern Colorado between Pueblo and the Royal Gorge.

The hottest temperature recorded in Pueblo was {{convert|109|F|C|1}} on July 13, 2003, while the coldest temperature recorded was {{convert|-31|F|C|1}} on February 1, 1951.

{{Weather box

|location = Pueblo, Colorado (Pueblo Memorial Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1888–present

|single line = Yes

|Jan record high F = 81

|Feb record high F = 82

|Mar record high F = 86

|Apr record high F = 94

|May record high F = 102

|Jun record high F = 108

|Jul record high F = 109

|Aug record high F = 105

|Sep record high F = 103

|Oct record high F = 94

|Nov record high F = 85

|Dec record high F = 82

|Jan avg record high F = 70.3

|Feb avg record high F = 71.8

|Mar avg record high F = 79.9

|Apr avg record high F = 86.2

|May avg record high F = 93.4

|Jun avg record high F = 101.2

|Jul avg record high F = 103.3

|Aug avg record high F = 100.2

|Sep avg record high F = 96.3

|Oct avg record high F = 88.5

|Nov avg record high F = 77.2

|Dec avg record high F = 69.3

|year avg record high F = 103.9

|Jan high F = 48.4

|Feb high F = 51.1

|Mar high F = 60.6

|Apr high F = 67.3

|May high F = 77.2

|Jun high F = 88.6

|Jul high F = 93.4

|Aug high F = 90.2

|Sep high F = 83.1

|Oct high F = 69.7

|Nov high F = 56.7

|Dec high F = 47.5

|year high F = 69.5

|Jan mean F = 31.9

|Feb mean F = 35.1

|Mar mean F = 43.9

|Apr mean F = 51.3

|May mean F = 61.4

|Jun mean F = 71.8

|Jul mean F = 77.2

|Aug mean F = 74.8

|Sep mean F = 66.6

|Oct mean F = 52.8

|Nov mean F = 40.5

|Dec mean F = 31.7

|year mean F = 53.2

|Jan low F = 15.4

|Feb low F = 19.0

|Mar low F = 27.1

|Apr low F = 35.3

|May low F = 45.6

|Jun low F = 55.0

|Jul low F = 61.0

|Aug low F = 59.4

|Sep low F = 50.1

|Oct low F = 35.9

|Nov low F = 24.2

|Dec low F = 15.9

|year low F = 37.0

|Jan avg record low F = -4.8

|Feb avg record low F = -1.2

|Mar avg record low F = 9.6

|Apr avg record low F = 20.9

|May avg record low F = 31.0

|Jun avg record low F = 43.4

|Jul avg record low F = 52.1

|Aug avg record low F = 50.2

|Sep avg record low F = 35.9

|Oct avg record low F = 18.5

|Nov avg record low F = 5.1

|Dec avg record low F = -5.2

|year avg record low F = -10.4

|Jan record low F = -29

|Feb record low F = -31

|Mar record low F = -20

|Apr record low F = 2

|May record low F = 23

|Jun record low F = 32

|Jul record low F = 41

|Aug record low F = 39

|Sep record low F = 21

|Oct record low F = -8

|Nov record low F = -17

|Dec record low F = -28

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 0.29

|Feb precipitation inch = 0.32

|Mar precipitation inch = 0.82

|Apr precipitation inch = 1.57

|May precipitation inch = 1.57

|Jun precipitation inch = 1.28

|Jul precipitation inch = 1.89

|Aug precipitation inch = 2.11

|Sep precipitation inch = 0.65

|Oct precipitation inch = 0.76

|Nov precipitation inch = 0.47

|Dec precipitation inch = 0.29

|year precipitation inch = 12.02

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

|Jan precipitation days = 3.8

|Feb precipitation days = 4.0

|Mar precipitation days = 5.7

|Apr precipitation days = 7.0

|May precipitation days = 7.9

|Jun precipitation days = 6.6

|Jul precipitation days = 9.2

|Aug precipitation days = 8.8

|Sep precipitation days = 4.6

|Oct precipitation days = 4.2

|Nov precipitation days = 4.1

|Dec precipitation days = 3.3

|year precipitation days = 69.2

|Jan snow inch = 4.9

|Feb snow inch = 4.7

|Mar snow inch = 4.5

|Apr snow inch = 3.4

|May snow inch = 0.0

|Jun snow inch = 0.0

|Jul snow inch = 0.0

|Aug snow inch = 0.0

|Sep snow inch = 0.2

|Oct snow inch = 1.9

|Nov snow inch = 4.1

|Dec snow inch = 4.6

|year snow inch = 28.3

|unit snow days = 0.1 in

|Jan snow days = 3.8

|Feb snow days = 3.8

|Mar snow days = 3.0

|Apr snow days = 2.1

|May snow days = 0.1

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.1

|Oct snow days = 1.0

|Nov snow days = 2.8

|Dec snow days = 3.6

|year snow days = 20.3

|Jan snow depth inch = 2.4

|Feb snow depth inch = 2.2

|Mar snow depth inch = 2.1

|Apr snow depth inch = 1.1

|May snow depth inch = 0.0

|Jun snow depth inch = 0.0

|Jul snow depth inch = 0.0

|Aug snow depth inch = 0.0

|Sep snow depth inch = 0.0

|Oct snow depth inch = 0.8

|Nov snow depth inch = 2.2

|Dec snow depth inch = 2.4

|year snow depth inch = 5.2

|Jan humidity = 57.1

|Feb humidity = 52.1

|Mar humidity = 48.7

|Apr humidity = 43.5

|May humidity = 44.6

|Jun humidity = 44.9

|Jul humidity = 49.3

|Aug humidity = 51.5

|Sep humidity = 50.2

|Oct humidity = 47.0

|Nov humidity = 57.1

|Dec humidity = 56.6

|year humidity = 50.2

|Jan sun = 231.0

|Feb sun = 227.3

|Mar sun = 284.0

|Apr sun = 315.1

|May sun = 344.2

|Jun sun = 360.0

|Jul sun = 358.8

|Aug sun = 336.8

|Sep sun = 298.7

|Oct sun = 275.5

|Nov sun = 219.7

|Dec sun = 210.7

|year sun = 3461.8

|Jan percentsun = 76

|Feb percentsun = 75

|Mar percentsun = 77

|Apr percentsun = 80

|May percentsun = 78

|Jun percentsun = 81

|Jul percentsun = 80

|Aug percentsun = 80

|Sep percentsun = 80

|Oct percentsun = 79

|Nov percentsun = 72

|Dec percentsun = 71

|year percentsun = 78

|Jan dew point C = -10.2

|Feb dew point C = -8.7

|Mar dew point C = -6.8

|Apr dew point C = -3.4

|May dew point C = 2.1

|Jun dew point C = 6.7

|Jul dew point C = 11.4

|Aug dew point C = 11.0

|Sep dew point C = 5.9

|Oct dew point C = -1.0

|Nov dew point C = -4.9

|Dec dew point C = -9.4

|source 1 = NOAA

{{cite web

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USW00093058&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Pueblo MEM AP, CO

|access-date = February 5, 2023

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230714063557/https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USW00023050&format=pdf

|archive-date = July 14, 2023

}}

{{cite web

|url = ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/US/GROUP3/72464.TXT

|title = WMO Climate Normals for PUEBLO/MEMORIAL AP, CO 1961–1990

|access-date = July 14, 2023

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230714062057/ftp://ftp.atdd.noaa.gov/pub/GCOS/WMO-Normals/TABLES/REG_IV/US/GROUP3/72464.TXT

|archive-date = July 14, 2023}}

|source 2 = National Weather Service

{{cite web

|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=pub

|publisher = National Weather Service

|title = NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Pueblo

|access-date = February 5, 2023

}}

}}

{{Graph:Weather monthly history

| table=Ncei.noaa.gov/weather/Pueblo, Colorado.tab

| title=Pueblo monthly weather statistics

}}

{{US Census population

|align=left

|1870= 666

|1880= 3217

|1890= 24558

|1900= 28157

|1910= 41747

|1920= 43050

|1930= 50096

|1940= 52162

|1950= 63685

|1960= 91181

|1970= 97774

|1980= 101686

|1990= 98640

|2000= 102121

|2010= 106595

|2020= 111876

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census

}}

As of the 2010 census, the population of Pueblo was 106,544 (259th most populous U.S. city), the population of the Pueblo Metropolitan Statistical Area was 159,063 (190th most populous MSA), the population of the Pueblo–Cañon City, CO Combined Statistical Area was 205,887, the population of the South Central Colorado Urban Area was 851,500, and the population of the Front Range Urban Corridor in Colorado was an estimated 4,166,855.

In 2010, the racial makeup of the city was: 75.2% White, 2.5% Black or African American, 2.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 4.1% two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) were 49.8% and Non-Hispanic Whites were 45.2% of the population.{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts - Pueblo (city), Colorado|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08/0862000.html|publisher=census.gov|access-date=August 19, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120618103920/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08/0862000.html|archive-date=June 18, 2012|url-status=dead}}

{{clear|left}}

As of the census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}} of 2000, there were 102,121 people, 40,307 households, and 26,118 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|2,265.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 43,121 housing units at an average density of {{convert|956.6|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units |units|}}. The racial makeup of the city was 56.21% White, 2.41% African American, 1.73% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 15.20% from other races, and 3.71% from two or more races. Residents of Hispanic or Latino ancestry made up 44.13% of the population. 10.1% were of German, 8.1% Italian, 6.0% American, 5.5% English and 5.4% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

According to the 2005 Census estimates, the city had grown to an estimated population of 104,951{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2005-04-08.csv |title=Annual Estimates |date=June 21, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20090710124434/http%3A//www%2Ecensus%2Egov/popest/cities/tables/SUB%2DEST2005%2D04%2D08%2Ecsv |archive-date=July 10, 2009 }} and had become the ninth most populous city in the state of Colorado and the 245th most populous city in the United States.

There were 40,307 households, out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the city, 25.1% of the population was under the age of 18, 10.3% was from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,650, and the median income for a family was $35,620. Males had a median income of $29,702 versus $22,197 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,026. About 13.9% of families and 17.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.3% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

Pueblo is the home of the Federal Citizen Information Center, operated by the General Services Administration, and its Consumer Information Catalog. For over 30 years, public service announcements invited Americans to write for information at "Pueblo, Colorado, 81009". In recent times GSA has incorporated Pueblo into{{clarify|what does this mean? how does it matter to Pueblo denizens?|date=September 2020}} FCIC's toll-free telephone number.{{Cite web |last=Dornfried |first=Walter |date=October 18, 2016 |title=Change Comes to USAGov's Historic Publication Program |url=https://blog.usa.gov/change-comes-to-usagovs-historic-publication-program |access-date=2025-03-03 |website=blog.usa.gov |language=en-us}}

Vestas Wind Systems constructed the largest (nearly 700,000 square feet) wind turbine tower manufacturing plant in the world at Pueblo's industrial park.{{cite web |title=Vestas cuts guidance on margins; Windsor site could be OK |url=https://www.reporterherald.com/2021/11/08/vestas-cuts-guidance-on-margins-windsor-site-could-be-ok/ |website=Loveland Reporter-Herald |access-date=December 31, 2022 |date=November 8, 2021}} It sold the facility to CS Wind in 2021.{{cite press release |author= |date=April 4, 2023 |title=Expansion at world's largest wind turbine tower manufacturing plant, plans to create 850 new jobs in Pueblo, Colorado |url=https://www.burnsmcd.com/news/wind-turbine-tower-manufacturing-plant |url-status=live |location= |publisher=Burns & McDonnell |agency= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405180840/https://www.burnsmcd.com/news/wind-turbine-tower-manufacturing-plant |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |access-date=November 30, 2023}}

Renewable Energy Systems Americas broke ground on the Comanche Solar Project seven miles south of Pueblo in 2015.{{cite news|last1=Svaldi|first1=Aldo |title=Broomfield firm to build Colorado's largest solar farm near Pueblo|url=http://www.denverpost.com/2015/08/20/broomfield-firm-to-build-colorados-largest-solar-farm-near-pueblo/|access-date=June 18, 2017|work=The Denver Post|date=August 20, 2015}} When complete, it will be the largest solar energy farm east of the Rocky Mountains, and its backers say the project will produce electricity more cheaply than natural gas. The project will cover 1,000 acres with 500,000 solar panels, providing a capacity of 156 megawatts of power—enough to supply 31,000 homes. The project will be run by SunEdison, with a power purchase agreement signed by Xcel Energy. A number of scientific studies now list Pueblo as the state's primary locale for solar energy development and the premier setting for solar companies to locate, placing it ahead of regional rivals such as Boulder, Colorado and Taos, New Mexico.{{cite web|last=Norton |first=John |url=http://www.chieftain.com/business/local/another-solar-provider-eyes-empty-depot-land/article_d5384c39-95d3-5a30-aa85-f5258f23e7ef.html |title=Another solar provider eyes empty depot land |publisher=Chieftain.com |date=June 11, 2009 |access-date=March 11, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120723174825/http://www.chieftain.com/business/local/another-solar-provider-eyes-empty-depot-land/article_d5384c39-95d3-5a30-aa85-f5258f23e7ef.html |archive-date=July 23, 2012 }}

In February 2017, Pueblo City Council voted to commit the city to 100% renewable energy ("Ready for 100%") by 2035, with the city's electric franchisee, Black Hills Energy, expected to ramp up its renewable energy portfolio from 29% to 65%.{{cite web|last=Worthington |first=Danika |url=http://www.denverpost.com/2017/02/17/pueblo-100-percent-renewable-energy |title=Pueblo commits to 100 percent renewable energy |publisher=Denverpost.com | date=February 17, 2017 | access-date=February 20, 2017}} Pueblo County commissioners joined the renewable commitment in April 2018.{{Cite news|url=https://www.chieftain.com/news/pueblo/pueblo-county-commissioners-join-percent-renewable-energy-by-vision/article_3214d319-7b16-5bd7-a498-cdd21ffc42be.html|title=Pueblo County commissioners join 100 percent renewable energy by 2035 vision|last=Mestas|first=Anthony A|date=April 23, 2018|work=Pueblo Chieftain|access-date=September 22, 2018|language=en|ref=County commissioners join 2035/100% renewables - Apr. 2018 Chieftain}} For several years, Pueblo's Energy Future has been pushing the city to become a municipal electric provider. Among the claimed advantages for the move toward independence: lower cost to the consumer, increased reliability and the opportunity to move more aggressively toward renewable energy development. At one time, an August 2020 "divorce" seemed possible.{{Cite web|url=https://www.csindy.com/TheWire/archives/2018/07/18/pueblos-energy-future-coalition-holds-municipal-energy-town-halls|title=Pueblo's Energy Future coalition holds municipal energy town halls|last=Grimes|first=Tyler|date=July 18, 2018|website=Colorado Springs Independent|language=en|access-date=January 4, 2020|archive-date=January 4, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200104033828/https://www.csindy.com/TheWire/archives/2018/07/18/pueblos-energy-future-coalition-holds-municipal-energy-town-halls|url-status=dead}}

;Top employers

According to Pueblo's 2023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,{{cite web |title=Comprehensive Annual Financial Report |url=https://www.pueblo.us/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/5057 |website=pueblo.us |publisher=City of Pueblo, Colorado}} the top employers in the city are:

Pueblo is the home to Colorado's largest single event, the Colorado State Fair, held annually in the late summer, and the largest parade, the state fair parade, as well as an annual Chile & Frijoles Festival.{{cite web|url=http://pueblochilefestivalinfo.com |title=Pueblo Chile & Frijoles Festival |access-date=July 9, 2014}}

{{div col|colwidth=28em}}

• Rosemount Museum
• Sangre de Cristo Arts and Conference Center
• Buell Children's Museum
• City Park Carousel
• El Pueblo History Museum
• Lake Pueblo State Park
• Nature and Wildlife Discovery Center
• Pueblo Ice Arena
• Pueblo Zoo
• Steelworks Museum managed by the Steelworks Center of the West
• Union Avenue Historic Commercial District
• Weisbrod Aircraft Museum
• Pueblo City-County Library District

{{div col end}}

Pueblo is the hometown of Dutch Clark, the first man from Colorado inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame{{cite web |title=Earl (Dutch) Clark |url=https://www.profootballhof.com/players/earl-dutch-clark/ |website=NFL Hall of Fame |publisher=National Football Hall of Fame |access-date=December 29, 2018}} as well as the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.{{cite web |title=Earl "Dutch" Clark |url=https://www.coloradosports.org/hall-of-fame/athletes/1965-inductees/earl-dutch-clark/ |website=Colorado Sports Hall of Fame |access-date=December 29, 2018}} The primary football stadium belonging to Pueblo School District 60 is named for him. Two long-standing high school rivalries are played annually at this stadium. The Bell Game has been played annually since 1892 between the Central Wildcats and the Centennial Bulldogs in what is touted as the oldest football rivalry west of the Mississippi River.{{cite news |last1=Lewis |first1=Shanna |title=Pueblo's Bell Game: The Zenith Of A High School Football Rivalry That's Lasted 125 Years |url=http://www.cpr.org/news/story/pueblos-bell-game |access-date=December 29, 2018 |publisher=Colorado Public Radio}}

In 2008, Professional Bull Riders (PBR) moved its corporate headquarters to Pueblo. This became the site of their world headquarters based at the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk{{cite web |title=Professional Bull Riders, Inc. Moves into new World Headquarters in Pueblo |url=https://www.pbr.com/en/news/press-releases/2007/7/professional-bull-riders,-inc-moves-into-new-world-headquarters-in-pueblo.aspx |website=PBR |publisher=PBR press release |access-date=December 29, 2018}} located bordering the Union Avenue Historic Commercial District.

In 2014, the Colorado State University Pueblo ThunderWolves won the NCAA Division II Football Championship, a first national title for the football program.{{cite news |last1=Rolstad |first1=Skylar |title=A part of 'something special' |url=https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2014-12-20/colorado-state-pueblo-secures-first-national-title-programs-seventh |access-date=December 29, 2018 |publisher=NCAA.org |date=December 21, 2014}}

In 2019, the Pueblo Bulls junior ice hockey team in the United States Premier Hockey League, began play out of the Pueblo Ice Arena.

{{see also|List of mayors of Pueblo, Colorado}}

Pueblo is a state-chartered municipal corporation, previously governed by its city council without the office of mayor and administered by a city manager. In 2017 voters passed Question 2A changing the city charter to a strong-mayor form of city government known as "Mayor-Council Government". Only two other cities in the state of Colorado use the strong-mayor form of government, Denver and Colorado Springs. In 2018 an election was held for mayor for the first time in over sixty years, due to none of the sixteen candidates getting more than fifty percent of the vote, a runoff was required to decide the winner.

In January 2019 attorney Nicholas Gradisar faced former Pueblo City Council President Steve Nawrocki, Gradisar prevailed and was sworn in as mayor on the first of February for a term of five years, with all subsequent mayoral terms being four years and a maximum of two consecutive terms.{{cite news |last1=Roper |first1=Peter |title=Pueblo voters backing strong mayor plan |url=https://www.chieftain.com/678c8ef0-c4ec-52df-80a8-68e162e74056.html |access-date=February 22, 2019 |publisher=The Pueblo Chieftain |date=November 7, 2017}}{{cite news |last1=Rogers |first1=Zahria |title=Pueblo to vote on strong mayor form of government |url=https://www.csindy.com/TheWire/archives/2017/10/16/pueblo-to-vote-on-strong-mayor-form-of-government |access-date=February 22, 2019 |work=CSIndy.com |publisher=Colorado Springs Independent |date=October 16, 2017 |archive-date=February 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222151910/https://www.csindy.com/TheWire/archives/2017/10/16/pueblo-to-vote-on-strong-mayor-form-of-government |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |last1=Beedie |first1=Dan |title=Pueblo mayoral runoff: It's Gradisar versus Nawrocki |url=https://www.krdo.com/news/pueblo-mayor-election-results-expected-to-be-released-today/866441393 |access-date=February 22, 2019 |work=KRDO.com |date=November 15, 2018}}

File:Nicholas A. Gradisar.JPG

Gradisar ran for re-election in 2023 and faced a runoff against Heather Graham in January 2024. In the runoff, Graham defeated Gradisar and was sworn in as mayor on February 1, 2024.{{cite news |last=Evans |first=Ty |date=February 1, 2024 |title=Heather Graham sworn in as the new Mayor of Pueblo |url=https://krdo.com/news/2024/02/01/heather-graham-being-sworn-in-as-the-new-mayor-of-pueblo/ |url-status=live |work=KRDO |location=Colorado Springs, Colorado |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240201152239/https://krdo.com/news/2024/02/01/heather-graham-being-sworn-in-as-the-new-mayor-of-pueblo/ |archive-date=February 1, 2024 |access-date=February 1, 2024}}{{Cite web |title=Election Results {{!}} Pueblo, CO - Official Website |url=https://www.pueblo.us/2939/Election-Results |access-date=February 1, 2024 |website=www.pueblo.us}}

The deputy mayor is selected by the mayor and must be confirmed by a vote of the city council, the deputy mayor serves a term of one year. According to the city charter, the deputy mayor must be a city department head.{{cite news |last1=Severance |first1=Ryan |title=Davenport officiall deputy Pueblo mayor |url=https://www.chieftain.com/news/20190311/davenport-officiall-deputy-pueblo-mayor |access-date=April 13, 2019 |work=Chieftain.com |publisher=The Pueblo Chieftain |date=March 11, 2019}}

The city council is elected by the residents of the city. There are seven council seats, four of which are elected by district, and three elected at-large.{{cite web| url = https://www.pueblo.us/27/Your-Government| title = City of Pueblo official website}}

Pueblo is included in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, and is currently represented by Republican Jeff Hurd.{{Cite web |last=Deal |first=Nathan |date=2025-01-27 |title=Rep. Jeff Hurd honored in local swearing-in ceremony |url=https://www.gjsentinel.com/news/western_colorado/rep-jeff-hurd-honored-in-local-swearing-in-ceremony/article_bdeb3e6e-dce5-11ef-a881-5b87b6d12fd8.html |url-status=live |website=The Daily Sentinel}} Pueblo is also included in the 3rd District of the Colorado State Senate, currently represented by Democrat Nick Hinrichsen, and districts 46 and 62 of the Colorado State House, currently represented by Democrats Tisha Mauro and Matthew Martinez.{{cite web |url=https://redistricting.colorado.gov/rails/active_storage/blobs/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBcFFEIiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--3e73fb14060770f10056f80c4d91eb7572c20f18/PuebloArea.pdf |title=Colorado House districts Pueblo area: final approved plan |author= Colorado Independent Redistricting Commissions Staff |date=October 13, 2021 |website=Colorado Independent Redistricting Commissions |publisher=State of Colorado |access-date=May 2, 2023 |quote=}}

The Pueblo Police Department is led by Chief Chris Noeller{{cite news |last=McMillan |first=Andrew |date=August 9, 2021 |title=UPDATE: Pueblo City Council confirms Steve 'Chris' Noeller as Chief of Police |url=https://krdo.com/news/local-news/2021/08/09/watch-live-pueblo-city-council-votes-on-new-police-chief/ |work=KRDO.com |location= |access-date=August 31, 2021}} Per capita, the crime rate in Pueblo is higher than the national average for a city of the same size and does not take into account the surrounding unincorporated cumulative population of 176,529.{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/pueblocountycolorado/PST045218#PST045218|title=Population estimates, July 1, 2018|publisher=cenus.gov |access-date=February 12, 2020}} In 2016, the FBI's Uniform Crime Report listed Pueblo's major reported crimes stats as: 1,081 violent crime, murders 9, rape 171, robbery 224, aggravated assault 677, property crimes (all) 7,473, burglary 1,797, larceny 4,505, motor vehicle theft (all) 1,171, arson 49.{{cite web|url=https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2016/crime-in-the-u.s.-2016/tables/table-6/table-6-state-cuts/colorado.xls |title=Colorado Offenses Known to Law Enforcement |publisher=ucr.fbi.gov |access-date=February 12, 2020}}

{{Main|Colorado State University Pueblo}}

Pueblo is home to Colorado State University Pueblo (CSU Pueblo), a regional comprehensive university. It is part of the Colorado State University System (CSU System), with about 4,500 students.{{cite web |url=https://www.csupueblo.edu/about/fast-facts.html|title=Fast Facts|website=CSU Pueblo|access-date=February 22, 2019}} On May 8, 2007, CSU Pueblo received approval from the Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System to bring back football as a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The first game was played in the fall of 2008 at the ThunderBowl, a stadium at CSU Pueblo for over 12,000 spectators. In 2014, the football team won the NCAA Division II Football Championship.{{cite news |title=CSU-Pueblo claims Division II title |url=http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/12058516/colorado-state-pueblo-beats-minnesota-state-division-ii-national-championship |access-date=February 22, 2019 |work=espn.com |agency=Associated Press |date=December 20, 2014}}{{cite web |title=Colorado State University--Pueblo Overview |url=https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/colorado-state-university-pueblo-1365 |website=USNews.com |access-date=February 22, 2019}}

{{Main|Pueblo Community College}}

Pueblo Community College (PCC) is a two-year, public, comprehensive community college, one of thirteen community colleges within the Colorado Community College System (CCCS). It operates three campuses serving a widely dispersed eight-county region in Southern Colorado.{{cite web |url=https://www.pueblocc.edu/Campuses/|title=Our Campuses |website=PuebloCC.edu |access-date=February 22, 2019}} The main campus is located in Pueblo and serves Pueblo County. The Fremont Campus is located approximately {{convert|35|mi|km}} west of Pueblo in Cañon City and serves Fremont and Custer Counties. The Southwest Campus, {{convert|280|mi|km}} southwest of Pueblo, serves Montezuma, Dolores, La Plata, San Juan, and Archuleta counties. PCC is a Hispanic Serving Institution as designated by the Federal Government. Approximately 5,000 students attend PCC per semester.{{cite web |title=Pueblo Community College Overview |url=https://www.usnews.com/education/community-colleges/pueblo-community-college-CC06991 |website=USNews.com |access-date=February 22, 2019}}

Almost all of the city limits is within Pueblo School District 60. Very small portions lie within Pueblo County School District 70."[https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/dc10map/sch_dist/st08_co/c08101_pueblo/DC10SD_C08101_001.pdf School District Reference Map (2010 Census): Pueblo County, CO]." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on July 2, 2017.

Centennial High School was founded north of downtown on Eleventh Street in 1876, the year Colorado entered the Union. Centennial was rebuilt on a new site to the northwest in 1973. Central High School was founded in Bessemer in 1882. Central's present campus on East Orman Avenue was built in 1906 and expanded in the early 1970s. Its original building still stands four blocks away on East Pitkin Avenue. South High School and East High School were built in the late 1950s to accommodate the Baby Boomer generation. Pueblo County High School, east of the city in Vineland, serves rural residents. Rye High School is in a foothills town southwest of Pueblo. Pueblo West High School is located in the northwestern suburb of Pueblo West.

Pueblo Catholic High School closed in 1971.Beck, Kathy Bribari. "[http://dioceseofpueblo.org/today-s-catholic-3/800-reunion-planned-for-pueblo-catholic-high-class-of-65 Reunion planned for Pueblo Catholic High Class of ‘65] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702061358/http://dioceseofpueblo.org/today-s-catholic-3/800-reunion-planned-for-pueblo-catholic-high-class-of-65 |date=2017-07-02 }}." Roman Catholic Diocese of Pueblo. July 2015. Retrieved on July 2, 2017. "celebrates its 50th reunion this fall, Sept. 11 to 13, some 40 years since all Pueblo's Catholic schools closed." - The article was published in 2015 so all Catholic schools would have closed by 1975. Its building became Roncalli Middle School in the early 1970s.{{Citation needed|date=July 2017}} By 1975 all Catholic schools in Pueblo (under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pueblo) had closed. {{As of|2017}} there are two Catholic grade schools in Pueblo: St. John Neumann Catholic School and St. Therese Catholic School.{{cite web|url=http://www.dioceseofpueblo.org/schools|title=Directory of Schools|publisher=Roman Catholic Diocese of Pueblo|date=July 2, 2017}}

Dolores Huerta Preparatory High School was founded in 2004, and relocated to its current building in 2007. It features the only Early College Program in Pueblo recognized by the State of Colorado, where many students graduate with their associate degree from Pueblo Community College while also earning credit from Colorado State University Pueblo. Other Pueblo area high schools include Southern Colorado Early College, School of Engineering and Biomedical Science (formerly Pueblo Technical Academy), Parkhill Christian Academy and the Health Academy.

{{main|Media in Pueblo, Colorado}}

• Pueblo Star Journal
• Thrifty Nickel
• The Pueblo Chieftain
• CSU Pueblo TODAY
• PULP News Magazine
• Senior Beacon{{Cite web|url=http://seniorbeacon.info/home.html|title=Home|website=Evergrowth Media LLC|language=en|access-date=May 17, 2019}}

The Pueblo radio market includes all of Pueblo County.{{cite web | title = 2012 Arbitron Radio Metro Map | publisher =Arbitron | url = http://www.arbitron.com/downloads/Arb_US_Metro_Map_12.pdf | access-date = August 27, 2014}} In its Fall 2013 ranking of radio markets by population, Arbitron ranked the Pueblo market 238th in the United States.{{cite web | title = Metro Survey Area Rankings and Population | work = Market Survey Schedule & Population Rankings | publisher = Arbitron | url = http://www.arbitron.com/downloads/fa13_market_survey_schedule_poprankings.pdf | access-date = August 27, 2014}} Six AM and 15 FM radio stations broadcast from or are licensed to the city.{{cite web | title = Radio Stations in Pueblo, Colorado | publisher = Radio-Locator | url = http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/locate?select=city&city=Pueblo&state=CO&x=0&y=0 | access-date = August 27, 2014}}{{cite web|title=AMQ AM Radio Database Query |publisher=Federal Communications Commission |url=http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/amq.html |access-date=August 27, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090825063614/http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/amq.html |archive-date=August 25, 2009 }}{{cite web | title = FMQ FM Radio Database Query | publisher=Federal Communications Commission | url = http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/fm-query-broadcast-station-search | access-date = August 27, 2014}}

Due to Pueblo's proximity to Colorado Springs, local listeners can also receive the signal of most radio stations broadcasting from the Colorado Springs radio market.

The Colorado Springs–Pueblo market is the 90th largest television market in the United States.{{cite web | title = Local Television Market Universe Estimates | publisher=Nielsen Media Research | year = 2012 | url = http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en/public%20factsheets/tv/nielsen-2012-local-DMA-TV-penetration.pdf | access-date = July 16, 2012}}

{{Colorado Springs/Pueblo TV}}

File:Union Depot, Pueblo, Colorado LCCN2011631817.tif, built in 1889–1890]]

The City of Pueblo operates Pueblo Transit. Greyhound Lines provides bus service towards Denver, Colorado; Amarillo, Texas; Albuquerque, New Mexico. Regional bus service to La Junta, Lamar, Colorado Springs, Alamosa, and Trinidad is provided by the CDOT operated Bustang.

Freight rail service is provided by BNSF and Union Pacific.

Pueblo and its Union Depot last saw passenger train service in 1971. Once an important hub, the city was served by four Class 1 railroads, as well as a number of smaller operators.Ormes, R.M. Tracking Ghost Railroads in Colorado, Century One Press 1975

Amtrak's daily Southwest Chief makes a stop {{convert|64|miles}} east of Pueblo at La Junta, providing direct rail transport to Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Kansas City, Chicago, and dozens of smaller locales. In 2016, Amtrak looked at rerouting the Southwest Chief to serve Pueblo directly. It estimated the new stop would increase annual ridership by 14,000 and ticket revenue by $1.45 million.Jesse Paul, 'Denver Post,' July 7, 2016 "Proposed Southwest Chief stop in Pueblo could mean $1.4 million in tickets, Amtrak says" https://www.denverpost.com/2016/07/07/amtrak-pueblo-stop-southwest-chief-train/

Pueblo has been proposed as the southern terminus for Front Range Passenger Rail, which would provide service to Colorado Springs, Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, and Cheyenne.{{cite news |last1=Heins |first1=Nicole |title=Amtrak hopes to reduce I-25 traffic by creating a passenger rail along the Front Range |url=https://www.kktv.com/2021/04/13/amtrak-hopes-to-reduce-i-25-traffic-by-creating-a-passenger-rail-along-the-front-range/ |access-date=January 1, 2022 |work=KKTV 11 News |date=April 13, 2021 |language=en}}

• Pueblo Memorial Airport - The local airport lies to the east of the city. Throughout the year, aircraft spotters can see large C-130, C-17, and E-3 performing landings and takeoffs. Modern fighters such as the F-22, F-15, F-35, and F-16 are also seen on occasion flying around the facility and parked on the ramp. SkyWest Airlines under the flag of United Express services the airport with non-stop daily flights to Denver International Airport, utilizing Bombardier's CRJ-200 aircraft. The airport is also home to the Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum (named for Fred Weisbrod, late city manager), reflecting the airport's beginnings as an Army Air Corps base in 1943.{{cite web|title=Museum History|url=http://www.pwam.org/museumhistory.html|website=Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum|access-date=January 17, 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130415185713/http://www.pwam.org/museumhistory.html|archive-date=April 15, 2013}}
• Pueblo Historical Aircraft Society
• Fremont County Airport is a general aviation field approximately {{convert|35|mi|km}} northwest of Pueblo, near Penrose.

25px Interstate 25 and 25px US Route 85 run in tandem on the same north–south expressway through Pueblo.

25px US Route 50 runs east–west through Pueblo.

• Alva Adams, the fifth, tenth, and fourteenth governor of Colorado, from 1887 to 1889, 1897 to 1899, and briefly in 1905
• Alva Blanchard Adams, U.S. senator from Colorado, 1923–1925 and 1933–1941. Son of Alva Adams
• Gordon L. Allott, U.S. senator from Colorado, 1955–1973. Lieutenant Governor of Colorado, 1950–1955
• John Beno (1931–2000), Colorado state senator and Roman Catholic priest
• Thomas M. Bowen, U.S. senator from Colorado, 1883–1889, Governor of Idaho Territory, 1871, Arkansas Supreme Court Justice, 1867–1871
• David Courtney Coates, Lieutenant Governor of Colorado, founding member of the Industrial Workers of the World
• Frank Evans, U.S. representative from Colorado, 1965–1979
• Thomas T. Farley, Colorado state legislator and lawyer
• Joseph A. Garcia, 48th lieutenant governor of Colorado, 2011–2016, former president of Colorado State University Pueblo.
• Simon Guggenheim, U.S. senator from Colorado, 1907–1913, businessman and son of Benjamin Guggenheim
• Asma Gull Hasan, political pundit
• Walter Walford Johnson, 32nd governor of Colorado, 1950–1951
• Raymond P. Kogovsek, U.S. representative from Colorado, 1979–1985
• Joyce Lawrence, former city councilor and Colorado state legislator
• John Andrew Martin, U.S. representative from Colorado, 1909–1913, 1933–1939
• Bat Masterson, iconic figure of American West, sheriff of South Pueblo{{cite web|url= http://www.pueblo.us/documents/Planning/Pueblo%20Regional%20Development%20Plan.pdf |title=Pueblo Regional Development Plan: Final Adoption Draft |date=September 11, 2001 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110607135214/http://www.pueblo.us/documents/Planning/Pueblo%20Regional%20Development%20Plan.pdf |archive-date=June 7, 2011 |access-date=March 31, 2015}}
• Tisha Mauro, American state legislator
• Rita Martinez, activist against Columbus Day
• James Bradley Orman, twelfth governor of Colorado, in office 1901–1903
• Jim Parco, former United States Air Force lieutenant colonel. Leading critic in religious intolerance crisis at the United States Air Force Academy{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/23/politics/23academy.html|title=Air Force Academy Staff Found Promoting Religion|first=Laurie|last=Goodstein|date=June 23, 2005|access-date=July 25, 2017|newspaper=The New York Times}}
• Dana Perino, White House Press Secretary in 2007–2009, graduated from Colorado State University Pueblo in 1994
• Frederick Walker Pitkin, second governor of Colorado from 1879 to 1883
• John E. Rickards, first lieutenant governor of Montana and second governor of Montana{{cite web|url= http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_montana/col2-content/main-content-list/title_rickards_john.html|title= Montana Governor John Ezra Rickards|publisher= National Governors Association |access-date= October 10, 2012}}
• Fitch Robertson, Mayor of Berkeley, California, from 1943 to 1947
• Ray Herbert Talbot, 26th lieutenant governor of Colorado, from 1932 to 1937. 27th Governor of Colorado, 1937
• Bill Thiebaut, former district attorney, former Colorado state senator, and state senate majority leader
• Larry E. Trujillo Sr., Colorado state legislator
• Hubert Work, 47th United States Postmaster General, 1922 to 1923. Later the 29th United States Secretary of the Interior, 1923 to 1928

• William J. Crawford, Medal of Honor recipient for his service in World War II{{Cite news

| last = Roper

| first = Peter

| title = State Fair salutes soldiers and airmen

| newspaper = The Pueblo Chieftain

| location = Pueblo, Colorado

| date = August 30, 2010

| url = http://www.chieftain.com/news/local/article_c3790a1c-b3ee-11df-a16f-001cc4c03286.html

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100901125050/http://chieftain.com/news/local/article_c3790a1c-b3ee-11df-a16f-001cc4c03286.html

| url-status = live

| archive-date= September 1, 2010 }}

• Drew Dennis Dix, Medal of Honor recipient for service in the Vietnam War
• Warren C. Dockum, Medal of Honor recipient for service in the American Civil War. Buried in Pueblo
• Raymond G. Murphy, Medal of Honor recipient for service in the Korean War
• Carl L. Sitter, Medal of Honor recipient for service in the Korean War
• Robert M. Stillman, U.S. Air Force general
• Cathay Williams, first African-American woman to enlist in the United States Army, and the only person documented to have served while posing as a man

• Ed Beauvais, airline executive
• Jim Bishop, creator of Bishop Castle
• Nona L. Brooks, leader in the New Thought movement and a founder of the Church of Divine Science
• Dan DeRose, businessman and college football player
• Charles Goodnight, legendary Texas cattleman, lived in Pueblo in the 1870s
• Benjamin Guggenheim, businessman who lived in Pueblo from 1888 to 1894, perished aboard the Titanic in 1912
• David Packard, co-founder of Hewlett-Packard computers, considered the "Father of Silicon Valley", Graduated from Pueblo Centennial High School
• William Jackson Palmer, founder of Colorado Fuel and Iron and the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad

• Kent Haruf, novelist, born in Pueblo{{cite web |title=About Kent Haruf |url=https://honorkentharuf.org/about/ |website=honorkentharuf.org |access-date=April 4, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404115744/https://honorkentharuf.org/about/ |archive-date=April 4, 2019|date=March 12, 2015 }}{{cite news |last1=Yardley |first1=William |title=Kent Haruf, Acclaimed Novelist of Small-Town Life, Is Dead at 71 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/03/books/kent-haruf-sublime-novelist-of-small-town-life-dies-at-71.html |access-date=April 5, 2019 |work=The New York Times |date=December 2, 2014}}
• Dustin Hodge, television writer and producer, lives in Pueblo{{Cite web|url=https://www.chieftain.com/entertainment/20181204/puebloan-dustin-hodges-rodeo-based-tv-series-in-its-seventh-year|title=Puebloan Dustin Hodge's rodeo-based TV series in its seventh year|last=Pompia|first=John|website=The Pueblo Chieftain|language=en|access-date=October 18, 2019}}
• Bat Masterson, newspaperman, former sheriff of South Pueblo
• John Meston, co-creator and script writer of CBS Western television series Gunsmoke
• E. J. Peaker, actress, star of Hello Dolly, graduated from Centennial High School in 1958
• Blaine L. Reininger, singer and musician of proto-punk and new wave, co-founder of Tuxedomoon
• Kelly Reno, child actor in the 1979 film The Black Stallion and its sequel
• Charles Rocket, Saturday Night Live cast member, formerly a news anchor in Pueblo
• Dan Rowan, star of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, lived in McClelland Orphanage in Pueblo and graduated from Pueblo Central High School
• Damon Runyon, newspaperman and playwright; author of Guys and Dolls. Mentioned Pueblo in many of his newspaper columns
• Connie Sawyer, actress
• Rose Siggins, actress
• Lise Simms, actress, singer, designer and dancer
• Margaret Tracey, ballet dancer and educator
• Wanda Tuchock, writer, producer, film pioneer
• Mildred Cozzens Turner, composer
• Michael K. White, writer
• Grant Withers, Hollywood actor from the silent film era to the 1950s
• Ledger Wood, philosopher

• Nat Borchers, soccer player{{Cite news |last=Jurney |first=Nick |date=February 3, 2017 |title=From East High to MLS elite |url=https://www.chieftain.com/story/sports/high-school/2017/02/03/from-east-high-to-mls/9231016007/ |access-date=February 6, 2025 |work=The Pueblo Chieftain}}
• Dax Charles, Division II National Wrestling Champion competing for University of Southern Colorado now known as CSU Pueblo, CSU Pueblo wrestling coach
• Earl "Dutch" Clark, professional football player 1934 – 1938, charter member of Pro Football Hall of Fame, graduated from Pueblo Central High School
• John Davis, Major League Baseball pitcher (1987–1990)
• Tony Falkenstein, pro football fullback and quarterback
• Dave Feamster, ice hockey player who played for the Chicago Blackhawks and businessman
• John Gill, climber, father of modern bouldering; taught at University of Southern Colorado (CSU Pueblo)
• Kimberly Kim, professional golfer, youngest player to win the U.S. Women's Amateur
• Gary Knafelc, professional football player (1954–1963)
• Turk Lown, Major League Baseball pitcher (1951–1962)
• Bob McGraw, Major League Baseball pitcher (1917–1929), buried in Pueblo
• Tony Mendes, PBR bull rider
• Joe Pannunzio, college football administrator, player and coach.
• Frank Papish, Major League Baseball pitcher (1945 to 1950); deputy sheriff after his baseball career
• Ken Ramos, Major League Baseball outfielder
• Marty Servo, boxing Welterweight Champion of the World, retired to Pueblo
• Kory Sperry, NFL tight end; attended Pueblo County High School
• Shorty Templeman, racing driver
• Cedric Tillman, professional football player
• George Zaharias, professional wrestler, husband of Babe Didrikson

• Joe Arridy, mentally disabled man wrongfully convicted of murder and rape; put to death in the 1930s; pardoned in 2011 as the first and only posthumous gubernatorial pardon in the state of Colorado.{{cite news|url=http://www.chieftain.com/article_2fd30eb6-1aa0-11e0-b0d0-001cc4c002e0.html |title=Governor pardons Joe Arridy |last=Strescino |first=Peter |date=January 7, 2011 |work=Pueblo Chieftain |access-date=January 9, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119043041/http://www.chieftain.com/article_2fd30eb6-1aa0-11e0-b0d0-001cc4c002e0.html |archive-date=January 19, 2013 }}
• Frank DeSimone, boss of the Los Angeles crime family, born in Pueblo
• Edmund Kemper, serial killer who called police from a phone booth in Pueblo and turned himself in on April 25, 1973, after fleeing from California

• Las Madres de la Casa Verde
• Deborah Mora Espinosa and Juan Espinosa
• Rita Martinez
• Carmen Roybal Arteaga, teacher and founder of the Chicana women's group, OmeXicana and a member of the Chicano Educators{{cite web |title=Carmen Arteaga Collection, 1970-1974 Colorado State University-Pueblo Library |url=https://csupueblo.libraryhost.com/?p=collections/controlcard&id=77 |website=Colorado State University-Pueblo Library}}
• Judy Baca
• Martín Serna, Chicano activist

• John Brown, Mountain man, fur trapper, trader, resident of Pueblo in the 1840s.
• Mary Babnik Brown, donated her hair during World War II for the manufacture of hygrometers (hair falsely reported to have been used to make Norden bombsights)
• Rick Edgeman, American statistician and sustainability researcher, born 1954 in Pueblo, Colorado.
• Teresita Sandoval, one of the first women to live in Pueblo. She and her daughters married Anglo mountain men.
• Virginia Tighe, housewife purported to have lived as an Irishwoman named Bridey Murphy in a previous life

Pueblo's sister cities are:{{Cite web |title=Sister Cities - Pueblo Sister Cities |url=https://www.pueblosistercities.org/sister-cities |access-date=May 1, 2022 |website=www.pueblosistercities.org}}

• Bergamo, Italy
• Puebla (city), Mexico
• Maribor, Slovenia
• Chihuahua City, Mexico
• Lucca Sicula, Italy
• Weifang, China

• Pueblo as a frontier town is the setting for Louis L'Amour's 1981 Western novel Milo Talon.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SHOLWLR01-YC&q=milo+talon+pueblo%2C+colorado&pg=PT9|title=Milo Talon|last=L'Amour|first=Louis|date=August 3, 2004|publisher=Random House Publishing Group|isbn=9780553899481|language=en}}
• Many of the scenes in Terrence Malick's 1973 opus Badlands were filmed in and around Pueblo.{{Cite web|url=https://www.colorado.com/articles/movies-colorado-film-locations-across-state|title=Movie Filming Locations in Colorado {{!}} Colorado.com|website=www.colorado.com|language=en|access-date=February 21, 2018}} The film was subsequently selected for preservation by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
• Pueblo and its Central High School is mentioned in Thomas Pynchon's 2006 historical novel Against the Day.{{Cite web|url=https://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=C|title=C - Thomas Pynchon Wiki {{!}} Against the Day|website=against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com|language=en|access-date=February 21, 2018}}
• Food Wars, a series on cable television's Travel Channel, came to Pueblo to stage a contest between the Sunset Inn's and Gray's Coors Tavern's versions of the slopper. The episode first aired in August 2010.{{Cite news|url=http://www.westword.com/restaurants/travel-channels-food-wars-takes-on-pueblo-sloppers-5769538|title=Travel Channel's Food Wars takes on Pueblo sloppers|last=Chapman|first=Jessica|date=April 20, 2010|work=Westword|access-date=February 21, 2018}}
• Pueblo is portrayed as the city where MacGruber is laid to rest in 2000 in the 2010 film that bears his name.{{Cite news|url=https://www.avclub.com/will-forte-1798220154|title=Will Forte|last=O'Neal|first=Sean|work=Film|access-date=February 21, 2018|language=en-US}}
• The 1959 novel The Caretakers by author Dariel Telfer, along with its 1963 film adaptation, is based upon the author's experiences as an employee at the Colorado State Hospital in Pueblo.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bxahDwAAQBAJ&q=the+caretakers+pueblo+telfer&pg=PT114|title = Hidden Valley Road: Inside the Mind of an American Family|isbn = 9780385543774|last1 = Kolker|first1 = Robert|date = April 7, 2020| publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing }}
• In the South Park episode "The Losing Edge", Pueblo is one of the towns with which the South Park team competes.{{Citation|title=The Losing Edge - Official South Park Studios Wiki|url=https://southpark.cc.com/wiki/The_Losing_Edge|access-date=February 21, 2018}}
• Many of the Colorado and Kansas scenes of the 1983 film National Lampoon's Vacation were filmed in and around Pueblo. Highway 50 East of Pueblo is the site of Cousin Eddie's house and the hotel in "Creede" Colorado is actually near St. Mary Corwin Hospital.{{Cite web|url=http://www.fast-rewind.com/locations_vacation.htm|title=National Lampoon's Vacation Movie Filming Locations - The 80s Movies Rewind|website=www.fast-rewind.com|access-date=February 21, 2018}}
• The 1980s film Curse of the Blue Lights was set in Pueblo and was filmed on location.{{Cite news|url=https://horrorpedia.com/2017/12/16/curse-of-the-blue-lights-1988-horror-film-movie-reviews-cast-plot-overview/|title=Curse of the Blue Lights – USA, 1988|date=December 16, 2017|work=HORRORPEDIA|access-date=February 21, 2018|language=en-US}}
• Little Britches Rodeo, a series on RFD-TV was filmed in Pueblo for the first 4 seasons.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sportsdestinations.com/destinations/oklahoma/edmond-oklahoma-lazy-e-arena-keeps-busy-hosting-pr-11264|title=Edmond, Oklahoma - Lazy E Arena Keeps Busy Hosting Premier Youth Rodeo|website=www.sportsdestinations.com|language=en|access-date=February 21, 2018}}

{{portal|Cities|United States|Colorado }}

• Bibliography of Colorado
• Geography of Colorado
• History of Colorado
• Index of Colorado-related articles
• List of Colorado-related lists
• Outline of Colorado
• List of municipalities in Colorado
• List of statistical areas in Colorado
• USS Pueblo, 3 ships

{{clear}}

{{reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{cite web|date=June 21, 2006 |url=https://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2005-04-08.csv |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061015034209/http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2005-04-08.csv |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 15, 2006 |title=Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Colorado |format=CSV |work=2005 Population Estimates |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division |access-date=November 16, 2006 }}

;Bibliography

• {{Cite book

| last =Aschermann

| first =Arla

| year = 1994

| title=Winds in the Cornfields: Pueblo County, Colorado 1787 – 1872

| edition = Third

| publisher = Pueblo County Historical Society

| location = Pueblo, Colorado

| isbn= 0-915617-15-3

}}

• {{Cite book

| last = Broadhead

| first =Edward

| year = 1995

| title=Fort Pueblo

| edition = Fourth

| publisher = Pueblo County Historical Society

| location = Pueblo, Colorado

| isbn= 0-915617-01-3

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Buckles

| first =William G.

| year = 2006

| title=The Search for El Pueblo: Through Pueblo to El Pueblo – An Archaeological Summary

| edition = Second

| publisher = Colorado Historical Society

| location = Pueblo, Colorado

| isbn= 978-0-942576-48-1

}}

• {{cite book

| last =Dodds

| first =Joanne West

| year = 1982

| title=Pueblo: A Pictorial History

| publisher = Donning

| location = Virginia Beach, Virginia

| isbn= 0-89865-281-2

}}

• {{cite book

| last =Dodds

| first =Joanne West

| year = 1994

| title=They All Came To Pueblo: A Social History

| publisher = Donning

| location = Virginia Beach, Virginia

| isbn= 0-89865-908-6

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Lecompte

| first = Janet

| year = 1978

| title = Pueblo, Hardscrabble, Greenhorn: Society on the High Plains, 1832—1856

| publisher = University of Oklahoma Press

| location = Norman, US

| isbn = 0-8061-1723-0

| url-access = registration

| url = https://archive.org/details/pueblohardscrabb00jane

}}

{{Refend}}

{{sister project links|auto=yes}}

{{Wikisource1911Enc|Pueblo}}

• [http://www.pueblo.us/ City of Pueblo website]
• {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/*/https://web.archive.org/*/http://www.ci.pueblo.co.us/|title=City of Pueblo website}}
• [http://dtdapps.coloradodot.info/staticdata/Downloads/CityMaps/PUEBLO.pdf CDOT map of the City of Pueblo]
• [http://www.pueblochamber.org/ Pueblo Chamber of Commerce]
• {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Pueblo |short=x}}
• {{cite NSRW|wstitle=Pueblo, Col. |short=x}}

{{Pueblo, Colorado}}

{{Pueblo County, Colorado}}

{{Forts in Colorado}}

{{Colorado|show}}

{{Colorado county seats}}

{{authority control}}

Category:1886 establishments in Colorado

Category:Cities in Pueblo County, Colorado

Category:Kansas populated places on the Arkansas River

Category:Cities in Colorado

Category:County seats in Colorado

Category:Forts in Colorado

Category:Populated places established in 1886