Chaffee County, Colorado

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Chaffee County

| official_name = County of Chaffee

| settlement_type = County

| image_skyline = Chaffee County Courthouse (1932-1992).JPG

| image_caption = Old Chaffee County Courthouse

| image_map = {{Maplink|zoom=8|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-width=250|frame-align=center|type=shape|fill=#ffffff|fill-opacity=0|stroke-width=3}}

| map_caption = Interactive map of Chaffee County

| image_map1 = Map of Colorado highlighting Chaffee County.svg

| map_caption1 = Location within the U.S. state of Colorado

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = {{nowrap|{{US}}}}

| subdivision_type1 = State

| subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Colorado}}

| established_title = Established

| established_date = February 10, 1879

| named_for = Jerome B. Chaffee

| seat_type = County seat

| seat = Salida

| parts_type = Largest city

| parts = Salida

| unit_pref = US

| area_total_sq_mi = 1015

| area_land_sq_mi = 1013

| area_water_sq_mi = 1.6

| area_water_percent = 0.2

| elevation_max_ft = 14421

| elevation_max_footnotes = Mount Harvard

| population_as_of = 2020

| population_density_sq_mi = 19

| population_total = 19476{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/chaffeecountycolorado/PST045219|title=U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts |access-date=September 4, 2021|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}

| pop_est_as_of = 2020

| area_code = 970 719

| area_code_type = Area code

| blank_name_sec1 = FIPS code

| blank_info_sec1 = 08015

| blank1_name_sec1 = GNIS feature ID

| blank1_info_sec1 = {{GNIS 4|198123}}

| website = [http://www.chaffeecounty.org/ www.chaffeecounty.org]

| timezone = Mountain

| utc_offset = −7

| timezone_DST = MDT

| utc_offset_DST = −6

}}

File:Salida, Colorado with Sangre de Cristo Range in Background .jpg with Sangre de Cristo Range in background]]

Chaffee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 19,476. The county seat is Salida.{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2011 |title=Find a County |publisher=National Association of Counties |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531210815/http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx |archive-date=May 31, 2011 }}

History

Chaffee County has a confusing origin. Between February 8 and 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,{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n73 74]}} Colorado's first United States Senator.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of {{convert|1015|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|1013|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|1.6|sqmi}} (0.2%) is water.{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}

=Adjacent counties=

Lake County - north
Park County - northeast
Fremont County - southeast
Saguache County - south
Gunnison County - west
Pitkin County - northwest

=Major highways=

=National protected areas=

=Recreation area=

Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area

=Trails=

=Bicycle routes=

Demographics

{{US Census population

|1880= 6512

|1890= 6612

|1900= 7085

|1910= 7622

|1920= 7753

|1930= 8126

|1940= 8109

|1950= 7168

|1960= 8298

|1970= 10162

|1980= 13227

|1990= 12684

|2000= 16242

|2010= 17809

|2020= 19476

|estyear=2023

|estimate=20617

|estref={{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 31, 2024}}

|align-fn=center

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 7, 2014}}
1790-1960{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=June 7, 2014|archive-date=June 23, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623053220/https://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu/|url-status=dead}} 1900-1990{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/co190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 7, 2014}}
1990-2000{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327165705/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 7, 2014}} 2010-2020

}}

At the 2000 census there were 16,242 people, 6,584 households, and 4,365 families living in the county. The population density was {{convert|16|/sqmi|/km2|disp=preunit|people |people|abbr=out}}. There were 8,392 housing units at an average density of {{convert|8|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=out}}. 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 14, 2011 |title=U.S. Census website }}

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, 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.{{cite web |last1=Parker |first1=Bob |title=A story of biblical dimensions: Chaffee County Citizens vs Nestlé |url=https://350colorado.org/a-story-of-biblical-dimensions-chaffee-county-citizens-vs-nestle/ |website=350 Colorado |publisher=350 Colorado |access-date=2 December 2024 |date=30 September 2020}}

Politics

Chaffee County was long a Republican stronghold, but has recently trended towards the Democrats. In 2008 Barack Obama lost the county by only 11 votes, and he carried it in 2012 by 16 votes, the first Democrat to win it since Lyndon Johnson's 1964 landslide. In 2016 Donald Trump flipped the county narrowly back into the Republican column, but Joe Biden won the county in 2020, the first candidate from either party to win the county by a full majority since 2004. Kamala Harris won the county by a larger margin in 2024, becoming the first Democratic presidential nominee to win the county while losing the presidential election since 1908.

{{PresHead|place=Chaffee County, Colorado|source={{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|first=David|last=Leip|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=May 26, 2017}}}}

Communities

Image:Map of Chaffee County, Colorado.png

File:Buffalo Peaks outside of Buena Vista.jpg]]

=City=

Salida

=Towns=

=Census-designated places=

=Unincorporated communities=

=Ghost towns=

References

External links

[http://garna.org/pdfs/Pages%2094-end%20Management%20Plan_Final.pdf Cultural, Historical and Archeological Resources]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20100720183144/http://countyclerkofcourt.us/Chaffee Chaffee County Clerk of Court]
[http://www.chaffeecounty.org Chaffee County Government website]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20070205102713/http://www.stanwyck.com/cogenweb/cocounties.html Colorado County Evolution by Don Stanwyck]
[http://www.coloradohistory.org/ Colorado Historical Society]
[https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo44949 Geologic Map of the Harvard Lakes 7.5ʹ Quadrangle, Park and Chaffee Counties, Colorado] United States Geological Survey
[http://storage.nestle.com/Interactive_CSV_Full_2013/files/assets/basic-html/page202.html]

{{Geographic Location

|Centre = Chaffee County, Colorado

|North = Lake County

|Northeast = Park County

|East =

|Southeast = Fremont County

|South = Saguache County

|Southwest =

|West = Gunnison County

|Northwest = Pitkin County

}}

{{coord|38.74|-106.18|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-CO_source:UScensus1990}}