Conejos, Colorado

{{Infobox settlement

|name = Conejos, Colorado

|settlement_type = Census Designated Place

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|image_skyline = Conejos County Courthouse.JPG

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|image_caption = Conejos County Courthouse in Conejos.

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|image_map = File:Conejos County Colorado Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Conejos Highlighted 0816715.svg

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|map_caption = Location of the Conejos CDP in {{nowrap|Conejos County, Colorado.}}

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|pushpin_map = USA

|pushpin_label = Conejos

|pushpin_label_position = right

|pushpin_map_caption = Location of the Conejos CDP in the {{nowrap|United States.}}

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|subdivision_type = Country

|subdivision_name = {{flag|United States}}

|subdivision_type1 = State

|subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Colorado}}

|subdivision_type2 = County

|subdivision_name2 = Conejos County

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|government_footnotes =

|government_type = unincorporated town

|leader_title =

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|established_title = Founded

|established_date = 1858

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|unit_pref = US

|area_footnotes = {{cite web|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/tigerwebmain/Files/bvp20/tigerweb_bvp20_cdp_2020_co.html|title=State of Colorado Census Designated Places - BAS20 - Data as of January 1, 2020|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=December 21, 2020}}

|area_total_km2 = 1.254

|area_land_km2 = 1.254

|area_water_km2 = 0.000

|population_as_of = 2020

|population_footnotes = {{cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Conejos_CDP,_Colorado?g=160XX00US0816715 |title=Conejos CDP, Colorado |author=United States Census Bureau|date= |website= |publisher= |access-date=April 2, 2023 |quote=}}

|population_note =

|population_total = 46

|population_density_km2 = auto

|population_density_sq_mi = auto

|timezone = MST

|utc_offset = -7

|timezone_DST = MDT

|utc_offset_DST = -6

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|coordinates = {{coord|37|05|14|N|106|00|58|W|region:US-CO_type:city|name=Conejos CDP, Colorado|display=inline,title}}

|elevation_footnotes =

|elevation_ft = 7897

|postal_code_type = ZIP Code{{cite web|url=https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookup|title=Look Up a ZIP Code|publisher=United States Postal Service|access-date=December 21, 2020}}

|postal_code = 81129

|area_code = 719

|blank_name = GNIS feature

|blank_info = 2631317{{GNIS|2631317}}

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}}

Conejos (Spanish for "rabbits") is an unincorporated town, a post office, a census-designated place (CDP), and the county seat of Conejos County, Colorado, United States. The Conejos post office has the ZIP Code 81129. At the United States Census 2020, the population of the Conejos CDP was 46. Conejos is the only unincorporated county seat in the State of Colorado.

History

File:Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church - Conejos, Colorado, 2016.jpg

Conejos is a historic Hispanic settlement. Both the settlement and the county were initially named "Guadalupe".{{cite web|url=http://www.ologp.com/read-more--1-.html|title=History|work=ologp.com|publisher=Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish|location=Conejos, Colorado|access-date=24 November 2020}} A major historical and architectural feature of Conejos is the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, founded in 1858. The church was the first Roman Catholic parish in modern-day Colorado and was constructed by Spanish colonists from New Mexico.{{cite web|url=https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04733c.htm|work=The Catholic Encyclopedia|title=Denver|publisher=NewAdvent.org|first=William|last=Howlett|date=1908|access-date=5 January 2021}}

The Conejos post office has been in operation since 1862.{{cite web|url=http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?state=CO |title=Post offices |publisher=Jim Forte Postal History |accessdate=25 June 2016 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306120236/http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?state=CO |archivedate=6 March 2016 }}{{cite book|last=Dawson|first=John Frank|title=Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015051116740;view=1up;seq=21|publisher=The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co.|location=Denver, CO|page=15}}

Geography

Conejos is located in southeastern Conejos County in the San Luis Valley. It is bordered to the south by the town of Antonito. U.S. Route 285 forms the eastern edge of the community and leads north {{convert|28|mi}} to Alamosa, Colorado, and south {{convert|31|mi}} to Tres Piedras, New Mexico.

The Conejos CDP has an area of {{convert|1.254|km2|acres|disp=flip}}, all land.