The San Luis Hills are a group of small mountain ranges in Conejos and Costilla counties in the San Luis Valley in southern Colorado . The individual mountain ranges that make up the San Luis Hills include the Fairy Hills , the Brownie Hills , the Piñon Hills , and the South Piñon Hills . The San Luis Hills' highest point is Flat Top , elevation 9,206 feet (2,806 meters).
15-759: Each of the separate mountain ranges includes flat-topped mesas and hills, and the ranges trend from the southwest to the northeast. Because the individual hills rise from the floor of the San Luis Valley, which is about 7,500 feet (2,300 meters) in elevation, they appear more as hills than mountains, despite rising to eight or nine thousand feet above sea level. The Hills are all within the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area . The Fairy Hills lie at 37°12′37″N 105°45′14″W / 37.21028°N 105.75389°W / 37.21028; -105.75389 . They are north of Colorado State Highway 142 and west of
30-893: A 10,883-acre (4,404-hectare) tract of land in the Piñon Hills. The wilderness study area was established in 1980 and is owned by the Bureau of Land Management. In 2016, the Western Rivers Conservancy got funding from the Conservation Alliance to purchase a 17,019-acre (6,887-hectare) tract in the Brownie Hills on both sides of the Rio Grande , some of it adjacent to or overlapping with the Rio Grande Natural Area. The plan
45-600: Is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado . As of the 2020 census , the population was 16,376. The county seat is Alamosa . The county name is the Spanish language word for a grove of cottonwood trees . Alamosa County was created by the Colorado legislature on March 8, 1913, out of northwestern Costilla County . According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 723 square miles (1,870 km ), of which 723 square miles (1,870 km )
60-454: Is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km ) (0.1%) is water. Alamosa is served by San Luis Valley Regional Airport . The only commercial service is to Denver. At the 2000 census there were 14,966 people, 5,467 households, and 3,651 families living in the county. The population density was 21 people per square mile (8.1 people/km ). There were 6,088 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3.1/km ). The racial makeup of
75-622: Is to transfer the land to Costilla County, which will manage it for wildlife habitat, agriculture, and public open space. Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area is a federally designated National Heritage Area in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Colorado . The heritage area includes the San Luis Valley and portions of the Sangre de Cristo Range . The region combines influences of Anglo-American , Hispano-American and Native American influences. It also includes portions of
90-708: The Catholic Church (with 5,716 adherents) and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (with 1,155 adherents). Alamosa County is a competitive swing county, voting for the winning presidential candidate in every election since its formation except 1944, 1960, 1976, 2016, and 2020. The Alamosa County Sheriff's Office is a county law enforcement agency in Alamosa County, Colorado, United States. It consists of 18 sworn law enforcement officers and 21 civilian support personnel. Alamosa County has used
105-623: The Hinsdale Formation . The basalt is underlain by Oligocene andesite and dacite volcanic deposits of the lower Conejos Formation . The public lands in the San Luis Hills are not developed for recreation. However, some informal hiking trails exist, and mountain climbing and bouldering are possible, especially around the Manassa Dike on south side of Flat Top. The San Luis Hills Wilderness Study Area occupies
120-583: The Medano-Zapata Ranch . Other features include the Trujillo Homestead , a National Historic Landmark . The area overlaps with the "Hispano Homeland", the ethnically distinct Hispanic population in the upper Rio Grande Valley and adjoining uplands, as described by academic, Richard Nostrand. The national heritage area was established to preserve and promote the region's distinctive cultural and natural features. The San Luis Valley
135-610: The Rio Grande in Conejos County . The Brownie Hills lie at 37°12′39″N 105°42′50″W / 37.21083°N 105.71389°W / 37.21083; -105.71389 . They are north of Colorado State Highway 142 and east of the Rio Grande , in Costilla County . The Piñon Hills lie at 37°07′50″N 105°49′02″W / 37.13056°N 105.81722°W / 37.13056; -105.81722 . They are south of Colorado State Highway 142 and west of
150-471: The Rio Grande , in Conejos County . The South Piñon Hills lie at 37°04′17″N 105°48′31″W / 37.07139°N 105.80861°W / 37.07139; -105.80861 . As their name indicates, they are south of the Piñon Hills in Conejos County , and just north of the New Mexico border. The hills are the exposed parts of an intra-rift horst . They are capped by Miocene basalts of
165-565: The county was 71.19% White, 0.97% Black or African American, 2.34% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 20.34% from other races, and 4.16% from two or more races. 41.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 5,467 households 35.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.50% were married couples living together, 11.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.20% were non-families. 27.30% of households were one person and 8.70% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size
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#1732773342332180-582: The upper Rio Grande valley. The national heritage area includes Alamosa , Costilla , and Conejos counties, and portions of Saguache and Rio Grande counties. It also includes within its boundaries Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve , Baca National Wildlife Refuge , the Sangre de Cristo Wilderness , the South San Juan Wilderness , Sangre de Cristo Wilderness Area, San Luis Wilderness Study Area, Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge , Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge and
195-457: Was $ 38,389. Males had a median income of $ 27,733 versus $ 22,806 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 15,037. About 15.60% of families and 21.30% of the population were below the poverty line , including 27.40% of those under age 18 and 13.90% of those age 65 or over. In 2000, the largest denominational groups were Catholics (with 5,716 members) and Evangelical Protestants (with 1,755 members). The largest religious bodies were
210-399: Was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.14. The age distribution was 27.20% under the age of 18, 15.90% from 18 to 24, 26.70% from 25 to 44, 20.60% from 45 to 64, and 9.60% 65 or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 99.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.30 males. The median household income was $ 29,447 and the median family income
225-667: Was culturally isolated for much of its history, preserving a distinctive local Spanish dialect and vocabulary. A high proportion of the local population is descended from Hispanos, Spanish colonial settlers who arrived in the area in the 1850s, the first permanent European settlers in Colorado. Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area was established by the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 . 37°28′14″N 105°51′57″W / 37.4705°N 105.8657°W / 37.4705; -105.8657 Alamosa County, Colorado Alamosa County
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