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21-710: The Wet Mountain Valley is nestled beneath the Wet Mountains on the east, and the Sangre de Cristo Range that parallels the valley on the west. Both mountain ranges are in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains system of the Southern Rocky Mountains . The valley is approximately 30 miles (48 km) long from north to south and 12 miles (19 km) wide with elevations of between 7,500 ft (2,300 m) and 9,000 ft (2,700 m). The two towns in

42-530: A Dfb climate (humid continental with warm summers and cold winters) in the Köppen Classification system and DCblo (humid continental with mild summers and cold winters) in the Trewartha climate classification system. At Westcliffe from 1948 to 2005, the warmest month was July with an average temperature of 62.9 °F (17.2 °C) and the coldest month was January with an average temperature

63-516: A population of more than 1,000 people in 1880. The valley is drained by two major creeks, both of which rise in the Sangre de Cristos. Grape Creek begins in the south of Custer County near Music Pass and flows north into DeWeese Reservoir ; from there it enters a narrow gorge before reaching the Arkansas River . Texas Creek begins northwest of Westcliffe and flows to the northeast meeting

84-569: Is 23.3 °F (−4.8 °C). Precipitation was 14.44 in (367 mm) annually with the majority in the summer. Snowfall averaged 90.4 in (2,300 mm) annually. The highest elevations of the valley may have a Dfc (continental subarctic) climate. The surrounding mountains have an ET (arctic tundra) climate at elevations above about 11,500 ft (3,500 m) in elevation. 38°04′00″N 105°26′32″W  /  38.06666667°N 105.44222222°W  / 38.06666667; -105.44222222 This Colorado state location article

105-479: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Wet Mountains The Wet Mountains are a small mountain range in southern Colorado , named for the amount of snow they receive in the winter as compared to the dry Great Plains to the east. They are a sub-range of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains , in the southern Rocky Mountains System. There are three variant names of mountain range: Cuerno Verde , Greenhorn Mountains , and Sierra Mojada . Most of

126-457: Is land and 12 square miles (31 km ) (0.5%) is water. As of the Census 2007 statistical update, there were 154,712 people, 59,956 households, and 40,084 families living in the county. The population density was 59 people per square mile (23 people/km ). There were 67,314 housing units at an average density of 25 units per square mile (9.7 units/km ). The racial makeup of the county

147-482: Is now a ghost town after a period of gold and silver mining over the past two centuries. The summit of SH 96 in Hardscrabble Canyon has no official name, but is known locally as Hardscrabble Pass , elevation 9085 ft (2769 m). Its broad saddle is just east of Silver Cliff. The summit of SH 165 is Bigelow Divide , elevation 9403 ft (2866 m), near Ophir Creek Campground. The intersection of

168-459: Is part of Colorado's 3rd congressional district and is represented by U.S. House member Lauren Boebert . At the state level the following representatives have boundaries that cover parts of Pueblo County: Nick Hinrichsen representing Senate District 3, Tisha Mauro House representing House District 46, Ty Winter representing District 47, Stephanie Luck representing District 60 and Matt Martinez representing District 62. The sheriff's office

189-464: Is responsible for law enforcement and fire protection for unincorporated area in the county. As of 2022 the department had 362 sworn members. Pueblo County is historically a Democratic stronghold; however, in the 2016 presidential election , the county voted for Republican nominee Donald Trump . It was brought back into the Democratic fold in the years which followed, voting for Jared Polis in

210-640: The Wet Mountain Valley . The highest point is known as Greenhorn Mountain , which has multiple peaks, the highest of which reaches 12,346 feet (3,763 m). Greenhorn Peak, St. Charles Peak, and North Peak all reach above tree line . Most of the Wet Mountains are within the San Isabel National Forest . To the west the adjacent Wet Mountain Valley contains the small towns of Westcliffe and Silver Cliff . Within

231-708: The Arkansas River at US Highway 50 . A small part of the valley drains southward into the Huerfano River . In 2015, Westcliff and Silver Cliff became an International Dark Sky Community , the first in Colorado, the ninth in the world, and at the highest elevation of all dark sky communities. The designation as a dark sky community requires a local effort to limit light pollution. An observatory in Westcliffe welcomes tourists. The Wet Mountain Valley has

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252-530: The Wet Mountains are within Custer County , stretching into Fremont County to the north, Huerfano County to the south, and Pueblo County to the east. The range runs approximately north to south from U.S. Highway 50 to Walsenburg a distance of more than 40 miles (64 km). The range is up to about 12 miles (19 km) wide and is bordered on the east by the Great Plains and on the west by

273-429: The age of 18 living with them, 50.10% were married couples living together, 13.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.60% were non-families. 26.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.04. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.80% under

294-402: The age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 27.20% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 15.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 41,283, and the median income for a family was $ 50,143. The per capita income for

315-475: The county was $ 21,656. About 11.20% of families and 14.90% of the population were below the poverty line , including 19.70% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over. The Board of Pueblo County Commissioners is elected by voters to represent three individual districts within Pueblo County. The board serves as the administrative and policy-setting authority for Pueblo County. Pueblo County

336-406: The mountains, Highway 96 weaves its way down to Wetmore by way of Hardscrabble Canyon and is one of only three main exits from the valley. The only other highway in the range is Highway 165 , which travels through the range to Rye and Colorado City , and can also be noted for Lake Isabel and Bishop's Castle . Other towns/communities in the small range include Beulah and Rosita , which

357-532: The population was 168,162. The county seat is Pueblo . The county was named for the historic city of Pueblo which took its name from the Spanish language word meaning "town" or "village". Pueblo County comprises the Pueblo, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area . According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 2,398 square miles (6,210 km ), of which 2,386 square miles (6,180 km )

378-472: The southern end and in the northwest. The range lies on the southeast end of the Central Colorado volcanic field and contains Eocene to Oligocene (38–29 Ma) volcanic rocks and carbonatites . Pueblo County, Colorado Pueblo County ( / ˈ p w ɛ b l oʊ / or / ˈ p j ɛ b l oʊ / ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado . As of the 2020 census ,

399-445: The two highways, between Silver Cliff and Wetmore, is McKenzie Junction, elevation 8359 ft. The gravel road that connects SH 78 from Beulah to SH 165 is known locally as Bathtub Pass, for a discarded roadside clawfoot bathtub . The Wet Mountains are the east flank of an uplifted faulted anticline . The core of the range consists of Precambrian granitic rocks with Paleozoic and Mesozoic strata in fault contact around

420-589: The valley are Westcliffe and Silver Cliff which are located side by side at an elevation of just under 8,000 feet (2,400 m). According to the U.S. census for 2020, Westcliffe has a population of 435 and Silver Cliff has a population of 609. DeWeese Reservoir is near the two towns. The valley is known for its historic ranches. Conservation easements preserve some of the ranches from sub-division and development. Silver mining attracted early settlers. The sparse remains of two former mining towns, Rosita and Querida , are 7 miles (11 km) east of Westcliffe. Both had

441-419: Was 79.47% White , 1.90% Black or African American , 1.59% Native American , 0.65% Asian , 0.07% Pacific Islander , 12.93% from other races , and 3.38% from two or more races. 37.97% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 11.6% were of German , 8.8% Italian , 6.7% English , 6.6% American and 6.5% Irish ancestry. There were 59,956 households, out of which 31.50% had children under

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