Alamosa County 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.

History

Alamosa County was created by the Colorado legislature on March 8, 1913, out of northwestern Costilla County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.1%) is water.

Adjacent counties

  • Saguache County, Colorado - north
  • Huerfano County, Colorado - east
  • Costilla County, Colorado - southeast
  • Conejos County, Colorado - southwest
  • Rio Grande County, Colorado - west

Major highways

  • 20px U.S. Highway 160
  • 20px U.S. Highway 285
  • 20px State Highway 17
  • 20px State Highway 150
  • 20px State Highway 368
  • 20px State Highway 370
  • 20px State Highway 371

National protected area

  • Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Other protected areas

  • Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge
  • Great Sand Dunes Wilderness
  • Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge
  • Rio Grande National Forest
  • San Luis Lakes State Wildlife Area
  • Sangre de Cristo Wilderness

Scenic trails

  • Los Caminos Antiguos Scenic and Historic Byway
  • Old Spanish National Historic Trail

Transportation

Alamosa is served by San Luis Valley Regional Airport. The only commercial service is to Denver.

Demographics

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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.

Communities

City

  • Alamosa

Town

  • Hooper

Census-designated place

  • Alamosa East

Unincorporated communities

  • Estrella
  • Hartner
  • Henry
  • La Fruto
  • Mosca
  • Waverly

Sheriff's Office

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.

Rank structure

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!Title

!Insignia

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|Sheriff

|center|75px

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|Undersheriff

|center|50px

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|Sergeant

|center|25px

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|Corporal

|center|25px

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|Deputy

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License plate code

Alamosa County has used the following county codes on Colorado license plates issued to passenger vehicles in the county: XE-XG and EAA-ABD.

See also

  • Bibliography of Colorado
  • Geography of Colorado
  • San Luis Valley
  • History of Colorado
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Alamosa County, Colorado
  • Index of Colorado-related articles
  • List of Colorado-related lists
  • List of counties in Colorado
  • Outline of Colorado

References

  • State of Colorado
  • History Colorado
  • Colorado County Evolution by Don Stanwyck
  • Official page at Facebook