Salida, Colorado facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Salida, Colorado
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| City of Salida | |
The Arkansas River Walk in downtown Salida.
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| Nickname(s):
Heart of the Rockies
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| Motto(s):
"Union, Justice, Safety"
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Location of the City of Salida in Chaffee County, Colorado.
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 Salida, Colorado
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Colorado |
| County | Chaffee County |
| City | Salida |
| Founded | 1880 |
| Incorporated | March 23, 1891 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Statutory city |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.77 sq mi (7.17 km2) |
| • Land | 2.77 sq mi (7.17 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 7,083 ft (2,159 m) |
| Population
(2010)
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| • Total | 5,236 |
| • Estimate
(2019)
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6,082 |
| • Density | 2,197.25/sq mi (848.23/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| ZIP codes |
81201, 81227 (PO Box), 81237
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| Area code(s) | 719 |
| FIPS code | 08-67280 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0204758 |
The City of Salida ( sə-LY-də; Spanish: "exit") is the Statutory city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. The population was 5,666 at the 2020 census.
Contents
History
A post office has been in operation at Salida since 1881. The community was named on account of its distance from a nearby canyon, Salida meaning "departure" in Spanish.
Geography and climate
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2) of it is land, and the Arkansas River, which runs through the town, is the major source of water for local agriculture.
The Sawatch Range runs north and south and is located roughly 10 miles (16 km) west of Salida. Methodist Mountain, which is a major feature on Salida's southern horizon, is the northernmost mountain in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. To the north of Salida is the Arkansas Valley and the town of Buena Vista.
U.S. Route 50 runs along the southern edge of the city and leads east down the Arkansas River 58 miles (93 km) to Cañon City; to the west it leads 4 miles (6 km) to Poncha Springs and 63 miles (101 km) over the Continental Divide to Gunnison.
| Climate data for Salida, Colorado (1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 43.3 (6.3) |
45.5 (7.5) |
52.6 (11.4) |
60.5 (15.8) |
70.3 (21.3) |
80.0 (26.7) |
85.2 (29.6) |
82.0 (27.8) |
75.2 (24.0) |
64.6 (18.1) |
51.9 (11.1) |
42.5 (5.8) |
62.8 (17.1) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 12.1 (−11.1) |
15.2 (−9.3) |
21.0 (−6.1) |
27.8 (−2.3) |
35.6 (2.0) |
42.2 (5.7) |
48.3 (9.1) |
46.6 (8.1) |
38.5 (3.6) |
28.6 (−1.9) |
20.3 (−6.5) |
12.6 (−10.8) |
29.1 (−1.6) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.29 (7.4) |
0.30 (7.6) |
0.59 (15) |
0.94 (24) |
0.89 (23) |
0.65 (17) |
1.24 (31) |
1.61 (41) |
0.78 (20) |
0.95 (24) |
0.34 (8.6) |
0.30 (7.6) |
8.89 (226) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 5.5 (14) |
5.2 (13) |
7.2 (18) |
6.0 (15) |
2.1 (5.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
4.5 (11) |
6.9 (18) |
5.3 (13) |
42.9 (109) |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 2,586 | — | |
| 1900 | 3,722 | 43.9% | |
| 1910 | 4,425 | 18.9% | |
| 1920 | 4,689 | 6.0% | |
| 1930 | 5,065 | 8.0% | |
| 1940 | 4,969 | −1.9% | |
| 1950 | 4,553 | −8.4% | |
| 1960 | 4,560 | 0.2% | |
| 1970 | 4,355 | −4.5% | |
| 1980 | 4,870 | 11.8% | |
| 1990 | 4,737 | −2.7% | |
| 2000 | 5,504 | 16.2% | |
| 2010 | 5,236 | −4.9% | |
| 2019 (est.) | 6,082 | 16.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
At the 2000 census there were 5,504 people, 2,504 households, and 1,449 families living in the city. The population density was 2,480.1 people per square mile (957.3/km2). There were 2,748 housing units at an average density of 1,238.3 per square mile (477.9/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 92.66% White, 0.05% African American, 1.44% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.29% from other races, and 2.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.76%.
Of the 2,504 households 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.1% were non-families. 35.9% of households were one person and 15.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.80.
The age distribution was 21.4% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.
The median household income was $28,790 and the median family income was $38,240. Males had a median income of $30,447 versus $20,867 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,252. About 9.2% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.7% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.
Education
The city is served by Salida Public Schools. There are two public high schools, Salida High School and Horizons Exploratory Academy.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Salida is part of Colorado's Bustang network. It is on both the Alamosa-Pueblo and the Gunnison-Denver Outrider lines.
Notable people
- Sally Blane, actress
- Louie Croft Boyd, Superintendent of Nurses, Rio Grande Hospital
- Chris Guccione, Major League Baseball umpire
- Kent Haruf, novelist
See also
In Spanish: Salida (Colorado) para niños
