Mineral County, Colorado

Mineral County, Colorado
Location in the state of Colorado
Colorado's location in the U.S.
Founded	March 27, 1893
Seat	Creede
Largest town	Creede
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	877.70 sq mi (2,273 km²) 875.72 sq mi (2,268 km²) 1.99 sq mi (5 km²), 0.23%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	831 1/sq mi (0/km²)
Time zone	Mountain: UTC-7/-6
Website	www.mineralcountycolorado.com

Mineral County is the second least populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county was named for the many valuable minerals found in the mountains and streams of the area. The county population was 831 at U.S. Census 2000.^[1] The county seat and the only municipality in the county is the Town of Creede.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 877.70 square miles (2,273.2 km²), of which 875.72 square miles (2,268.1 km²) (or 99.77%) is land and 1.99 square miles (5.2 km²) (or 0.23%) is water.^[2]

Adjacent counties

• Saguache County, Colorado - northeast
• Rio Grande County, Colorado - east
• Archuleta County, Colorado - south
• Hinsdale County, Colorado - west

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 831 people, 377 households, and 251 families residing in the county. The population density was 1 people per square mile (0/km²). There were 1,119 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile (0/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.87% White, 0.84% Native American, 0.12% from other races, and 2.17% from two or more races. 2.05% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 377 households out of which 22.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.00% were married couples living together, 5.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.40% were non-families. 28.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.70.

In the county the population was spread out with 20.50% under the age of 18, 4.70% from 18 to 24, 24.80% from 25 to 44, 32.70% from 45 to 64, and 17.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 104.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,844, and the median income for a family was $40,833. Males had a median income of $28,750 versus $19,375 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,475. About 9.30% of families and 10.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.70% of those under age 18 and 10.60% of those age 65 or over.

Mineral County has an extremely high proportion of land under federal ownership, with 96% of the county under the management of the federal government (It houses an office of, and is surrounded by, the Rio Grande National Forest).

Cities and towns

Native silver from the Bulldog Mountain Mine, Creede District. Size 4.5 x 2.6 x 0.25 cm.

• Creede
• Spar City
• Wagon Wheel Gap

National forests and wilderness

• Rio Grande National Forest
• San Juan National Forest
• La Garita Wilderness
• Weminuche Wilderness

Trails

• Colorado Trail
• Continental Divide National Scenic Trail
• Lake Fork National Recreation Trail

Scenic byway

• Silver Thread Scenic Byway

See also

• Colorado census statistical areas
• Colorado counties
• Colorado municipalities
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Mineral County, Colorado

References

1. ^ "Annual County Population Estimates and Estimated Components of Change: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 (CO-EST2006-alldata)" (CSV). 2006 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2007-03-22. http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/files/CO-EST2006-ALLDATA.csv. Retrieved 2007-05-16. 
2. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

Further reading

• Foley, N.K. et al. (1993). Mineralogy, mineral chemistry, and paragenesis of gold, silver, and base-metal ores of the North Amethyst vein system, San Juan Mountains, Mineral County, Colorado [U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1537]. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.

External links

• [1]
• Creede and Mineral County information
• Colorado County Evolution by Don Stanwyck
• Colorado Historical Society

Coordinates: 37°41′N 106°56′W / 37.69°N 106.93°W / 37.69; -106.93