La Plata County, Colorado

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La Plata County, Colorado
Strater Hotel, opened in 1888 during a mining boom in Durango.
Location in the state of Colorado
Colorado's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 10, 1874
Named for	Spanish for "the silver"
Seat	Durango
Largest city	Durango
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	1,700 sq mi (4,403 km²) 1,692 sq mi (4,382 km²) 7.6 sq mi (20 km²), 0.4%
Population  - (2020)  - Density	55,638 33/sq mi (13/km²)
Congressional district	3rd
Time zone	Mountain: UTC-7/-6
Website	co.laplata.co.us

La Plata County is one of the 64 counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,638. The county seat is Durango. The county was named for the La Plata River and the La Plata Mountains. "La plata" means "the silver" in Spanish.

La Plata County comprises the Durango, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

The county is home to Durango Rock Shelters Archeology Site, the type site for the Basketmaker II period of Anasazi culture.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,700 square miles (4,400 km²), of which 1,692 square miles (4,380 km²) is land and 7.6 square miles (20 km²) (0.4%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• San Juan County - north
• Hinsdale County - northeast
• Archuleta County - east
• San Juan County, New Mexico - south
• Montezuma County - west
• Dolores County - northwest

Major Highways

• U.S. Highway 160
• U.S. Highway 550
• State Highway 140
• State Highway 151
• State Highway 172

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	1,110		—
1890	5,509		396.3%
1900	7,016		27.4%
1910	10,812		54.1%
1920	11,218		3.8%
1930	12,975		15.7%
1940	15,494		19.4%
1950	14,880		−4.0%
1960	19,225		29.2%
1970	19,199		−0.1%
1980	27,424		42.8%
1990	32,284		17.7%
2000	43,941		36.1%
2010	51,334		16.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

As of the census of 2000, there were 43,941 people in the county, organized into 17,342 households and 10,890 families. The population density was 26 people per square mile (10/km²). There were 20,765 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.31% White, 5.78% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.31% Black or African American, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 3.90% from other races, and 2.25% from two or more races. 10.40% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 17,342 households, out of which 29.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.90% were married couples living together, 8.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.20% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 22.70% under the age of 18, 13.90% from 18 to 24, 29.00% from 25 to 44, 25.10% from 45 to 64, and 9.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 103.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,159, and the median income for a family was $50,446. Males had a median income of $32,486 versus $24,666 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,534. 11.70% of the population and 6.70% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 9.30% of those under the age of 18 and 7.70% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Communities

City

• Durango

Towns

• Bayfield
• Ignacio

Census-designated place

• Southern Ute

Other unincorporated communities

• Allison
• Bondad
• Breen
• Falfa
• Gem Village
• Hermosa
• Hesperus
• Kline
• Marvel
• Mayday
• Oxford
• Redmesa
• Tiffany

Ghost towns

• Greysill Mines
• La Plata
• Parrott City

Politics

In its early years La Plata County generally leaned towards the Democratic Party. Only Benjamin Harrison in 1888, and the three landslide victories of Theodore Roosevelt, Warren G. Harding and Herbert Hoover saw the county vote Republican before World War II. In the period between 1940 and 1988, however, the county – like Colorado generally – took a turn towards supporting the Republican Party, with the result that between 1940 and 2000 the only Democrat to obtain a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964. Since John Kerry became the first candidate in sixteen years from either party to gain a majority in La Plata county in the 2004 election, the county has tended towards the Democratic Party: Barack Obama’s 2008 share of the vote was the highest for a Democrat since Woodrow Wilson's 92 years prior. In the 2020 election, Biden handily won majority of the vote in the county, with a higher share of the vote than the previous presidential elections.

United States presidential election results for La Plata County, Colorado

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	14,233	39.91%	20,548	57.61%	886	2.48%
2016	12,587	40.41%	15,525	49.84%	3,038	9.75%
2012	12,794	43.65%	15,489	52.85%	1,025	3.50%
2008	11,503	41.11%	16,057	57.39%	419	1.50%
2004	11,704	45.87%	13,409	52.56%	400	1.57%
2000	9,993	48.77%	7,864	38.38%	2,633	12.85%
1996	8,057	46.52%	6,509	37.58%	2,755	15.91%
1992	5,522	35.37%	5,913	37.87%	4,178	26.76%
1988	7,714	57.73%	5,443	40.73%	205	1.53%
1984	8,719	67.49%	4,040	31.27%	159	1.23%
1980	7,291	59.76%	3,034	24.87%	1,876	15.38%
1976	6,228	59.05%	3,843	36.44%	476	4.51%
1972	5,691	62.24%	2,830	30.95%	623	6.81%
1968	4,269	57.10%	2,523	33.75%	684	9.15%
1964	3,550	44.34%	4,442	55.48%	15	0.19%
1960	4,772	58.83%	3,329	41.04%	10	0.12%
1956	4,770	66.81%	2,366	33.14%	4	0.06%
1952	4,425	66.03%	2,210	32.98%	66	0.98%
1948	2,735	51.03%	2,536	47.31%	89	1.66%
1944	3,023	59.64%	2,031	40.07%	15	0.30%
1940	3,871	57.39%	2,835	42.03%	39	0.58%
1936	2,354	42.19%	3,040	54.49%	185	3.32%
1932	2,124	38.50%	3,156	57.21%	237	4.30%
1928	2,837	59.58%	1,872	39.31%	53	1.11%
1924	1,469	35.13%	1,516	36.25%	1,197	28.62%
1920	1,711	50.85%	1,445	42.94%	209	6.21%
1916	1,029	27.07%	2,590	68.14%	182	4.79%
1912	692	19.44%	1,775	49.86%	1,093	30.70%
1908	1,381	36.80%	2,004	53.40%	368	9.81%
1904	1,745	51.13%	1,458	42.72%	210	6.15%
1900	900	32.50%	1,844	66.59%	25	0.90%
1896	91	3.22%	2,729	96.57%	6	0.21%
1892	545	33.58%	0	0.00%	1,078	66.42%
1888	849	51.11%	774	46.60%	38	2.29%
1884	722	51.02%	629	44.45%	64	4.52%
1880	259	42.88%	345	57.12%	0	0.00%

Recreation

National forest and wilderness

• San Juan National Forest
• Weminuche Wilderness

National historic district

• Durango-Silverton Narrow-Gauge Railroad National Historic District

Trails

• Colorado Trail
• Old Spanish National Historic Trail

Bicycle route

• Great Parks Bicycle Route

Scenic byway

• San Juan Skyway National Scenic Byway

See also

• East Canyon Fire
• Outline of Colorado
• Index of Colorado-related articles
• Colorado census statistical areas
• Durango Micropolitan Statistical Area
• National Register of Historic Places listings in La Plata County, Colorado

External links

• La Plata County Government website
• La Plata County State Register properties
• Colorado County Evolution by Don Stanwyck
• Colorado Historical Society
• La Plata County Central Reservations
• Access Durango, Colorado Community Portal

Template:La Plata County, Colorado