Custer County, Colorado

Custer County is the tenth least populous of the of the  of the. The county population was 3,503 at. The is.

History
Custer County was created by the Colorado legislature on, , out of the southern half of. Originally set in, the county seat moved to in , and to  in  before settling in Westcliffe in. It was named in honor of Lt. Colonel, who had died the previous year.

The county was the site of a rush during the 1870s. Thousands of men poured into the county during this time in the hunt for silver. The town of at one time had a population of about 8,000 residents and was one of the cities considered for the site of the state capital of. Some of the notable mines include the Geyser Mine (on the north edge of the town of Silver Cliff), the Bassick Mine (near the ghost town of Querida) and the Bull Domingo (north of Silver Cliff).

During the late 1800s a railroad line was connected through the Grape Creek Canyon but was permanently closed after a few disastrous floods. The old railhouse has been turned into a historical landmark in the town of Westcliffe.

After the mines dried up, the population dropped considerably and was replaced by cattle ranchers. An extensive system of irrigation ditches were built throughout the valley. The tradition of ranching in the Wet Mountain Valley continues to this day.

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,916 (740 ). 1,914 km² (739 sq mi) of it is land and 3 km² (1 sq mi) of it (0.14%) is water.

The county is very rugged and would be virtually inaccessible without roads. The lowest point of the county is around 6,000 feet in elevation, but most of the county is rugged and mountainous. The county seat of is about 7,800 feet and along with nearby town  lies in the  which sits at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the west reach heights in excess of 14,000 feet with being the highest at 14,294 feet and 7th highest  in.

A large percentage of the county is National Forest land in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the west side and in the on the east. The only lake of size is the in the north end of the Wet Mountain Valley.

Adjacent counties

 * - north
 * - east
 * - southeast
 * - west

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 3,503 people, 1,480 households, and 1,077 families residing in the county. The was 2/km² (5/sq mi). There were 2,989 housing units at an average density of 2/km² (4/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 95.89%, 0.37% or , 1.11% , 0.29% , 0.71% from , and 1.63% from two or more races. 2.51% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 1,480 households out of which 25.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.60% were living together, 5.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.20% were non-families. 23.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.77.

In the county the population was spread out with 22.50% under the age of 18, 4.50% from 18 to 24, 23.30% from 25 to 44, 35.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 104.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $34,731, and the median income for a family was $41,198. Males had a median income of $32,460 versus $20,868 for females. The for the county was $19,817. About 9.80% of families and 13.30% of the population were below the, including 20.10% of those under age 18 and 12.60% of those age 65 or over.

Government
The county is governed by three who are elected to 4-year terms with a term limit of two. Currently the county is represented by:

-District 1: Dale Hoag (Republican), serving from 1998-2006

-District 2: Dick Downey (Republican), serving from 2000-2008

-District 3: Kit Shy (Republican), serving from 2004-2008 which chance for reelection in 2008

There are several other public offices including Coroner, Sheriff, County Clerk and others.

Politics
Custer County is overall very conservative and heavily Republican. The most important election is not the, but the between members of the  in August. During the, well over 60% of Custer County voters voted for the Republican candidates including , and. However, as of 2004, Custer County is represented in the by.

Despite the surface appearance of a homogeneous political culture, there is considerable dispute among residents over planning. One segment of residents (which includes ranchers) would like to see the County preserved in its present state as a mountain paradise with its rural ranching culture, with strict limitation on development. Proponents are sometimes seen as "anti-growth" and "anti-property rights." Another segment of the population would like to see less government and less restrictions on growth and development for the growth of business and the economy. Proponents are seen as "anti-environment" or "anti-agriculture."

Cities and towns

 * Ula (historical)
 * Ula (historical)
 * Ula (historical)
 * Ula (historical)
 * Ula (historical)
 * Ula (historical)
 * Ula (historical)
 * Ula (historical)
 * Ula (historical)
 * Ula (historical)