Buena Vista, Colorado
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Town of Buena Vista, Colorado | |
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| Coordinates: 38°50′20″N 106°7′58″W / 38.83889°N 106.13278°WCoordinates: 38°50′20″N 106°7′58″W / 38.83889°N 106.13278°W | |
| Country |  United States |
|---|---|
| State |  State of Colorado |
| County | Chaffee County[1] |
| Incorporated | November 8, 1879[2] |
| Government | |
| - Type | Statutory Town[1] |
| - Mayor | Cara Russell |
| Area | |
| - Total | 3.4 sq mi (8.9 km2) |
| - Land | 3.4 sq mi (8.9 km2) |
| - Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 7,965 ft (2,428 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 2,195 |
| - Density | 645.6/sq mi (246.6/km2) |
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) |
| - Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP code | 81211[3] |
| Area code(s) | 719 |
| FIPS code | 08-10105 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0189268 |
| Website | Town of Buena Vista |
Buena Vista is a Statutory Town in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. The population was 2,195 at the 2000 census.
Buena Vista is located in central Colorado roughly midway between Salida and Leadville in the Upper Arkansas River Valley at an elevation of 7,965 feet (2,428 m). The area between Buena Vista and Salida is often referred to as the "Banana Belt," due to its relatively mild winters. The term "Banana Belt" actually refers to the fact that Buena Vista lies in a wide valley and is a high mountain desert with milder temperatures than nearby communities such as those on the I-70 corridor. The town lies at the base of the 14,000+ peaks of the Collegiate Peaks, Mt. Princeton, Mt. Yale, Mt. Columbia, and Mt. Harvard, of the Sawatch Range. In summer, Buena Vista is a popular access point for world-class whitewater rafting, kayaking, and fly fishing on the Arkansas River, and mountain climbing and backpacking on local 14ers and the Colorado Trail. Sizable elk and deer herds attract hunters in the winter months, and bighorn sheep, mountain goats, and antelope are also indigenous to the area.
Buena Vista incorporated in 1879 and grew as a railroad town serving the local silver, gold, and lead mining industry, with three rail lines including the Denver & Rio Grande, South Park & Pacific, and Colorado Midland railroads. Many of the existing buildings of Buena Vista date back to this era, and were built in the 1880s and 1890s.
Note: The name "Buena Vista," Spanish for "Beautiful View," can often be heard pronounced locally as "Biewna Vista." This Americanized pronunciation was specified by Alsina Dearheimer, who chose this name for the town, which was officially selected over other names (Cottonwood, Mahonville) on the occasion of the town's incorporation. Alternate pronunciations include the more linguistically correct "Bwena Veesta" (Spanish pronunciation) and simply "Biewnie." Many residents simply refer to the town as "BV."
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[edit] Geography
Buena Vista is located at 38°50′20″N 106°07′58″W / 38.838790°N 106.132886°W.[4]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.4 square miles (8.9 km²), all of it land.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 2,195 people, 978 households, and 622 families residing in the town. The population density was 638.6 people per square mile (246.4/km²). There were 1,124 housing units at an average density of 327.0/sq mi (126.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.81% White, 0.09% African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.73% from other races, and 1.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.74% of the population.
There were 978 households out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $34,800, and the median income for a family was $40,455. Males had a median income of $32,841 versus $25,486 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,920. About 9.4% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Recall Election of Trustees
On October 29, 2008 Mayor Cara Russell wrote a column for the Chaffee County Times entitled How big a payoff do you want?" The column prompted 5 of the 6 town trustees to present her with a letter of dismissal on Nov. 10, 2008. Two weeks later, after the trustees determined that was not the best course of action after they were informed by the Mayor's attorney that the trustees could be in violation of the mayors first amendments rights, they voted to withdraw the letter of dismissal.
After 5 Buena Vista town trustees tried to removed mayor Cara Russell for writing an article in the Chaffee County Times about the pros and cons of a local land development. A recall of 3 of the trustees was started in January 2009 for a special election in April 2009 which failed.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Active Colorado Municipalities" (HTML). State of Colorado, Department of Local Affairs. http://www.dola.state.co.us/dlg/local_governments/municipalities.html. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
- ^ "Colorado Municipal Incorporations" (HTML). State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. 2004-12-01. http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/muninc.html. Retrieved on 2007-09-02.
- ^ "ZIP Code Lookup" (JavaScript/HTML). United States Postal Service. http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/citytown.jsp. Retrieved on September 4 2007.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
[edit] External links
- Town of Buena Vista website
- CDOT map of the Town of Buena Vista
- Buena Vista Chamber of Commerce
- Buena Vista Photos and Information
- Local Newspaper
- Mayor column prompts call for her removal
- Mayor requests hearing on her removal
- Trustees rescind removal letter
- Mayor Russell Legal Defense Fund
- Panoramas of Buena Vista
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