Salida, Colorado
Statutory city[1]
The Arkansas River Walk in downtown Salida.
The Arkansas River Walk in downtown Salida.
Nickname: 
Heart of the Rockies
Motto(s): 
"Union, Justice, Safety"
Location of the City of Salida in Chaffee County, Colorado.
Location of the City of Salida in Chaffee County, Colorado.
Salida is located in the United States
Salida
Salida
Location of the City of Salida in the United States.
Coordinates: 38°31′53″N 105°59′46″W / 38.53139°N 105.99611°W / 38.53139; -105.99611
Country United States
State Colorado
CountyChaffee County[2]
CitySalida[1]
Founded1880
IncorporatedMarch 23, 1891[3]
Government
 • TypeStatutory city[1]
Area
[4]
 • Total2.77 sq mi (7.17 km2)
 • Land2.77 sq mi (7.17 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
7,083 ft (2,159 m)
Population
 (2020)[5]
 • Total5,666
 • Density2,000/sq mi (790/km2)
Time zoneUTC−7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC−6 (MDT)
ZIP codes[6]
81201, 81227 (PO Box), 81237
Area code719
FIPS code08-67280
GNIS feature ID0204758
WebsiteOfficial website

Salida (/səˈlaɪdə/ sə-LY-də; Spanish: [saˈliða], "exit") is the statutory city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Chaffee County, Colorado, United States.[7] The population was 5,666 at the 2020 census.[8]

History

A post office has been in operation at Salida since 1881.[9] Salida, meaning "exit" in Spanish, was named on account of its location near the point where the Arkansas River flows out of the valley and into Bighorn Sheep Canyon, upstream from the Royal Gorge.[10]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.77 square miles (7.2 km2), 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. The Mosquito Range parallels the Sawatch Range to the east, forming the Upper Arkansas Valley, and the southern terminus of the range, just east of Salida, is known locally as the Arkansas Hills. 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 Upper 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. Canon City and Pueblo lie to the east.

Climate

According to the Köppen climate classification, Salida has a Cold semi-arid climate (BSk)

Climate data for Salida, Colorado (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1897–1923, 1931–2017)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 65
(18)		 71
(22)		 77
(25)		 82
(28)		 93
(34)		 98
(37)		 103
(39)		 100
(38)		 94
(34)		 85
(29)		 80
(27)		 70
(21)		 103
(39)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 57.9
(14.4)		 60.0
(15.6)		 67.7
(19.8)		 75.3
(24.1)		 83.0
(28.3)		 91.1
(32.8)		 93.9
(34.4)		 89.9
(32.2)		 85.6
(29.8)		 78.2
(25.7)		 66.9
(19.4)		 58.0
(14.4)		 94.3
(34.6)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 43.4
(6.3)		 45.5
(7.5)		 54.0
(12.2)		 60.3
(15.7)		 70.2
(21.2)		 82.0
(27.8)		 85.8
(29.9)		 83.1
(28.4)		 77.0
(25.0)		 65.4
(18.6)		 52.7
(11.5)		 43.2
(6.2)		 63.6
(17.6)
Daily mean °F (°C) 27.4
(−2.6)		 30.1
(−1.1)		 37.5
(3.1)		 44.0
(6.7)		 52.4
(11.3)		 62.7
(17.1)		 67.4
(19.7)		 65.1
(18.4)		 58.0
(14.4)		 47.1
(8.4)		 36.1
(2.3)		 27.9
(−2.3)		 46.3
(7.9)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 11.5
(−11.4)		 14.8
(−9.6)		 21.0
(−6.1)		 27.7
(−2.4)		 34.6
(1.4)		 43.4
(6.3)		 49.1
(9.5)		 47.2
(8.4)		 38.9
(3.8)		 28.9
(−1.7)		 19.5
(−6.9)		 12.6
(−10.8)		 29.1
(−1.6)
Mean minimum °F (°C) −5.1
(−20.6)		 −6.3
(−21.3)		 5.4
(−14.8)		 12.5
(−10.8)		 23.4
(−4.8)		 32.4
(0.2)		 40.6
(4.8)		 38.4
(3.6)		 26.6
(−3.0)		 14.0
(−10.0)		 1.6
(−16.9)		 −7.3
(−21.8)		 −15.7
(−26.5)
Record low °F (°C) −35
(−37)		 −33
(−36)		 −21
(−29)		 −8
(−22)		 13
(−11)		 23
(−5)		 30
(−1)		 31
(−1)		 14
(−10)		 −4
(−20)		 −20
(−29)		 −31
(−35)		 −35
(−37)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.31
(7.9)		 0.27
(6.9)		 0.69
(18)		 1.05
(27)		 0.96
(24)		 0.50
(13)		 1.36
(35)		 1.46
(37)		 0.67
(17)		 0.87
(22)		 0.25
(6.4)		 0.38
(9.7)		 8.77
(223)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 4.0
(10)		 4.1
(10)		 6.5
(17)		 8.0
(20)		 2.7
(6.9)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 2.6
(6.6)		 4.1
(10)		 4.7
(12)		 36.7
(93)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 2.3 2.4 3.9 4.7 5.0 4.3 8.3 9.9 5.1 4.9 3.1 3.0 56.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 2.1 2.2 2.4 2.6 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.1 2.3 3.0 16.3
Source: NOAA (mean maxima/minima 1981–2010)[11][12][13]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18902,586—
19003,72243.9%
19104,42518.9%
19204,6896.0%
19305,0658.0%
19404,969−1.9%
19504,553−8.4%
19604,5600.2%
19704,355−4.5%
19804,87011.8%
19904,737−2.7%
20005,50416.2%
20105,236−4.9%
20205,6668.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

Education

The city is served by Salida Public Schools. There are two public high schools, Salida High School and Horizons Exploratory Academy; and three middle schools, Salida Middle School, Salida Montessori Charter School, and the Crest Academy. Colorado Mountain College has a campus in Salida, which opened in 2019.

Infrastructure

Health care

Salida and Chaffee County are served by the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center, located on the north side of Town on Rush Drive.

Transportation

Salida is part of Colorado's Bustang network. It is on both the Alamosa-Pueblo and the Gunnison-Denver Outrider lines.[14]

Culture

The Salida Downtown Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.[15] On March 30, 2012, downtown Salida was named one of two inaugural Certified Creative Districts in Colorado.[16] Salida is also home to the Shavano Chapter of the Columbine Poets of Colorado, which is affiliated with the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS). The group organizes workshops and festivals and offers poetry contests for both adults and students.[17] On March 30, 2012, Colorado by Colorado Creative Industries, a division of the State's Office of Economic Development and International Trade, announced that the City of Salida's historic downtown was selected as one of only two inaugural “Certified Creative Districts” in Colorado.[18]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Active Colorado Municipalities". State of Colorado, Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Division of Local Government. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Colorado Counties". State of Colorado, Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Division of Local Government. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. December 1, 2004. Retrieved September 2, 2007.
  4. ↑ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  5. ↑ United States Census Bureau. "Salida city; Colorado". Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  6. ↑ "ZIP Code Lookup". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original (JavaScript/HTML) on September 3, 2007. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
  7. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  8. ↑ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Salida city, Colorado". www.census.gov. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Post offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
  10. ↑ Dawson, John Frank. Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin. Denver, CO: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 44.
  11. ↑ "NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  13. ↑ "xmACIS2". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Bustang Schedule". RideBustang. CDOT.
  15. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Salida Creative District Strategic Plan » Salida Creative District". Retrieved November 19, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Who Are The Columbine Poets?". Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  18. ↑ "About the Salida Creative District » Salida Creative District". Retrieved January 6, 2022.
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