Salida, Colorado


Salida is a statutory city that is the county seat and most populous city of Chaffee County, Colorado, United States. The population was 5,236 at the 2010 census.

History

A post office has been in operation at Salida since 1881. The community was named on account of its distance from a nearby canyon, Salida meaning "exit" in Spanish.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of of it is land, 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 west of Salida. 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 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 to Cañon City; to the west it leads to Poncha Springs and over the Continental Divide to Gunnison.

Climate


Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 5,504 people, 2,504 households, and 1,449 families living in the city. The population density was 2,480.1 people per square mile. There were 2,748 housing units at an average density of 1,238.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 92.66% White, 0.05% African American, 1.44% Native American, 0.38% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 3.29% from other races, and 2.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.76%.
Of the 2,504 households 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.1% were non-families. 35.9% of households were one person and 15.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.80.
The age distribution was 21.4% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.
The median household income was $28,790 and the median family income was $38,240. Males had a median income of $30,447 versus $20,867 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,252. About 9.2% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.7% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The city is served by Salida Public Schools. There are two public high schools, Salida High School and Horizons Exploratory Academy.

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.

Notable people