Bent County is one of the
64 countiesThe U.S state of Colorado is divided into 64 counties. Counties are important units of government in Colorado since the state has no secondary civil subdivisions, such as townships...
of the state of Colorado of the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The county is named in honor of frontier trader
William BentWilliam Wells Bent was a frontier trapper, trader, and rancher in the American West who mediated among the Cheyenne Nation, other Native American tribes and the expanding United States. With his brothers, Bent established a trade business along the Santa Fe Trail. In the early 1830s Bent built an...
. The county population was 5,998 at U.S. Census 2000. The
county seatA county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
and the only
incorporated municipalityThe U.S. state of Colorado currently has 271 active incorporated municipalities, including 196 towns, 73 cities, and two consolidated city and county governments.-Municipal government:...
in the county is the city of Las Animas.
History
Bent County was created by the Colorado legislature on February 6, 1874, when
Greenwood CountyGreenwood County was a county of the Territory of Colorado that existed for four years from 1870 to 1874.-History:On November 2, 1870, the Colorado General Assembly created Greenwood County from former Cheyenne and Arapaho tribal land and the eastern portion of Huerfano County...
, created only four years earlier, was dissolved and divided between Bent and
ElbertElbert County is the 21st most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 19,872 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Kiowa...
counties. At the time of its creation, it included a large portion of southeastern Colorado. In 1889, Bent County acquired its current borders when it lost much of its territory to the newly created
CheyenneCheyenne County is the fifth least densely populated of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 2,231 at U.S. Census 2000...
,
LincolnLincoln County is the tenth most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 6,087 at U.S. Census 2000...
,
KiowaKiowa County is the second least densely populated of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 1,622 at the 2000 census. The county seat is Eads...
,
OteroOtero County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county was named for Miguel Antonio Otero, one of the founders of the town of La Junta and a member of a prominent Hispanic family. The county population was 20,311 at U.S. Census 2000...
, and
ProwersProwers County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county is named in honor of John W. Prowers, a leading pioneer in the lower Arkansas valley region. The county population was 14,483 at U.S. Census 2000...
counties.
Geography
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 1541.12 square miles (3,991.5 km²), of which 1513.9 square miles (3,921 km²) (or 98.23%) is land and 27.22 square miles (70.5 km²) (or 1.77%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Kiowa County
Kiowa County is the second least densely populated of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 1,622 at the 2000 census. The county seat is Eads...
, ColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
- north
- Prowers County
Prowers County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county is named in honor of John W. Prowers, a leading pioneer in the lower Arkansas valley region. The county population was 14,483 at U.S. Census 2000...
, ColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
- east
- Baca County
Baca County is the southeasternmost of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 4,517 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Springfield.- History :...
, ColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
- southeast
- Las Animas County
Las Animas County has the largest area of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. Las Animas County takes its name from the Mexican Spanish name of the Purgatoire River, originally called El Río de las Ánimas Perdidas en Purgatorio, which means "River of the Lost Souls in...
, ColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
- southwest
- Otero County
Otero County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county was named for Miguel Antonio Otero, one of the founders of the town of La Junta and a member of a prominent Hispanic family. The county population was 20,311 at U.S. Census 2000...
, ColoradoColorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
- west
Demographics
As of the
censusA census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 5,998 people, 2,003 households, and 1,388 families residing in the county. The
population densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 4 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 2,366 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 79.53%
WhiteRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 3.65%
BlackRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or
African AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 2.23%
Native AmericanRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.57%
AsianRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 10.25% from
other racesRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 3.77% from two or more races. 30.24% of the population were
HispanicRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
or
LatinoRace and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
of any race.
There were 2,003 households out of which 32.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.50% were
married couplesMarriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.70% were non-families. 27.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the county the population was spread out with 23.80% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 29.20% from 25 to 44, 21.80% from 45 to 64, and 15.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 129.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 138.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $28,125, and the median income for a family was $34,096. Males had a median income of $22,755 versus $24,261 for females. The
per capita incomePer capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the county was $13,567. About 16.60% of families and 19.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.40% of those under age 18 and 13.00% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
- Able
- Boggsville
Boggsville is a small unincorporated community in Bent County, Colorado, United States. The U.S. Post Office at Las Animas now serves Boggsville postal addresses.Boggville lies along Highway 101 about 2 miles south of Las Animas....
- Caddoa
Caddoa is an unincorporated town in Bent County, Colorado, United States. The U.S. Post Office at Hasty now serves Caddoa postal addresses....
- Fort Lyon
Fort Lyon is an unincorporated town and U.S. Post Office in Bent County, Colorado, United States. The Fort Lyon Post Office has the ZIP Code 81038....
- Hasty
Hasty is a census-designated place and a U.S. Post Office located in Bent County, Colorado, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 144.The Hasty Post Office has the ZIP Code 81044....
- Hilton
- Las Animas
200px|right|thumb|St. Mary's [[Catholic]] Church in Las AnimasThe city of Las Animas is a Statutory City that is the county seat of, and the only incorporated municipality in, Bent County, Colorado, United States. The population was 2,410 at the 2010 census. Las Animas, located in southeast...
(county seat)
- Marlman
Marlman is an unincorporated town in Bent and Otero counties in the state of Colorado. The U.S. Post Office at La Junta now serves Marlman postal addresses....
- McClave
McClave is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office in Bent County, Colorado, United States. The McClave Post Office has the ZIP Code 81057....
- Melina
- Ninaview
Ninaview is an unincorporated community in Bent County, Colorado, United States. The U.S. Post Office at Las Animas now serves Ninaview postal addresses.- Geography :Ninaview is located at ....
Trails and byway
- American Discovery Trail
The American Discovery Trail is a coast-to-coast hiking and biking trail across the mid-tier of the United States. It starts on the Delmarva Peninsula on the Atlantic Ocean and ends on the northern California coast on the Pacific Ocean, and is signed on over of trail. This includes the doubled...
- Santa Fe National Historic Trail
- Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byway
See also
- Colorado census statistical areas
- Colorado counties
The U.S state of Colorado is divided into 64 counties. Counties are important units of government in Colorado since the state has no secondary civil subdivisions, such as townships...
- Colorado municipalities
The U.S. state of Colorado currently has 271 active incorporated municipalities, including 196 towns, 73 cities, and two consolidated city and county governments.-Municipal government:...
- George W. Swink
George Washington Swink, or G.W. Swink, was a landowner and politician in Colorado and is said to have been the holder of the first timber claim certificate in the United States, issued by President Grover Cleveland on November 3, 1887....
, retailer and cattleman
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Bent County, Colorado
External links