Cortez, Colorado
Encyclopedia
The city of Cortez is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat
and the most populous city of Montezuma County
, Colorado
, United States
. The city population was 8,482 at the 2010 census
. It is a popular stop for tourists, who do not necessarily tour the city, but stay there because of its central location among surrounding attractions, such as Mesa Verde National Park
, Monument Valley
, and the Four Corners.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 5.5 square miles (14.2 km²), of which 5.5 square miles (14.2 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) (0.36%) is water. Cortez is located in the area of the southwest
known as the "High Desert", as are most of northwestern, western, southwestern, and southern Colorado.
Mesa Verde National Park
, featuring Ancient Pueblo
cliff dwellings, is situated southeast of Cortez.
Cortez is a local commercial center, competing with Durango
in the east, and Farmington, New Mexico
in the south, and draws trade from southeastern Utah
, the extreme northeastern corner of Arizona
, the Shiprock
area of Northwestern New Mexico
, and San Miquel, Dolores, Montezuma, and parts of LaPlata County in Colorado. Its economy is based very heavily on tourism, both to nearby Mesa Verde National Park
as well as to San Juan National Forest
, Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) lands in the area (including Canyons of the Ancients National Monument
, as well as the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
and Navajo Indian Reservations
).
of 2010, there were 8,482 people, 3,590 households, and 2,234 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,449.9 people per square mile (560.0/km²). There were 3,885 housing units at an average density of 637.6 per square mile (246.3/km²). The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male (4,083) and 51.9% female (4,399). The racial makeup of the city was 79.2% White, 0.4% African American, 11.8% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 6.04% from other races
, and 2.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.30% of the population.
There were 3,590 households out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples
living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city, the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,776, and the median income for a family was $35,533. Males had a median income of $30,755 versus $20,280 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $18,040. About 14.8% of families and 18.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 17.3% of those age 65 or over.
and the National Register of Historic Places
:
* On the National Register of Historic Places listings in Montezuma County, Colorado
.
+ Colorado State Register of Historic Properties
"Dragon Lady" reconnaissance aircraft made an emergency nighttime forced landing August 3, 1959, at the Cortez Municipal Airport
almost nine months before Gary Powers
was shot down over Russia. Major H. Mike Hua (now retired as General) was on a training flight originating at Laughlin AFB, Texas; the U-2 aircraft engine flamed out at 70,000 feet MSL. Maj. Hua established best glide and was able to navigate through a valley to a lighted airport that wasn't on his map nor did he know of its existence beforehand. The airport was the only one in the area with a lighted runway which was illuminated overnight. The aircraft in question, a U-2D, serial number 56-6721, is on display at Blackbird Airpark, adjacent to USAF Plant 42 at Palmdale, California. Major Hua was later awarded the U.S. Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross for his successful landing of the secret aircraft.
County seat
A 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 most populous city of Montezuma County
Montezuma County, Colorado
Montezuma County is the southwesternmost of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 23,830 at U.S. Census 2000...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The city population was 8,482 at the 2010 census
United States Census, 2010
The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...
. It is a popular stop for tourists, who do not necessarily tour the city, but stay there because of its central location among surrounding attractions, such as Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park is a U.S. National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Montezuma County, Colorado, United States. It was created in 1906 to protect some of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in the world...
, Monument Valley
Monument Valley
Monument Valley is a region of the Colorado Plateau characterized by a cluster of vast sandstone buttes, the largest reaching above the valley floor. It is located on the northern border of Arizona with southern Utah , near the Four Corners area...
, and the Four Corners.
Geography
Cortez is located at 37°20′57"N 108°34′45"W (37.349270, -108.579225).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 5.5 square miles (14.2 km²), of which 5.5 square miles (14.2 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) (0.36%) is water. Cortez is located in the area of the southwest
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
known as the "High Desert", as are most of northwestern, western, southwestern, and southern Colorado.
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park is a U.S. National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Montezuma County, Colorado, United States. It was created in 1906 to protect some of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in the world...
, featuring Ancient Pueblo
Ancient Pueblo Peoples
Ancient Pueblo People or Ancestral Pueblo peoples were an ancient Native American culture centered on the present-day Four Corners area of the United States, comprising southern Utah, northern Arizona, northwest New Mexico, and southern Colorado...
cliff dwellings, is situated southeast of Cortez.
Cortez is a local commercial center, competing with Durango
Durango, Colorado
The City of Durango is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of La Plata County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau said that the city population was 16,887 in 2010 census.-History:...
in the east, and Farmington, New Mexico
Farmington, New Mexico
Farmington is a city in San Juan County in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 U.S. Census the city had a total population of 45,877 people. Farmington makes up one of the four Metropolitan Statistical Areas in New Mexico. The U.S...
in the south, and draws trade from southeastern Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, the extreme northeastern corner of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, the Shiprock
Shiprock
Shiprock is a rock formation rising nearly above the high-desert plain on the Navajo Nation in San Juan County, New Mexico, USA. It has a peak elevation of above the sea level. It lies about southwest of the town of Shiprock, which is named for the peak...
area of Northwestern New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, and San Miquel, Dolores, Montezuma, and parts of LaPlata County in Colorado. Its economy is based very heavily on tourism, both to nearby Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park
Mesa Verde National Park is a U.S. National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Montezuma County, Colorado, United States. It was created in 1906 to protect some of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in the world...
as well as to San Juan National Forest
San Juan National Forest
The San Juan National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering over 1,878,846 acres in Archuleta, Conjeos, Dolores, Hinsdale, La Plata, Mineral, Montezuma, Rio Grande, San Miguel and San Juan Counties in western Colorado. It borders the Uncompahgre National Forest to the north and the Rio Grande...
, Bureau of Land Management
Bureau of Land Management
The Bureau of Land Management is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior which administers America's public lands, totaling approximately , or one-eighth of the landmass of the country. The BLM also manages of subsurface mineral estate underlying federal, state and private...
(BLM) lands in the area (including Canyons of the Ancients National Monument
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is located in the southwestern region of the U.S. state of Colorado, and is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, an agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior...
, as well as the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is one of three federally recognized tribes of the Ute Nation, and are mostly descendants of the historic Weeminuche Band who moved to the Southern Ute reservation in 1897...
and Navajo Indian Reservations
Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory covering , occupying all of northeastern Arizona, the southeastern portion of Utah, and northwestern New Mexico...
).
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A 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 2010, there were 8,482 people, 3,590 households, and 2,234 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,449.9 people per square mile (560.0/km²). There were 3,885 housing units at an average density of 637.6 per square mile (246.3/km²). The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male (4,083) and 51.9% female (4,399). The racial makeup of the city was 79.2% White, 0.4% African American, 11.8% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 6.04% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race 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 2.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.30% of the population.
There were 3,590 households out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage 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, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.8% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the city, the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,776, and the median income for a family was $35,533. Males had a median income of $30,755 versus $20,280 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per 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 city was $18,040. About 14.8% of families and 18.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 17.3% of those age 65 or over.
History
The following sites are prehistoric sites in the Cortez area, several of which are listed on the Colorado State Register of Historic PropertiesColorado State Register of Historic Properties
Colorado State Register of Historic Properties, administered by the Colorado Historical Society Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, is a listing of significant historic resources...
and the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
:
- Cowboy WashCowboy WashCowboy Wash is a group of 9 archaeological sites used by Ancient Puebloans in Montezuma County, southwestern Colorado, United States. Each site includes one to three pit houses, and was discovered in 1993 during an archaeological dig...
- Crow Canyon Archaeological CenterCrow Canyon Archaeological CenterCrow Canyon Archaeological Center is an archeological center of training programs for students and teachers, located in Southwestern Colorado, USA...
- Cortez Cultural Center
- Hawkins Pueblo and cliff dwellingsHawkins PreserveHawkins Preserve is a property within the city limits of Cortez, Colorado. It is protected by a conservation easement held by the Montezuma Land Conservancy....
- Hovenweep National MonumentHovenweep National MonumentHovenweep National Monument is located on land in southwestern Colorado and southeastern Utah, located between Cortez, Colorado and Blanding, Utah on the Cajon Mesa of the Great Sage Plain...
in southwest Colorado and southeastern Utah * + - Lowry Ruin * +
- McElmo Drainage Unit (AD 1075-1300)
- Cannonball Ruins * +
- Maxwell Community +
- Roy's Ruin * +
- Sand Canyon Archaeological District * +
- Wallace Ruin * +
- Mesa Verde National ParkMesa Verde National ParkMesa Verde National Park is a U.S. National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Montezuma County, Colorado, United States. It was created in 1906 to protect some of the best-preserved cliff dwellings in the world...
and UNESCOUNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage SiteWorld Heritage SiteA UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
* + - Mitchell Springs Archeological Site, also known as the Mitchell Springs Ruin Group * +
- Mud Spring Pueblo * +
- Yucca House National MonumentYucca House National MonumentYucca House National Monument is a United States National Monument located in Montezuma County, Colorado between the towns of Towaoc and Cortez, Colorado...
* +
National Register of Historic Places listings in Montezuma County, Colorado
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Montezuma County, Colorado. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Montezuma County, Colorado, United States...
.
+ Colorado State Register of Historic Properties
Colorado State Register of Historic Properties
Colorado State Register of Historic Properties, administered by the Colorado Historical Society Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, is a listing of significant historic resources...
Miracle at Cortez
A Lockheed U-2Lockheed U-2
The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed "Dragon Lady", is a single-engine, very high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency . It provides day and night, very high-altitude , all-weather intelligence gathering...
"Dragon Lady" reconnaissance aircraft made an emergency nighttime forced landing August 3, 1959, at the Cortez Municipal Airport
Cortez Municipal Airport
Cortez Municipal Airport is a public airport located three miles southwest of the central business district of Cortez, a city in Montezuma County, Colorado, USA. The airport covers and has one runway. It is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline...
almost nine months before Gary Powers
Gary Powers
Francis Gary Powers was an American pilot whose Central Intelligence Agency U-2 spy plane was shot down while flying a reconnaissance mission over Soviet Union airspace, causing the 1960 U-2 incident.- Early life :...
was shot down over Russia. Major H. Mike Hua (now retired as General) was on a training flight originating at Laughlin AFB, Texas; the U-2 aircraft engine flamed out at 70,000 feet MSL. Maj. Hua established best glide and was able to navigate through a valley to a lighted airport that wasn't on his map nor did he know of its existence beforehand. The airport was the only one in the area with a lighted runway which was illuminated overnight. The aircraft in question, a U-2D, serial number 56-6721, is on display at Blackbird Airpark, adjacent to USAF Plant 42 at Palmdale, California. Major Hua was later awarded the U.S. Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross for his successful landing of the secret aircraft.
See also
- Colorado municipalitiesColorado municipalitiesThe 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:...
- William B. EbbertWilliam B. EbbertWilliam Baltzell Ebbert was an officer and adjutant in the Union Army , a Colorado legislator, newspaper publisher, author, farmer, businessman, and poet...
, popular rancher and politician, represented Cortez in the Colorado General Assembly in early 20th century. - List of prehistoric sites in Colorado
- Michael MilenskiMichael MilenskiVictor Michael Milenski founded the Long Beach Opera in 1979, and was its general director for 25 seasons, retiring in 2004...
, Cortez native who was founder and general director of Long Beach Opera - San Juan Skyway National Scenic Byway
- Trail of the AncientsTrail of the AncientsThe Trail of the Ancients is an National Scenic Byway located in the states of Colorado and Utah. The route highlights the archaeological and cultural history of southwestern Native American peoples, and traverses the widely diverse geological landscape of the Four Corners region...