Gunnison County is the fifth most extensive 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
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...
in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The county population was 15,324 at the 2010 census. The county was named for
John W. GunnisonJohn Williams Gunnison was an American military officer and explorer.-Biography:Gunnison was born in Goshen, New Hampshire in 1812. He graduated from West Point in 1837, second in his class of fifty cadets. His military career began in Florida, where he spent a year in the campaign against the...
, a
United States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
officer and captain in the
Army Topographical EngineersThe U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers, was separately authorized on 4 July 1838, consisted only of officers, and was used for mapping and the design and construction of federal civil works such as lighthouses and other coastal fortifications and navigational routes. It included such...
, who surveyed for the transcontinental railroad in 1853. 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....
is the city of
GunnisonThe historic City of Gunnison, a Home Rule Municipality, is the county seat and the most populous city of Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,854. It was named in honor of John W...
.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 3259.75 square miles (8,442.7 km²), of which 3238.81 square miles (8,388.5 km²) (or 99.36%) is land and 20.93 square miles (54.2 km²) (or 0.64%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Pitkin County, Colorado
Pitkin County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county is named in honor of the late Colorado Governor Frederick Walker Pitkin. The county population was 14,872 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Aspen...
—north
- Chaffee County, Colorado
Chaffee County is one of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 16,242 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Salida.-History:...
—east
- Saguache County, Colorado
Saguache County is the seventh most extensive of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county name comes from a Ute language word meaning “blue earth” or “water at blue earth”. The county population was 5,917 at U.S. Census 2000...
—southeast
- Hinsdale County, Colorado
Hinsdale County is the least densely populated of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 790 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat and the only municipality in the county is the Town of Lake City. Hinsdale County is named for George A. Hinsdale, a...
—south
- Ouray County, Colorado
Ouray County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado in the United States. The county population was 3,742 at U.S. Census 2000. As of 2010, U.S. Census data place the population at 4,436. The county seat is the City of Ouray...
—southwest
- Delta County, Colorado
Delta County is the 17th most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 27,834 in the 2000 U.S. Census. The county seat is the City of Delta...
—west
- Montrose County, Colorado
Montrose County is the 17th most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 41,276 at U.S. Census 2010. The county was named for its county seat, the City of Montrose...
—west
- Mesa County, Colorado
Mesa County is the fourth most extensive and the eleventh most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado in the United States. The county was named for the many large mesas in the area, including Grand Mesa. The county population was 146,723 at the 2010 United States Census. The...
—northwest
See also:
List of counties bordering eight or more counties
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 13,956 people, 5,649 households, and 2,965 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 9,135 housing units at an average density of 3 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.08%
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...
, 0.49%
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...
, 0.70%
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...
, 0.54%
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...
, 0.04%
Pacific IslanderRace 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...
, 1.44% 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 1.72% from two or more races. 5.02% 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 5,649 households out of which 24.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.20% 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, 5.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.50% were non-families. 27.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.84.
In the county the population was spread out with 17.90% under the age of 18, 21.10% from 18 to 24, 32.90% from 25 to 44, 21.20% from 45 to 64, and 6.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 118.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 120.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $36,916, and the median income for a family was $51,950. Males had a median income of $30,885 versus $25,000 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 $21,407. About 6.00% of families and 15.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.40% of those under age 18 and 7.20% of those age 65 or over.
Cities and towns
- Almont
Almont is an unincorporated town and U.S. Post Office in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The ZIP Code of the Almont Post Office is 81210.-History:...
- Crested Butte
Crested Butte is a Home Rule Municipality in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. A former coal mining town now called "the last great Colorado ski town," Crested Butte is a destination for skiing, mountain biking, and a variety of other outdoor activities...
- Crystal
Crystal is a ghost town in a valley on the upper Crystal River in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States, on a four-wheel-drive road between Marble and Crested Butte...
- Gunnison
The historic City of Gunnison, a Home Rule Municipality, is the county seat and the most populous city of Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,854. It was named in honor of John W...
- Marble
Marble is a Statutory Town in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The population was 131 at the 2010 census.-History:The town of Marble was first incorporated in 1899...
- Mount Crested Butte
Mount Crested Butte is a Home Rule Municipality in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. Mount Crested Butte is the home of the Crested Butte Mountain Resort. The population was 801 at the 2010 census. ZIP code 81225 serves post office boxes for Mount Crested Butte and for neighboring Crested...
- Ohio City
Ohio City is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The Ohio City Post Office has the ZIP Code 81237....
- Parlin
Parlin is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The Parlin Post Office has the ZIP Code 81239....
- Pitkin
Pitkin is a Statutory Town in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The population was 66 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Pitkin is located at ....
- Pittsburg
Pittsburg is a former mining town from the late 19th century located about 9 miles north of Crested Butte, Colorado. While Pittsburg is sometimes considered a ghost town, none of the original structures still exist...
- Powderhorn
Powderhorn is an unincorporated town and a U.S. Post Office in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The Powderhorn Post Office has the ZIP Code 81243.- Geography :Powderhorn is located at ....
- Sapinero
Sapinero is an unincorporated community now located on the shore of Blue Mesa Reservoir in the Curecanti National Recreation Area in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The U.S. Post Office at Gunnison now serves Sapinero postal addresses.-Geography:Sapinero is located at...
- Somerset
Somerset is an unincorporated mining town town and a U.S. Post Office located in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The Somerset Post Office has the ZIP Code 81434.- Geography :Somerset is located at ....
- Tincup
Tincup, or Tin Cup, originally called Virginia City, is an unincorporated community in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. The community was once a prominent mining town. Tincup is now a community of summer homes with a few year-round residents...
National wilderness areas
- Collegiate Peaks Wilderness
The Collegiate Peaks Wilderness is a area located in central Colorado between Leadville and Buena Vista to the east and Aspen to the west and Crested Butte to the southwest. Most of the area is in the San Isabel and Gunnison National Forests, with a smaller area in the White River National Forest...
- Fossil Ridge Wilderness
The Fossil Ridge Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located approximately 16 miles north of Gunnison, Colorado in the Gunnison National Forest.-External links:*...
- Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness
The Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located in the Elk Mountains of central Colorado. The wilderness was established in 1980 in the Gunnison and White River national forests. Within its boundaries are of trails, 6 of Colorado's fourteeners and 9 passes over ....
- Powderhorn Wilderness
The Powderhorn Wilderness is a wilderness area in Hinsdale and Gunnison Counties, Colorado, USA, located northeast of Lake City. Most of the northern part of the area, , about 77.5%, is located on Bureau of Land Management land and its southern portion, , about 22.5%, is located within the...
- Raggeds Wilderness
The Raggeds Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located northwest of Crested Butte, Colorado. The wilderness established in 1980 in the White River and Gunnison national forests has of trails....
- Uncompahgre Wilderness
The Uncompahgre Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area in southwest Colorado comprising 102,721 acres...
- West Elk Wilderness
The West Elk Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located northwest of Gunnison, Colorado in the Gunnison national forest....
Trails
- 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...
- Colorado Trail
The Colorado Trail is a long trail running from the mouth of Waterton Canyon southwest of Denver to Durango in Colorado, United States. Its highest point is above sea level, and most of the trail is above...
- Continental Divide National Scenic Trail
- Old Spanish National Historic Trail
In popular culture
In 2007, the
science fictionScience fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
horror filmHorror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem was set in and around the town of
GunnisonThe historic City of Gunnison, a Home Rule Municipality, is the county seat and the most populous city of Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,854. It was named in honor of John W...
.
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:...
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Gunnison County, Colorado
This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Gunnison County, Colorado. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States...
External links