San Miguel County, Colorado

Last updated

San Miguel County
County
SAN MIGUEL COUNTY COURTHOUSE.jpg
The San Miguel County Courthouse
Map of Colorado highlighting San Miguel County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Colorado
Colorado in United States.svg
Colorado's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°01′N108°26′W / 38.01°N 108.43°W / 38.01; -108.43
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Colorado.svg  Colorado
FoundedMarch 2, 1883
Named for San Miguel River
Seat Telluride
Largest townTelluride
Area
 • Total
1,289 sq mi (3,340 km2)
 • Land1,287 sq mi (3,330 km2)
 • Water2.0 sq mi (5 km2)  0.2%
Population
 (2020) [1]
 • Total
8,072
 • Density6.3/sq mi (2.4/km2)
Time zone UTC−7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district 3rd
Website www.sanmiguelcountyco.gov

San Miguel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,072. [1] The county seat is Telluride. [2] The county is named for the San Miguel River.

Contents

History

San Miguel County was given the Spanish language name for "Saint Michael" due to the nearby San Miguel River. On February 27, 1883, Ouray County was split to form San Miguel County. Originally the San Miguel County portion was to retain the name Ouray County with the new portion called Uncompahgre County.

Mining operators in the San Juan mountain area of Colorado formed the San Juan District Mining Association (SJDMA) in 1903, as a direct result of a Western Federation of Miners proposal to the Telluride Mining Association for the eight-hour day, which had been approved in a referendum by 72 percent of Colorado voters. [3] The new association consolidated the power of thirty-six mining properties in San Miguel, Ouray, and San Juan counties. [4] The SJDMA refused to consider any reduction in hours or increase in wages, helping to provoke a bitter strike.

In 1875, the Smuggler gold vein was discovered near Telluride. The Smuggler-Union, Tomboy, and Liberty Bell mines combined produced over a hundred tons of gold by 1920, third in the state of Colorado. [5] : 51, 83 

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,289 square miles (3,340 km2), of which 1,287 square miles (3,330 km2) is land and 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2) (0.2%) is water. [6]

Adjacent counties

Major highways

National protected areas

Trails and byways

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1890 2,909—
1900 5,37984.9%
1910 4,700−12.6%
1920 5,28112.4%
1930 2,184−58.6%
1940 3,66467.8%
1950 2,693−26.5%
1960 2,9449.3%
1970 1,949−33.8%
1980 3,19263.8%
1990 3,65314.4%
2000 6,59480.5%
2010 7,35911.6%
2020 8,0729.7%
2023 (est.)7,868 [7] −2.5%
U.S. Decennial Census [8]
1790-1960 [9] 1900-1990 [10]
1990-2000 [11] 2010-2020 [12]


Politics

For most of the 20th century, San Miguel County was a national bellwether. It voted for the winner in every presidential election from 1912 to 1984. Since 1988, the county has become one of the most Democratic in Colorado and the nation, largely due to the presence of the Telluride Ski Resort and the influx of liberal-minded voters in the 1960s and 1970s. These trends have made San Miguel similar in vein to other heavily Democratic ski resort counties like Blaine County in Idaho, Teton County in Wyoming, and Pitkin County within Colorado. In the 2000 presidential election, San Miguel County was Green Party candidate Ralph Nader's best countywide performance in the country with 17.2% of the vote.

United States presidential election results for San Miguel County, Colorado [13]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No. %No. %No. %
2024 1,15424.02%3,52973.46%1212.52%
2020 1,13622.07%3,92476.24%871.69%
2016 1,03323.86%2,97568.72%3217.42%
2012 1,15427.11%2,99270.30%1102.58%
2008 93321.45%3,34976.99%681.56%
2004 1,07926.85%2,87671.56%641.59%
2000 1,04332.04%1,59849.09%61418.86%
1996 77328.18%1,53555.96%43515.86%
1992 62823.58%1,38051.82%65524.60%
1988 79843.39%96152.26%804.35%
1984 83354.77%65443.00%342.24%
1980 77442.79%65135.99%38421.23%
1976 62243.83%67447.50%1238.67%
1972 58354.95%42640.15%524.90%
1968 42253.22%31139.22%607.57%
1964 33234.23%63665.57%20.21%
1960 52546.09%61253.73%20.18%
1956 64857.86%46941.88%30.27%
1952 65455.19%52444.22%70.59%
1948 45141.80%61356.81%151.39%
1944 53645.69%63053.71%70.60%
1940 72945.94%85153.62%70.44%
1936 43332.12%86063.80%554.08%
1932 38329.74%86266.93%433.34%
1928 72154.91%55442.19%382.89%
1924 67743.62%56736.53%30819.85%
1920 92854.30%68840.26%935.44%
1916 57829.13%1,32566.78%814.08%
1912 63930.36%1,02948.88%43720.76%
1908 88245.30%92747.61%1387.09%
1904 1,37061.16%79735.58%733.26%
1900 71730.39%1,60467.99%381.61%
1896 873.90%2,13695.70%90.40%
1892 27223.43%00.00%88976.57%
1888 54057.51%37840.26%212.24%
1884 43354.19%36545.68%10.13%

Communities

Towns

Census-designated place

Unincorporated Communities

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Juan Mountains</span> Mountain range in Colorado and New Mexico, United States

Brief Overview

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Telluride is the county seat and most populous town of San Miguel County in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Colorado. The town is a former silver mining camp on the San Miguel River in the western San Juan Mountains. The first gold mining claim was made in the mountains above Telluride in 1875, and early settlement of what is now Telluride followed. The town was founded in 1878.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago Peak</span> Mountain in the state of Colorado

Chicago Peak is a 13,385-foot-elevation (4,080-meter) mountain summit located on the shared boundary of San Miguel County with Ouray County in southwest Colorado, United States. It is situated four miles (6.4 km) east of the community of Telluride, on land managed by Uncompahgre National Forest. It is part of the Sneffels Range which is a subset of the San Juan Mountains, which in turn are part of the Rocky Mountains. It is set above the ghost town of Tomboy, one mile (1.6 km) south of United States Mountain, and one mile northwest of Imogene Pass. Topographic relief is significant as the east aspect rises 2,000 feet above Imogene Basin in approximately one mile, and the west aspect rises 2,000 feet above Savage Basin in less than one mile. Mining activity in the immediate area produced significant amounts of gold and silver.

References

  1. 1 2 United States Census Bureau. "San Miguel County, Colorado" . Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ↑ Roughneck—The Life and Times of Big Bill Haywood, Peter Carlson, 1983, page 65.
  4. ↑ The Corpse On Boomerang Road, Telluride's War On Labor 1899–1908, MaryJoy Martin, 2004, page 201.
  5. ↑ Voynick, S.M., 1992, Colorado Gold, Missoula: Mountain Press Publishing Company, ISBN   0878424555
  6. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  8. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  12. ↑ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  13. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 26, 2017.

38°01′N108°26′W / 38.01°N 108.43°W / 38.01; -108.43

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