| Buena Vista, Colorado | |
| Settlement Type: | Statutory Town[1] |
| Motto: | "8,000 Feet Above Average" |
| Pushpin Map: | USA |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the Town of Buena Vista in the |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Chaffee County |
| Government Type: | Statutory Town |
| Established Title2: | Incorporated |
| Established Date2: | November 8, 1879[2] |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [3] |
| Area Total Km2: | 8.942 |
| Area Land Km2: | 8.942 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.000 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 2,855 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 827 |
| Timezone1: | MST |
| Utc Offset1: | −07:00 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | MDT |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | −06:00 |
| Coordinates: | 38.8347°N -106.1292°W |
| Coordinates Footnotes: | [4] |
| Elevation Ft: | 7989 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 81211[5] |
| Area Code: | 719 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 08-10105 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2411739 |
Buena Vista [6] is a Statutory Town located in Chaffee County, Colorado, United States.[1] The town population was 2,855 at the 2020 United States Census.[3]
The Arkansas River Valley and the area of what would become Buena Vista was first settled in 1864 by settlers drawn to the area by the plentiful water which made the land suitable for agriculture.[7] By 1880, the county seat had moved from Granite to Buena Vista, but by 1928 Salida had a larger population so the county seat was moved once again. By 1894, Buena Vista had electricity, telephone service, street lights, parks, cemeteries, and schools.[7] Travelers, speculators, and miners traveling up the Arkansas Valley towards Leadville made Buena Vista a popular stagecoach stop, and railroad depot following the 1890s. While certainly experiencing economic ups and downs, the valley's agricultural economy has made the area more resistant to the 'boom, bust' cycle of mining towns.
Buena Vista is located in central Colorado roughly midway between Salida and Leadville in the Upper Arkansas River Valley at an elevation of 79650NaN0. The area between Buena Vista and Salida is often referred to as the Denver & Rio Grande, South Park & Pacific, and Colorado Midland railroads. Many of the existing buildings of Buena Vista date back to this era, and were built in the 1880s and 1890s.
The name "Buena Vista", Spanish for "Good View", can often be heard pronounced locally as . This Americanized pronunciation was specified by Alsina Dearheimer, who chose this name for the town, which was officially selected over other names (Cottonwood, Mahonville) on the occasion of the town's incorporation. Alternate pronunciations include the Spanish pronounced as /es/ and simply . Many residents simply refer to the town as "BV."[8]
Buena Vista is located in the Upper Arkansas River Valley.
At the 2020 United States Census, the town had a total area of 8.942km2, all of it land.[3]
Buena Vista has a Semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk), with cold, dry winters and warm, somewhat wetter summers. Altitude and dryness cause the diurnal temperature variation to be high year-round.
As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 2,195 people, 978 households, and 622 families residing in the town. The population density was 638.6sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 1,124 housing units at an average density of 327sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the town was 96.81% Caucasian, 0.09% African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.73% from other races, and 1.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.74% of the population.
There were 978 households, out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.83.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $34,800, and the median income for a family was $40,455. Males had a median income of $32,841 versus $25,486 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,920. About 9.4% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.1% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.
U.S. Route 24 is an east–west highway running from Clarkston, Michigan, to its intersection with Interstate 70 near Minturn, Colorado. Its western terminus is located just north of Buena Vista.
The short segment between US 50 at Poncha Springs and US 24 at Buena Vista was originally U.S. Route 650, designated in 1926. US 285 was commissioned in 1936 along its present extent from Sanderson, Texas, to Denver, mostly replacing state-numbered highways.
Chaffee County Road 306 leaves Buena Vista and travels west to the summit of Cottonwood Pass (elevation 12126abbr=offNaNabbr=off. This road is closed during the snowy months, typically late October to April or May, but when open allows travelers a more direct route to Gunnison and Crested Butte than US 50 crossing Monarch Pass to the south of town.
Buena Vista is part of Colorado's Bustang network. It is on the Gunnison-Denver Outrider line.[10]