Montezuma County

administration
Montezuma County Courthouse
US state :	Colorado
Administrative headquarters :	Cortez
Foundation :	April 1889
Made up from:	La Plata County
Demographics
Residents :	25,535 (2010)
Population density :	4.8 inhabitants / km ²
geography
Total area :	5284 km²
Water surface :	9 km²
map

Website : www.co.montezuma.co.us

The Montezuma County is a county in the state of Colorado and one of the Four Corners . The county seat is Cortez .

geography

The county in the extreme southwest of Colorado borders New Mexico to the south and Utah to the west and covers an area of 5284 square kilometers. Of which 9 square kilometers are water surface, the largest lake in the county is the McPhee Reservoir . The county is bordered by counties in a clockwise direction: Dolores County , La Plata County , San Juan County, New Mexico, and San Juan County, Utah .

Montezuma County is also home to Mesa Verde National Park , which includes many archaeological sites. The county is also known for Navajo Nation , the largest Indian reservation in the United States.

history

Populated since about 600, Montezuma County had an estimated population of 100,000 by 1100, four times its current population. However, between 1200 and 1300, most of the settlements had to be abandoned, and the area was inhabited by nomads until repopulation occurred around 1870. Montezuma County was founded in April 1889 from the western part of La Plata County .

Demographic data

growth of population
Census	Residents	± in%
1890	1529	-
1900	3058	100%
1910	5029	64.5%
1920	6260	24.5%
1930	7798	24.6%
1940	10,463	34.2%
1950	9991	-4.5%
1960	14,024	40.4%
1970	12,952	-7.6%
1980	16,510	27.5%
1990	18,672	13.1%
2000	23,830	27.6%
2010	25,535	7.2%
Before 1900 1900–1990 2000 2010 Age pyramid of Montezuma County (as of 2000)

The Montezuma Valley in Mesa Verde National Park

Cliff Palace

Stone tower in the Canyons of the Ancients

According to the 2000 census , the county had 23,830 people. There were 9201 households and 6514 families. The population density was 5 people per square kilometer. The racial the population was composed of 81.72 percent white, 0.14 percent African American, 11.23 percent Native American, 0.20 percent Asian, 0.06 percent from the Pacific island area and 4.26 percent from other ethnic groups Groups; 2.38 percent were descended from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 9.50 percent of the total population.

Of the 9201 households, 33.3 percent had children and young people under the age of 18 living with them. 56.4 percent were married couples living together, 10.6 percent were single mothers. 29.2 percent were not families. 24.6 percent were single households and 9.3 percent had people aged 65 years or over. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.04.

For the entire county, the population was composed of 27.5 percent of residents under 18 years of age, 7.1 percent between 18 and 24 years of age, 26.3 percent between 25 and 44 years of age, 25.3 percent between 45 and 64 years of age 13.8 percent were 65 years of age or over. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males, and for every 100 females aged 18 and over there were 92.2 males.

The median income for a household in the county is $ 32,083 , and the median income for a family is $ 38,071. Males had a median income of $ 30,666 versus $ 21,181 for females. The per capita income was $ 17,003. 16.4 percent of the population and 13.1 percent of families are below the poverty line. This included 23.2 percent of the population under the age of 18 and 14.4 percent of the population aged 65 and over.