Conejos, Colorado

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Not to be confused with Conejos County, Colorado.
Conejos, Colorado
census-designated place
Conejos County Courthouse in Conejos.
Conejos County Courthouse in Conejos.
Location of the Conejos CDP in Conejos County, Colorado.
Location of the Conejos CDP in Conejos County, Colorado.
Conejos is located in the United States
Conejos
Conejos
Location of Conejos, Colorado.
Conejos is located in Colorado
Conejos
Conejos
Conejos (Colorado)
Coordinates: 37°05′18″N 106°01′11″W / 37.0883°N 106.0197°W / 37.0883; -106.0197 (Conejos, Colorado)[2]
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountyConejos[1]
Founded1858
Government
 • Typeunincorporated community
 • BodyConejos County[1]
Area
[3]
 • Total
0.484 sq mi (1.254 km2)
 • Land0.484 sq mi (1.254 km2)
 • Water0.000 sq mi (0.000 km2)
Elevation
[2]
7,904 ft (2,409 m)
Population
 (2020)[4]
 • Total
46
 • Density95/sq mi (37/km2)
Time zoneUTC−07:00 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−06:00 (MDT)
ZIP code[5]
81129
Area code719
GNIS place ID190913
GNIS town ID2631317
FIPS code08-16715

Conejos (Spanish for "rabbits") is an unincorporated town, a post office, a census-designated place (CDP), and the county seat of Conejos County, Colorado, United States. The Conejos post office has the ZIP Code 81129.[5] At the United States Census 2020, the population of the Conejos CDP was 46.[4] Conejos is the last unincorporated county seat in the State of Colorado.

History

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Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Conejos.

Conejos was settled in 1858 in what was then Taos County, New Mexico Territory.[6] A major historical and architectural feature of Conejos is the Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, founded in 1858.[6] The church was the first Roman Catholic parish in modern-day Colorado and was constructed by Spanish colonists from Taos, New Mexico.[7]

The Territory of Colorado was organized on February 28, 1861.[8] On November 1, 1861, the Territorial Legislature created Guadaloupe County with the village of Guadalupe as the county seat.[9] Six days later, the legislature changed the county name to Conejos County.[10][11] Fearing flooding, the Conejos, Colorado Territory, post office opened on February 25, 1862, at a sight 3 feet (1 m) higher across the Conejos River.[12] In 1863, Conejos County moved its county seat 0.6 miles (1.0 km) across the Conejos River to town of Conejos.

Geography

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Conejos is located in southeastern Conejos County in the San Luis Valley. It is bordered to the south by the town of Antonito. U.S. Route 285 forms the eastern edge of the community and leads north 28 miles (45 km) to Alamosa, Colorado, and south 31 miles (50 km) to Tres Piedras, New Mexico.

At the 2020 United States Census, the Conejos CDP had an area of 310 acres (1.254 km2), all land.[3]

Demographics

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The United States Census Bureau initially defined the Conejos CDP for the United States Census 2010.

Conejos CDP, Colorado
YearPop.±%
201058—    
202046−20.7%
Source: United States Census Bureau

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Colorado Counties". Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Conejos, Colorado". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  3. ^ a b "State of Colorado Census Designated Places - BAS20 - Data as of January 1, 2020". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  4. ^ a b United States Census Bureau. "Conejos CDP, Colorado". Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "ZIP Code Lookup". United States Postal Service. Retrieved July 26, 2025.
  6. ^ a b "History". ologp.com. Conejos, Colorado: Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  7. ^ Howlett, William (1908). "Denver". The Catholic Encyclopedia. NewAdvent.org. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  8. ^ Thirty-sixth United States Congress (February 28, 1861). "An Act To provide a temporary Government for the Territory of Colorado" (PDF). Library of Congress. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
  9. ^ "Colorado County History". COGenWeb Project. April 29, 2011. Archived from the original on July 23, 2008. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  10. ^ Stanwyck, Don; Zion, Lee (2003). "Colorado County Evolution". COGenWeb Project. Retrieved October 12, 2024.
  11. ^ Dawson, John Frank. Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin. Denver, CO: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 15.
  12. ^ Bauer, William H.; Ozment, James L.; Willard, John H. (1990). Colorado Post Offices 1859–1989. Golden, Colorado: Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation. ISBN 0-918654-42-4.
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