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La Junta

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La Junta

Total population

7,140

Median home value

$194,800

18%

Bachelor's+

Median income

$52,315

La Junta$52k
National$74k

Founded

1881

Elevation1243 m
Land area7.83 km²
Coordinates37.98°, -103.55°

Demographic figures from US Census Bureau · ACS 5-year estimates. Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.

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City facts

Founded
1881
Elevation
1243 m
Area
7.83 km²
Official website
www.ci.la-junta.co.us

Facts from Wikidata (CC0).

Overview

La Junta HOON-tə is a home rule municipality in, the county seat of, and the most populous municipality in Otero County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,322 at the 2020 United States census. La Junta is located on the Arkansas River in southeastern Colorado 68 miles (109 km) east of Pueblo. The city is the home of Otero College and hosts the annual Tarantula Fest.

Read more on Wikipedia

History & geography

History

La Junta (Spanish for ) was named for the fact it rested at the intersection of the Santa Fe Trail and a pioneer road to Pueblo. The town developed near Bent's Fort, a fur trading post of the 19th century. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway passed through La Junta, with a branch line to Denver separating here. During World War II, La Junta had an Army Air Force Training Base outside town. An Air Force detachment of the Strategic Air Command remained there until modern flight simulators developed in the 1980s rendered live flight unnecessary for pilot training maneuvers. At least one military aircraft crashed closeby during such training maneuvers.

Geography

The area is high plains terrain, dry with short grass prairie and sagebrush, and is part of the Southwestern Tablelands ecological region. This area of Colorado is often the warmest. Summer brings numerous days above . The hottest temperature recorded in La Junta was on June 28, 1990, and June 24, 2012, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 20, 1948. }}

Read full article on Wikipedia

Excerpted from the corresponding Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).

Demographics & economy

Median age
38.2
Median home value
$194,800
Housing units
3,281
Poverty rate
27.4%
Unemployment
7.9%

Race & ethnicity

White
66.8%
Black
1.3%
Asian
0.2%
Hispanic
42.7%

Source: US Census Bureau — American Community Survey, 5-year estimates.

Geography

Latitude
37.9794
Longitude
-103.5473
Water area
0.01 mi²
View on OpenStreetMap

Coordinates & boundaries from the US Census TIGER/Line shapefiles.

Climate

Air quality

Industrial & pollution facilities

Natural hazard risk

Health (adults)

High blood pressure
30.1%
Diabetes
12.1%
Adult obesity
35.4%
Binge drinking
17.4%
Adult smoking
16%
No leisure activity
27.2%

Age-adjusted prevalence estimates from CDC PLACES (latest release).

Walkability

Amenities nearby

Wildlife & biodiversity

Observations (last 5 yrs, 10 mi)
46,857
Distinct species (top 10)
10

Most-observed species

  • Mourning Dove
    Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
    1,372
  • Western Meadowlark
    Sturnella neglecta Audubon, 1844 · Aves
    1,354
  • Eurasian Collared-Dove
    Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
    1,301
  • Red-winged Blackbird
    Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
    1,168
  • European Starling
    Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
    1,168
  • Killdeer
    Charadrius vociferus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
    1,103
  • American Robin
    Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
    917
  • Northern Shoveler
    Spatula clypeata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
    877

Citizen-science & research observations from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).

Schools

Total
7
Elementary
3
Middle
0
High
3
Other
1

Largest nearby schools

  • La Junta Jr/Sr High School
    High · LA JUNTA · 539 students · 18.6:1 ratio
  • La Junta Intermediate School
    Elementary · LA JUNTA · 407 students · 13.1:1 ratio
  • La Junta Primary School
    Elementary · LA JUNTA · 291 students · 10.8:1 ratio
  • Cheraw School
    Other · CHERAW · 227 students · 11.9:1 ratio
  • Swink Elementary School
    Elementary · SWINK · 180 students · 11.3:1 ratio
  • Swink Junior-Senior High School
    High · SWINK · 134 students · 10.3:1 ratio
  • Tiger Trades Academy
    High · LA JUNTA · 118 students · 29.5:1 ratio

Public K–12 schools within ~10 mi from Urban Institute Education Data Portal (NCES Common Core of Data, 2022).

Earthquake history

Photos

Sights & places nearby

Notable people from here

Ken Kesey
Ken Kesey
American novelist (1935–2001)
Linda Smith
Linda Smith
American politician
W
William Charles Anderson
United States Air Force officer and author (1920–2003)
Ambrosio Guillen
Ambrosio Guillen
United States Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient
E
Eugene Reusser
American football coach
E
Everett Marshall
American professional wrestler (1905-1973)
L
Lane Frost
American rodeo performer
L
Larry Elliott
American football coach (1935-2008)
L
Lupe Anguiano
Civil rights activist
M
Mike Oquist
American baseball player
Wendell Fertig
Wendell Fertig
American civil engineer (1900-1975)
Tippy Martinez
Tippy Martinez
American baseball player
J
Judy Burges
American politician and a Republican member of the Arizona State Senate
D
Dustin Osborn
American football player
M
Mark Driscoll
American football player, college athletics administrator
W
Wendy Maruyama
American educator and furniture designer (born 1952)

People born within ~10 km, from Wikidata (CC0). Click any name for their Wikipedia article.

Nearby places in Colorado

Browse all places in Colorado →

Geography & sun

Avg solar (kWh/m²/day)
5.18
Annual solar (kWh/m²)
1,891

Elevation, sunrise/sunset and daylight from Open-Meteo. Solar climatology from NASA POWER.

Nearby airports

Public attention

Wikipedia views (last 30 days)
2,250
Avg daily Wikipedia views
75
Attention level
Quiet

Pageview totals from the Wikimedia Pageviews API.

Books about La Junta

Industrial survey of La Junta, Colorado
University of Colorado (Boulder campus). Bureau of Business and Government Research · 1930
History of the First Methodist Church of La Junta, Colorado
Leon Hiram Sweetland · 1953
Sudoku Genius Mind Exercises Volume 1
La Junta Colo State of Mind Collection · 2019
Temporal attributes of the ambient seismo-acoustic environment
James C. Battis · 1989
Evaluation of proposed water-management alternatives to lower the high water table in the Arkansas River Valley near La Junta, Colorado
Kenneth R Watts · 1992
Analysis of hydrologic factors that affect ground-water levels in the Arkansas River alluvial aquifer near La Junta, Colorado, 1959-99
C. R Bossong · 2000
Proceedings of the 2015 Fur Trade Symposium
Proceedings of the 2015 Fur Trade Symposium
Colo.) Fur Trade Symposium (2015 La Junta · 2015
La junta de gobierno y el Partido Colorado
José Gervasio Antuña · 1913

Search results from Open Library.

Recent natural events nearby

Wildfires, storms and other events from NASA EONET (last 12 months, within 250 mi).

Ground air-quality sensors

Recently spotted species

Nearest stream gauge

Events

Gallery

Sources

  • • Wikipedia
  • • US Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates)
  • • Wikidata
  • • NCES via Urban Institute Education Data Portal
  • • GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)
  • • CDC PLACES
  • • Open-Meteo / sunrise-sunset.org
  • • Wikipedia Pageviews API
  • • Open Library
  • • NASA EONET