Manassa

History

Migration patterns demonstrate how people from northern New Mexico settled the area around Manassa in the mid 19th century. Many early settlers were the descendants of colonists from the Spanish colonial period beginning in 1598 with Juan de Oñate's colonization of New Mexico. Today, approximately half of Manassa's residents are of Spanish and Mexican heritage. Most of the other citizens of Manassa are the descendants of the Mormon pioneers who founded Manassa in 1879, and named the town after Manasseh, a son of the Israelite Joseph. Manassa was located a short distance from two ranches purchased by the Mormons from Hispanos on the south side of the Conejos River, across from Los Cerritos, Colorado. The selection of the land for the colony was made on the assurance that the railroad would soon be built nearby. However, one year later the railroad bypassed the colony, and instead passed through Romeo, Colorado, just three miles to the west.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land. Manassa experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk) with cold, dry winters and warm, somewhat wetter summers.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  379
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  305
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  252
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  248
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  233
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  220
• Western Meadowlark

  Sturnella neglecta Audubon, 1844 · Aves
  212
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  191

Largest nearby schools

• Centauri High School
  High · LA JARA · 326 students · 14.8:1 ratio
• Sanford Elementary School
  Elementary · SANFORD · 230 students · 17.7:1 ratio
• Centauri Middle School
  Middle · LA JARA · 228 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• La Jara Elementary School
  Elementary · LA JARA · 204 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• Manassa Elementary School
  Elementary · MANASSA · 198 students · 14.1:1 ratio
• Sanford Junior/Senior High School
  High · SANFORD · 154 students · 17.1:1 ratio
• Guadalupe Elementary School
  Elementary · ANTONITO · 102 students · 12.8:1 ratio
• Antonito High School
  High · ANTONITO · 47 students · 11.8:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2026-08-06
  15 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
• M 3.5 — 2026-07-05
  17 km WSW of Los Ojos, New Mexico
• M 2.8 — 2026-07-02
  14 km S of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
• M 3.1 — 2026-06-25
  18 km SSW of Weston, Colorado
• M 2.9 — 2026-06-20
  16 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado
• M 3.8 — 2026-06-20
  16 km SSE of Stonewall Gap, Colorado