Pueblo, Colorado
Home rule municipality[1]
Historic Arkansas Riverwalk at night
Pueblo Zoo
Pueblo Union Depot
Minnequa Steel Works Office Building
Colorado State University-Pueblo
Pueblo County Courthouse
Flag of Pueblo, Colorado
Flag
Nickname(s): 
Home of Heroes, Steel City
Motto: 
"A City Of Excellence"[2]
Location of the City of Pueblo in Pueblo County, Colorado
Location of the City of Pueblo in Pueblo County, Colorado
Pueblo is located in Colorado
Pueblo
Pueblo
Location of Pueblo in the United States
Pueblo is located in the United States
Pueblo
Pueblo
Pueblo (the United States)
Coordinates: 38°16′1″N 104°37′13″W / 38.26694°N 104.62028°W / 38.26694; -104.62028
Country United States
State Colorado
CountyPueblo[3]
CityPueblo[1]
IncorporatedNovember 15, 1885[4]
Government
 • TypeHome rule municipality[1]
 • BodyPueblo City Council
 • MayorNick Gradisar[5]
Area
[6]
 • Total56.083 sq mi (145.254 km2)
 • Land55.382 sq mi (143.439 km2)
 • Water0.701 sq mi (1.815 km2)
Elevation
[7]
4,692 ft (1,430 m)
Population
 (2020)[6]
 • Total111,876
 • Rank9th in Colorado
273rd in the United States
 • Density2,000/sq mi (770/km2)
 • Metro
168,162 (257th)
 • CSA
217,690 (186th)
 • Front Range
5,055,344
DemonymPuebloan
Time zoneUTC−07:00 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−06:00 (MDT)
ZIP Codes
81001-81012
Area code719
FIPS code08-62000
GNIS feature ID0204798
Major Routes
Websitepueblo.us
The Pueblo County Courthouse has a large brass top easily seen from Interstate 25 to the east.
The Hotel Vail in downtown Pueblo[8]

Pueblo (/ˈpwɛbloʊ/) is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States.[1] The city population was 111,876 at the 2020 United States Census, making Pueblo the ninth most populous city in Colorado. Pueblo is the principal city of the Pueblo, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and a major city of the Front Range Urban Corridor.

Pueblo is situated at the confluence of the Arkansas River and Fountain Creek, 112 miles (180 km) south of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. The area is considered semi-arid desert land, with approximately 12 inches (304.80 mm) of precipitation annually. With its location in the "Banana Belt", Pueblo tends to get less snow than the other major cities in Colorado.

Pueblo is one of the largest steel-producing cities in the United States,[9] for which reason Pueblo is referred to as the "Steel City". The Historic Arkansas River Project (HARP) is a riverwalk in the Union Avenue Historic Commercial District, and shows the history of the devastating Pueblo Flood of 1921.

History

El Pueblo

James Beckwourth, George Simpson, and other trappers such as Mathew Kinkead and John Brown, claimed to have helped construct the plaza that became known as El Pueblo around 1842.[10] According to accounts of residents who traded at the plaza (including that of George Simpson), the Fort Pueblo Massacre happened sometime between December 23 and December 25, 1854, by a war party of Utes and Jicarilla Apaches under the leadership of Tierra Blanca, a Ute chief.[11] They allegedly killed between fifteen and nineteen men, as well as captured two children and one woman.[12] The trading post was abandoned after the raid, but it became important again between 1858 and 1859 during the Colorado Gold Rush of 1859.[13]

Early development: railroads, steel, expansion, and orphanages

The current city of Pueblo represents the consolidation of four towns: Pueblo (incorporated 1870), South Pueblo (incorporated 1873), Central Pueblo (incorporated 1882), and Bessemer (incorporated 1886). Pueblo, South Pueblo, and Central Pueblo legally consolidated as the City of Pueblo between March 9 and April 6, 1886. Bessemer joined Pueblo in 1894.[14][15][16]

The consolidated city became a major economic and social center of Colorado, and was home to important early Colorado families such as the Thatchers, the Ormans, and the Adams. By the early 1870s the city was being hailed as a beacon of development, with newspapers like the Chicago Tribune boasting of how the region's lawless reputation was giving way to orderly agriculture with triumphalist rhetoric. One author crowed of Pueblo that "the necessity exists no longer for Sharp's rifles and revolvers. These have been [supplanted] by the plow and the mowing-machine."[17]

Pueblo's development stretched beyond agriculture. Steel emerged as a key industry very early, and in 1909 the city was considered the only steel town west of the Mississippi River.[18]

Until a series of major floods culminated in the Great Flood of 1921,[19] Pueblo was considered the 'Saddle-Making capital of the World'. Roughly one-third of Pueblo's downtown businesses were lost in this flood, along with a substantial number of buildings. Pueblo struggled with this significant loss, but has had a resurgence in growth.

Historically, many people were influenced by the orphanages of Pueblo, and the homes are now all historical sites. The three orphanages in Pueblo were known as Sacred Heart, Lincoln, and McClelland. Lincoln was the first historically Black orphanage in Colorado, and one of only seven in the country. Sacred Heart was run by the Catholic Welfare Bureau, while McClelland was run by the Lutheran Church. Several children from Cuba were placed at Sacred Heart as part of "Operation Pedro Pan". Though the orphanages in Pueblo are no longer in service, the buildings still exist and have transformed with the times. According to the Rocky Mountain News, in 1988 the Sacred Heart Orphanage was bought by the Pueblo Housing Authority and turned into 40 small-family housing units.[20]

From Popular Mechanics magazine (1921)

Steel mill

The main industry in Pueblo for most of its history was the Colorado Fuel and Iron (CF&I) Steel Mill on the south side of town. For nearly a century the CF&I was the largest employer in the state of Colorado. The steel-market crash of 1982 led to the decline of the company. After several bankruptcies, the company was acquired by Oregon Steel Mills and changed its name to Rocky Mountain Steel Mills. The buyout, as well as the end of the union contract in 1997 led to a union strike over pension liabilities, as well as working conditions, wherein the union argued the new owners still needed to pay the pension liabilities provided by the previous owners. With the conclusion of the strike on December 30, 1997, CF&I had replaced several hundred union workers with local employees. [21]

In September 2004, both United Steelworkers locals 2102 and 3267 won the strike and the unfair labor practice charges. All of the striking steel workers returned to their jobs, and the company paid them the back pay owed for the seven years they were on strike. In 2007, shortly after Oregon Steel made amends with the union and its workers, Evraz Group, one of Russia's biggest steel producers, agreed to buy the company for $2.3 billion.[22]

Of the many production and fabrication mills that once existed on the site, only the steel production (electric furnaces, used for scrap recycling), rail, rod, bar, and seamless tube mills are still in operation. The wire mill was sold in the late 1990s to Davis Wire, which still produces products such as fence and nails under the CF&I brand name. The facility operated blast furnaces until 1982, when the steel market collapsed. The main blast furnace structures were torn down in 1989, but due to asbestos content, many of the adjacent stoves still remain. The stoves and foundations for some of the furnaces can be seen from Interstate 25, which runs parallel to the plant's west boundary.

Several of the administration buildings, including the main office building, dispensary, and tunnel gatehouse were purchased in 2003 by the Bessemer Historical Society. In 2006, they underwent renovation. In addition to housing the historic CF&I Archives, they also house the Steelworks Museum of Industry and Culture.[23]

"Melting Pot of the West"

Due to the growth of the CF&I steel mill and the employment that it offered, Pueblo in the early twentieth century attracted a large number of immigrant laborers. The groups represented led to Pueblo becoming the most ethnically and culturally diverse city in Colorado and the West. At one point, more than 40 languages were spoken in the steel mill and more than two-dozen foreign language newspapers were published in the city.[24] Irish, Italian,[25] German, Slovenian, Greek, Jewish, Lithuanian, Russian, Hungarian, Japanese, and African-American groups arrived in the area at the turn of the century and remain to the present time. The convergence of cultures led to a cosmopolitan character to the city that resulted in a number of ethnically-rooted neighborhoods that are typically not seen west of the Mississippi. Respective cultural groups maintain cultural festivals to the present, with the city being home to locations of the Order Sons of Italy, American Slovenian Catholic Union, and I.O.O.F., among others.

Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo

Another major employer in Pueblo is Colorado State Hospital. The hospital is the preeminent mental health facility in the Rocky Mountain region. Established in 1879 as the Colorado State Insane Asylum, it was renamed as the Colorado State Hospital in 1917. In 1991, the name was changed to the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo (CMHIP). The Robert L. Hawkins High Security Forensic Institute opened in June 2009 and is a 200-bed, high-security facility.[26]

Home of Heroes

Pueblo is the hometown of four Medal of Honor recipients (tied only with Holland, Michigan, also with four,[27] each having more than any other municipality in the United States): William J. Crawford, Carl L. Sitter, Raymond G. Murphy, and Drew D. Dix. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, upon presenting Raymond G. "Jerry" Murphy with his medal in 1953, commented, "What is it... something in the water out there in Pueblo? All you guys turn out to be heroes!"

In 1993, Pueblo City Council adopted the tagline "Home of Heroes" for the city due to the fact that Pueblo can claim more recipients of the Medal per capita than any other city in the United States. On July 1, 1993, the Congressional Record recognized Pueblo as the "Home of Heroes."[28] A memorial to the recipients of the medal is at the Pueblo Convention Center. Central High School is known as the "School of Heroes," as it is the alma mater of two recipients, Sitter and Crawford.

Geography

Pueblo is 100 miles (160 km) south of Denver and is on the front range of the Rocky Mountains.[29] Pueblo sits on the western edge of the Great Plains in a high desert area of terrain in southern Colorado and is near the western edge of the Southwestern Tablelands ecology region.

According to the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total area of 35,893 acres (145.254 km2), including 448 acres (1.815 km2) of water.[6]

Climate

Climate chart for Pueblo

Pueblo has a steppe climate (Köppen BSk), with four distinct seasons. Winter days are usually mild, but the high does not surpass freezing on an average 14.4 days per year, and lows fall to 0 °F (−18 °C) or below on 6.2 nights.[30] Snowfall usually falls in light amounts, and rarely remains on the ground for long (typically, for one or two days). January is the snowiest month, and the seasonal average is 28.3 inches (72 cm);[30] however, snow is uncommon in October, and in May or September, snow is exceedingly rare, with an average first and last date of measurable (≥0.1 in or 0.25 cm) snowfall being November 4 and April 9, respectively.[31] Summers are hot and dry, with 90 °F (32 °C) or greater highs are on average seen 71.6 days per year, with 100 °F (38 °C) or greater on 12.0 days.[30] Diurnal temperature ranges are large throughout the year, averaging 32.5 °F (18.1 °C).

Precipitation is generally low, with the winter months receiving very little. Sunshine is abundant throughout the year, with an annual total of nearly 3,470 hours, or 78% of the possible total.[32] Pueblo is considered a high desert climate, and sits on the desert lands in southern Colorado between Pueblo and the Royal Gorge.

The hottest temperature recorded in Pueblo was 109 °F (42.8 °C) on July 13, 2003, while the coldest temperature recorded was −31 °F (−35.0 °C) on February 1, 1951.[31]

Climate data for Pueblo, Colorado (Pueblo Memorial Airport), 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1888–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 81
(27)		 82
(28)		 86
(30)		 94
(34)		 102
(39)		 108
(42)		 109
(43)		 105
(41)		 103
(39)		 94
(34)		 85
(29)		 82
(28)		 109
(43)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 70.3
(21.3)		 71.8
(22.1)		 79.9
(26.6)		 86.2
(30.1)		 93.4
(34.1)		 101.2
(38.4)		 103.3
(39.6)		 100.2
(37.9)		 96.3
(35.7)		 88.5
(31.4)		 77.2
(25.1)		 69.3
(20.7)		 103.9
(39.9)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 48.4
(9.1)		 51.1
(10.6)		 60.6
(15.9)		 67.3
(19.6)		 77.2
(25.1)		 88.6
(31.4)		 93.4
(34.1)		 90.2
(32.3)		 83.1
(28.4)		 69.7
(20.9)		 56.7
(13.7)		 47.5
(8.6)		 69.5
(20.8)
Daily mean °F (°C) 31.9
(−0.1)		 35.1
(1.7)		 43.9
(6.6)		 51.3
(10.7)		 61.4
(16.3)		 71.8
(22.1)		 77.2
(25.1)		 74.8
(23.8)		 66.6
(19.2)		 52.8
(11.6)		 40.5
(4.7)		 31.7
(−0.2)		 53.2
(11.8)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 15.4
(−9.2)		 19.0
(−7.2)		 27.1
(−2.7)		 35.3
(1.8)		 45.6
(7.6)		 55.0
(12.8)		 61.0
(16.1)		 59.4
(15.2)		 50.1
(10.1)		 35.9
(2.2)		 24.2
(−4.3)		 15.9
(−8.9)		 37.0
(2.8)
Mean minimum °F (°C) −4.8
(−20.4)		 −1.2
(−18.4)		 9.6
(−12.4)		 20.9
(−6.2)		 31.0
(−0.6)		 43.4
(6.3)		 52.1
(11.2)		 50.2
(10.1)		 35.9
(2.2)		 18.5
(−7.5)		 5.1
(−14.9)		 −5.2
(−20.7)		 −10.4
(−23.6)
Record low °F (°C) −29
(−34)		 −31
(−35)		 −20
(−29)		 2
(−17)		 23
(−5)		 32
(0)		 41
(5)		 39
(4)		 21
(−6)		 −8
(−22)		 −17
(−27)		 −28
(−33)		 −31
(−35)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 0.29
(7.4)		 0.32
(8.1)		 0.82
(21)		 1.57
(40)		 1.57
(40)		 1.28
(33)		 1.89
(48)		 2.11
(54)		 0.65
(17)		 0.76
(19)		 0.47
(12)		 0.29
(7.4)		 12.02
(305)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 4.9
(12)		 4.7
(12)		 4.5
(11)		 3.4
(8.6)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.2
(0.51)		 1.9
(4.8)		 4.1
(10)		 4.6
(12)		 28.3
(72)
Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) 2.4
(6.1)		 2.2
(5.6)		 2.1
(5.3)		 1.1
(2.8)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.8
(2.0)		 2.2
(5.6)		 2.4
(6.1)		 5.2
(13)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 3.8 4.0 5.7 7.0 7.9 6.6 9.2 8.8 4.6 4.2 4.1 3.3 69.2
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 3.8 3.8 3.0 2.1 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 1.0 2.8 3.6 20.3
Average relative humidity (%) 57.1 52.1 48.7 43.5 44.6 44.9 49.3 51.5 50.2 47.0 57.1 56.6 50.2
Average dew point °F (°C) 13.6
(−10.2)		 16.3
(−8.7)		 19.8
(−6.8)		 25.9
(−3.4)		 35.8
(2.1)		 44.1
(6.7)		 52.5
(11.4)		 51.8
(11.0)		 42.6
(5.9)		 30.2
(−1.0)		 23.2
(−4.9)		 15.1
(−9.4)		 30.9
(−0.6)
Mean monthly sunshine hours 231.0 227.3 284.0 315.1 344.2 360.0 358.8 336.8 298.7 275.5 219.7 210.7 3,461.8
Percent possible sunshine 76 75 77 80 78 81 80 80 80 79 72 71 78
Source 1: NOAA[30][33]
Source 2: National Weather Service[31]

See or edit raw graph data.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1870666—
18803,217383.0%
189024,558663.4%
190028,15714.7%
191041,74748.3%
192043,0503.1%
193050,09616.4%
194052,1624.1%
195063,68522.1%
196091,18143.2%
197097,7747.2%
1980101,6864.0%
199098,640−3.0%
2000102,1213.5%
2010106,5954.4%
2020111,8765.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010

As of the 2010 census, the population of Pueblo was 106,544 (259th most populous U.S. city), the population of the Pueblo Metropolitan Statistical Area was 159,063 (190th most populous MSA), the population of the Pueblo–Cañon City, CO Combined Statistical Area was 205,887, the population of the South Central Colorado Urban Area was 851,500, and the population of the Front Range Urban Corridor in Colorado was an estimated 4,166,855.

In 2010, the racial makeup of the city was: 75.2% White, 2.5% Black or African American, 2.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 4.1% two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents (of any race) were 49.8% and Non-Hispanic Whites were 45.2% of the population.[34]

2000

As of the census[35] of 2000, there were 102,121 people, 40,307 households, and 26,118 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,265.5 inhabitants per square mile (874.7/km2). There were 43,121 housing units at an average density of 956.6 per square mile (369.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 56.21% White, 2.41% African American, 1.73% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 15.20% from other races, and 3.71% from two or more races. Residents of Hispanic or Latino ancestry made up 44.13% of the population. 10.1% were of German, 8.1% Italian, 6.0% American, 5.5% English and 5.4% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

According to the 2005 Census estimates, the city had grown to an estimated population of 104,951[36] and had become the ninth most populous city in the state of Colorado and the 245th most populous city in the United States.

There were 40,307 households, out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the city, 25.1% of the population was under the age of 18, 10.3% was from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,650, and the median income for a family was $35,620. Males had a median income of $29,702 versus $22,197 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,026. About 13.9% of families and 17.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.3% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Pueblo is the home of the Federal Citizen Information Center, operated by the General Services Administration, and its Consumer Information Catalog. For over 30 years, public service announcements invited Americans to write for information at "Pueblo, Colorado, 81009". In recent times GSA has incorporated Pueblo into FCIC's toll-free telephone number.

Vestas Wind Systems constructed the largest (nearly 700,000 square feet) wind turbine tower manufacturing plant in the world at Pueblo's industrial park.[37] It sold the facility to CS Wind in 2021.[38]

Renewable Energy Systems Americas broke ground on the Comanche Solar Project seven miles south of Pueblo in 2015.[39] When complete, it will be the largest solar energy farm east of the Rocky Mountains, and its backers say the project will produce electricity more cheaply than natural gas.[39] The project will cover 1,000 acres with 500,000 solar panels, providing a capacity of 156 megawatts of power—enough to supply 31,000 homes.[39] The project will be run by SunEdison, with a power purchase agreement signed by Xcel Energy.[39] A number of scientific studies now list Pueblo as the state's primary locale for solar energy development and the premier setting for solar companies to locate, placing it ahead of regional rivals such as Boulder, Colorado and Taos, New Mexico.[40]

In February 2017, Pueblo City Council voted to commit the city to 100% renewable energy ("Ready for 100%") by 2035, with the city's electric franchisee, Black Hills Energy, expected to ramp up its renewable energy portfolio from 29% to 65%.[41] Pueblo County commissioners joined the renewable commitment in April 2018.[42] For several years, Pueblo's Energy Future has been pushing the city to become a municipal electric provider. Among the claimed advantages for the move toward independence: lower cost to the consumer, increased reliability and the opportunity to move more aggressively toward renewable energy development. At one time, an August 2020 "divorce" seemed possible.[43]

Top employers

According to Pueblo's 2017 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[44] the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Parkview Medical Center 2,900
2 Pueblo School District 60 1,840
3 Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo 1,200
4 Pueblo County 1,106
5 Pueblo County School District 70 1,101
6 Walmart* 1,035
7 Evraz Steel Mills 979
8 Vestas 967
9 St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center 934
10 City of Pueblo 733
*Includes all stores and management in Pueblo County

Arts and culture

Pueblo is the home to Colorado's largest single event, the Colorado State Fair, held annually in the late summer, and the largest parade, the state fair parade, as well as an annual Chile & Frijoles Festival.[45]

Venues, museums and sites

Sports

Pueblo is the hometown of Dutch Clark, the first man from Colorado inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame[46] as well as the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.[47] The primary football stadium belonging to Pueblo School District 60 is named for him. Two long-standing high school rivalries are played annually at this stadium. The Bell Game has been played annually since 1892 between the Central Wildcats and the Centennial Bulldogs in what is touted as the oldest football rivalry west of the Mississippi River.[48]

In 2008, Professional Bull Riders (PBR) moved its corporate headquarters to Pueblo. This became the site of their world headquarters based at the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk[49] located bordering the Union Avenue Historic Commercial District.

In 2014, the Colorado State University Pueblo ThunderWolves won the NCAA Division II Football Championship, a first national title for the football program.[50]

In 2019, the Pueblo Bulls junior ice hockey team in the United States Premier Hockey League, began play out of the Pueblo Ice Arena.

Government

City Government:[51][5][52]
MayorNick Gradisar
Deputy mayorBarb Huber,
Fire Chief
District 1Regina Maestri
District 2Larry Atencio
District 3Sarah Martinez
District 4Vicente Martinez Ortega
At-largeHeather Graham
At-largeDennis Flores
At-largeLori Winner

Pueblo is a state-chartered municipal corporation, previously governed by its city council without the office of mayor and administered by a city manager. In 2017 voters passed Question 2A changing the city charter to a strong-mayor form of city government known as "Mayor-Council Government". Only two other cities in the state of Colorado use the strong-mayor form of government, Denver and Colorado Springs. In 2018 an election was held for mayor for the first time in over sixty years, due to none of the sixteen candidates getting more than fifty percent of the vote, a runoff was required to decide the winner. In January 2019 attorney Nicholas Gradisar faced former Pueblo City Council President Steve Nawrocki, Gradisar prevailed and was sworn in as mayor on the first of February for a term of five years, with all subsequent mayoral terms being four years and a maximum of two consecutive terms.[53][54][55]

Mayor Nick Gradisar in 2021

The deputy mayor is selected by the mayor and must be confirmed by a vote of the city council, the deputy mayor serves a term of one year. According to the city charter, the deputy mayor must be a city department head.[56]

The city council is elected by the residents of the city. There are seven council seats, four of which are elected by district, and three elected at-large.[57]

Pueblo is included in Colorado's 3rd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, and is currently represented by Republican Lauren Boebert. Pueblo is also included in the 3rd District of the Colorado State Senate, currently represented by Democrat Nick Hinrichsen, and districts 46 and 62 of the Colorado State House, currently represented by Democrats Tisha Mauro and Matthew Martinez.[58]

Municipal law enforcement

The Pueblo Police Department is led by Chief Chris Noeller[59] Per capita, the crime rate in Pueblo is higher than the national average for a city of the same size and does not take into account the surrounding unincorporated cumulative population of 176,529.[60] In 2016, the FBI's Uniform Crime Report listed Pueblo's major reported crimes stats as: 1,081 violent crime, murders 9, rape 171, robbery 224, aggravated assault 677, property crimes (all) 7,473, burglary 1,797, larceny 4,505, motor vehicle theft (all) 1,171, arson 49.[61]

Education

Higher education

Pueblo is home to Colorado State University Pueblo (CSU Pueblo), a regional comprehensive university. It is part of the Colorado State University System (CSU System), with about 4,500 students.[62] On May 8, 2007, CSU Pueblo received approval from the Board of Governors of the Colorado State University System to bring back football as a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The first game was played in the fall of 2008 at the ThunderBowl, a stadium at CSU Pueblo for over 12,000 spectators. In 2014, the football team won the NCAA Division II Football Championship.[63][64]

Pueblo Community College (PCC) is a two-year, public, comprehensive community college, one of thirteen community colleges within the Colorado Community College System (CCCS). It operates three campuses serving a widely dispersed eight-county region in Southern Colorado.[65] The main campus is located in Pueblo and serves Pueblo County.[65] The Fremont Campus is located approximately 35 miles (56 km) west of Pueblo in Cañon City and serves Fremont and Custer Counties.[65] The Southwest Campus, 280 miles (450 km) southwest of Pueblo, serves Montezuma, Dolores, La Plata, San Juan, and Archuleta counties.[65] PCC is a Hispanic Serving Institution as designated by the Federal Government. Approximately 5,000 students attend PCC per semester.[66]

Primary and secondary education

Almost all of the city limits is within Pueblo School District 60. Very small portions lie within Pueblo County School District 70.[67]

Centennial High School was founded north of downtown on Eleventh Street in 1876, the year Colorado entered the Union. Centennial was rebuilt on a new site to the northwest in 1973. Central High School was founded in Bessemer in 1882. Central's present campus on East Orman Avenue was built in 1906 and expanded in the early 1970s. Its original building still stands four blocks away on East Pitkin Avenue. South High School and East High School were built in the late 1950s to accommodate the Baby Boomer generation. Pueblo County High School, east of the city in Vineland, serves rural residents. Rye High School is in a foothills town southwest of Pueblo. Pueblo West High School is located in the northwestern suburb of Pueblo West.

Pueblo Catholic High School closed in 1971.[68] Its building became Roncalli Middle School in the early 1970s. By 1975 all Catholic schools in Pueblo (under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pueblo) had closed.[68] As of 2017 there are two Catholic grade schools in Pueblo: St. John Neumann Catholic School and St. Therese Catholic School.[69]

Dolores Huerta Preparatory High School was founded in 2004, and relocated to its current building in 2007. It features the only Early College Program in Pueblo recognized by the State of Colorado, where many students graduate with their associate degree from Pueblo Community College while also earning credit from Colorado State University Pueblo. Other Pueblo area high schools include Southern Colorado Early College, School of Engineering and Biomedical Science (formerly Pueblo Technical Academy), Parkhill Christian Academy and the Health Academy.

Media

Print

Radio

The Pueblo radio market includes all of Pueblo County.[71] In its Fall 2013 ranking of radio markets by population, Arbitron ranked the Pueblo market 238th in the United States.[72] Six AM and 15 FM radio stations broadcast from or are licensed to the city.[73][74][75]

Due to Pueblo's proximity to Colorado Springs, local listeners can also receive the signal of most radio stations broadcasting from the Colorado Springs radio market.[73]

Television

The Colorado Springs–Pueblo market is the 90th largest television market in the United States.[76]

Transportation

Union Depot, built in 1889–1890

Local and regional buses

The City of Pueblo operates Pueblo Transit. Greyhound Lines provides bus service towards Denver, Colorado; Amarillo, Texas; Albuquerque, New Mexico. Regional bus service to La Junta, Lamar, Colorado Springs, Alamosa, and Trinidad is provided by the CDOT operated Bustang.

Rail

Freight rail service is provided by BNSF and Union Pacific.

Pueblo and its Union Depot last saw passenger train service in 1971. Once an important hub, the city was served by four Class 1 railroads, as well as a number of smaller operators.[77]

Amtrak's daily Southwest Chief makes a stop 64 miles (103 km) east of Pueblo at La Junta, providing direct rail transport to Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Kansas City, Chicago, and dozens of smaller locales. In 2016, Amtrak looked at rerouting the Southwest Chief to serve Pueblo directly. It estimated the new stop would increase annual ridership by 14,000 and ticket revenue by $1.45 million.[78]

Pueblo has been proposed as the southern terminus for Front Range Passenger Rail, which would provide service to Colorado Springs, Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, and Cheyenne.[79]

Aviation

Major highways

Interstate 25 and US Route 85 run in tandem on the same north–south expressway through Pueblo. US Route 50 runs east–west through Pueblo.

Notable people

Politics

Military

Business

Arts

Sports

Infamous figures

  • Joseph Arridy, mentally disabled man wrongfully convicted of murder and rape; put to death in the 1930s; pardoned in 2010 as the first and only posthumous gubernatorial pardon in the state of Colorado.[88]
  • Frank DeSimone, boss of the Los Angeles crime family, born in Pueblo
  • Edmund Kemper, serial killer who called police from a phone booth in Pueblo and turned himself in on April 25, 1973, after fleeing from California

Activists and organizers

Other

Sister cities

Pueblo's sister cities are:[90]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Active Colorado Municipalities". State of Colorado, Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Division of Local Government. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Official Website of Pueblo Colorado". Official Website of Pueblo Colorado. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Colorado Counties". State of Colorado, Colorado Department of Local Affairs, Division of Local Government. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. 2004-12-01. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-09-02.
  5. 1 2 Severance, Ryan (February 1, 2019). "Gradisar sworn in as Pueblo mayor". The Pueblo Chieftain.
  6. 1 2 3 "Decennial Census P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data". United States Census Bureau, United States Department of Commerce. August 12, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  7. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  8. ↑ "Vail Hotel, Pueblo, Colorado". waymarking.com. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  9. ↑ "Pueblo, Colorado: Official Community Website". Pueblo.org. 2012-04-01. Retrieved 2012-04-26.
  10. ↑ Broadhead (1995). Fort Pueblo. 1.
  11. ↑ Broadhead (1942). Fort Pueblo. 23.
  12. ↑ Lecompte, Janet (1978). Pueblo, Hardscrabble, Greenhorn: The Upper Arkansas, 1832-1856. Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 35–53, 54–62, 63–85, 246–253. ISBN 0-8061-1462-2. Sometime during the winter of 1841-42 George Simpson and Robert Fisher met with other men and planned the Pueblo.
  13. ↑ Dodds (1982). Pueblo. 16, 23.
  14. ↑ Aschermann (1994). Winds in the Cornfields. p. 51.
  15. ↑ Dodds (1994). They All Came To Pueblo. p. 168.
  16. ↑ Dodds (1982). Pueblo. 54, 63.
  17. ↑ "Pueblo: a Glimpse of Life in Southern Colorado". Chicago Tribune. April 16, 1873.
  18. ↑ "Pueblo has Been Developed into Great Steel City by Vast Industry of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Co". Christian Science Monitor. September 17, 1909.
  19. ↑ "The Colorado statesman. [volume], June 11, 1921, Image 2 estimated that 500 out of 575 flood fatalities came from Pueblo Chronicling America accessed OCtober 6.2020". June 11, 1921.
  20. ↑ "Sacred Heart Orphanage bought by the Pueblo Housing Authority". Rocky Mountain News. May 29, 1988.
  21. ↑ Berry, Brian (March 2000). "The Heroes of Pueblo". EBSCOHOST. Volume 16, Issue 3. New Steel. Retrieved 2023-01-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  22. ↑ "Russian steel giant to buy Oregon Steel - Pueblo Chieftain: Metro". Chieftain.com. 2006-11-21. Archived from the original on 2012-07-23. Retrieved 2012-05-26.
  23. ↑ "The Museum". Steelworks Center of the West. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
  24. ↑ "Slow to rebound, Pueblo is redefining its economic image". The Denver Post. December 5, 2015. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  25. ↑ "LA museum spotlights Pueblo's St. Joseph Tables". The Pueblo Chieftain. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
  26. ↑ "About Us". State of Colorado. 2015. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved 2015-03-31.
  27. ↑ "HOLLAND'S CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS" (PDF). Holland Museum. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
  28. ↑ "Pueblo, Colorado - The Home of Heroes". The Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce and The Pueblo Chieftain Newspaper. 1999. Archived from the original on 2006-06-26. Retrieved 2015-03-31.
  29. ↑ "Irate Farmers Pressing Demands". The Herald Journal. Associated Press. September 23, 1977. p. A2. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  30. 1 2 3 4 "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Pueblo MEM AP, CO". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 2023-07-14. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  31. 1 2 3 "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Pueblo". National Weather Service. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  32. ↑ "WMO Climate Normals for Pueblo/Memorial AP, CO 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  33. ↑ "WMO Climate Normals for PUEBLO/MEMORIAL AP, CO 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 2023-07-14. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  34. ↑ "State & County QuickFacts - Pueblo (city), Colorado". census.gov. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  35. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  36. ↑ "Annual Estimates". June 21, 2006. Archived from the original on July 10, 2009.
  37. ↑ "Vestas cuts guidance on margins; Windsor site could be OK". Loveland Reporter-Herald. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  38. ↑ "Expansion at world's largest wind turbine tower manufacturing plant, plans to create 850 new jobs in Pueblo, Colorado" (Press release). Burns & McDonnell. April 4, 2023. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  39. 1 2 3 4 Svaldi, Aldo (August 20, 2015). "Broomfield firm to build Colorado's largest solar farm near Pueblo". The Denver Post. Retrieved June 18, 2017.
  40. ↑ Norton, John (2009-06-11). "Another solar provider eyes empty depot land". Chieftain.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
  41. ↑ Worthington, Danika (2017-02-17). "Pueblo commits to 100 percent renewable energy". Denverpost.com. Retrieved 2017-02-20.
  42. ↑ Mestas, Anthony A (2018-04-23). "Pueblo County commissioners join 100 percent renewable energy by 2035 vision". Pueblo Chieftain. Retrieved 2018-09-22.
  43. ↑ Grimes, Tyler (2018-07-18). "Pueblo's Energy Future coalition holds municipal energy town halls". Colorado Springs Independent. Archived from the original on 2020-01-04. Retrieved 2020-01-04.
  44. ↑ "Comprehensive Annual Financial Report". Pueblo.US. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  45. ↑ "Pueblo Chile & Frijoles Festival". Retrieved 2014-07-09.
  46. ↑ "Earl (Dutch) Clark". NFL Hall of Fame. National Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  47. ↑ "Earl "Dutch" Clark". Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  48. ↑ Lewis, Shanna. "Pueblo's Bell Game: The Zenith Of A High School Football Rivalry That's Lasted 125 Years". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  49. ↑ "Professional Bull Riders, Inc. Moves into new World Headquarters in Pueblo". PBR. PBR press release. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  50. ↑ Rolstad, Skylar (21 December 2014). "A part of 'something special'". NCAA.org. Retrieved 29 December 2018.
  51. ↑ "Council Members". Pueblo.US. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  52. ↑ Lyons, Luke (November 4, 2021). "Here is a rundown of all the results from the 2021 election in Pueblo". The Pueblo Chieftain. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  53. ↑ Roper, Peter (7 November 2017). "Pueblo voters backing strong mayor plan". The Pueblo Chieftain. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  54. ↑ Rogers, Zahria (16 October 2017). "Pueblo to vote on strong mayor form of government". CSIndy.com. Colorado Springs Independent. Archived from the original on 22 February 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  55. ↑ Beedie, Dan (15 November 2018). "Pueblo mayoral runoff: It's Gradisar versus Nawrocki". KRDO.com. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  56. ↑ Severance, Ryan (11 March 2019). "Davenport officiall deputy Pueblo mayor". Chieftain.com. The Pueblo Chieftain. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  57. ↑ "City of Pueblo official website".
  58. ↑ Colorado Independent Redistricting Commissions Staff (October 13, 2021). "Colorado House districts Pueblo area: final approved plan" (PDF). Colorado Independent Redistricting Commissions. State of Colorado. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  59. ↑ McMillan, Andrew (2021-08-09). "UPDATE: Pueblo City Council confirms Steve 'Chris' Noeller as Chief of Police". KRDO.com. Retrieved 2021-08-31.
  60. ↑ "Population estimates, July 1, 2018". cenus.gov. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  61. ↑ "Colorado Offenses Known to Law Enforcement". ucr.fbi.gov. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  62. ↑ "Fast Facts". CSU Pueblo. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  63. ↑ "CSU-Pueblo claims Division II title". espn.com. Associated Press. 20 December 2014. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  64. ↑ "Colorado State University--Pueblo Overview". USNews.com. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  65. 1 2 3 4 "Our Campuses". PuebloCC.edu. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  66. ↑ "Pueblo Community College Overview". USNews.com. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  67. ↑ "School District Reference Map (2010 Census): Pueblo County, CO." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on July 2, 2017.
  68. 1 2 Beck, Kathy Bribari. "Reunion planned for Pueblo Catholic High Class of ‘65 Archived 2017-07-02 at the Wayback Machine." Roman Catholic Diocese of Pueblo. July 2015. Retrieved on July 2, 2017. "celebrates its 50th reunion this fall, Sept. 11 to 13, some 40 years since all Pueblo's Catholic schools closed." - The article was published in 2015 so all Catholic schools would have closed by 1975.
  69. ↑ "Directory of Schools". Roman Catholic Diocese of Pueblo. 2017-07-02.
  70. ↑ "Home". Evergrowth Media LLC. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
  71. ↑ "2012 Arbitron Radio Metro Map" (PDF). Arbitron. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
  72. ↑ "Metro Survey Area Rankings and Population" (PDF). Market Survey Schedule & Population Rankings. Arbitron. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
  73. 1 2 "Radio Stations in Pueblo, Colorado". Radio-Locator. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
  74. ↑ "AMQ AM Radio Database Query". Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original on 2009-08-25. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
  75. ↑ "FMQ FM Radio Database Query". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved 2014-08-27.
  76. ↑ "Local Television Market Universe Estimates" (PDF). Nielsen Media Research. 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
  77. ↑ Ormes, R.M. Tracking Ghost Railroads in Colorado, Century One Press 1975
  78. ↑ Jesse Paul, 'Denver Post,' July 7, 2016 "Proposed Southwest Chief stop in Pueblo could mean $1.4 million in tickets, Amtrak says" https://www.denverpost.com/2016/07/07/amtrak-pueblo-stop-southwest-chief-train/
  79. ↑ Heins, Nicole (13 April 2021). "Amtrak hopes to reduce I-25 traffic by creating a passenger rail along the Front Range". KKTV 11 News. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  80. ↑ "Museum History". Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum. Archived from the original on 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2017-01-17.
  81. 1 2 "Pueblo Regional Development Plan: Final Adoption Draft" (PDF). September 11, 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 7, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  82. ↑ Goodstein, Laurie (June 23, 2005). "Air Force Academy Staff Found Promoting Religion". The New York Times. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
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  84. 1 2 3 4 Roper, Peter (August 30, 2010). "State Fair salutes soldiers and airmen". The Pueblo Chieftain. Pueblo, Colorado. Archived from the original on September 1, 2010.
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  86. ↑ Yardley, William (2 December 2014). "Kent Haruf, Acclaimed Novelist of Small-Town Life, Is Dead at 71". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  87. ↑ Pompia, John. "Puebloan Dustin Hodge's rodeo-based TV series in its seventh year". The Pueblo Chieftain. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  88. ↑ Strescino, Peter (January 7, 2011). "Governor pardons Joe Arridy". Pueblo Chieftain. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved January 9, 2011.
  89. ↑ "Carmen Arteaga Collection, 1970-1974 Colorado State University-Pueblo Library". Colorado State University-Pueblo Library.
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Further reading

Bibliography
  • Aschermann, Arla (1994). Winds in the Cornfields: Pueblo County, Colorado 1787 – 1872 (Third ed.). Pueblo, Colorado: Pueblo County Historical Society. ISBN 0-915617-15-3.
  • Broadhead, Edward (1995). Fort Pueblo (Fourth ed.). Pueblo, Colorado: Pueblo County Historical Society. ISBN 0-915617-01-3.
  • Buckles, William G. (2006). The Search for El Pueblo: Through Pueblo to El Pueblo – An Archaeological Summary (Second ed.). Pueblo, Colorado: Colorado Historical Society. ISBN 978-0-942576-48-1.
  • Dodds, Joanne West (1982). Pueblo: A Pictorial History. Virginia Beach, Virginia: Donning. ISBN 0-89865-281-2.
  • Dodds, Joanne West (1994). They All Came To Pueblo: A Social History. Virginia Beach, Virginia: Donning. ISBN 0-89865-908-6.
  • Lecompte, Janet (1978). Pueblo, Hardscrabble, Greenhorn: Society on the High Plains, 1832—1856. Norman, US: University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 0-8061-1723-0.
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