The City of Cortez is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Montezuma County, Colorado, United States.[2] The city population was 7,977 at the 2000 census. It is a popular stop for tourists, who don't necessarily tour the city, but stay there because of its central location of surrounding attractions such as Mesa Verde National Park, Monument Valley, and the Four Corners.
Geography
Cortez is located at 37°20′57″N 108°34′45″W / 37.34917°N 108.57917°W / 37.34917; -108.57917 (37.349270, -108.579225)[3].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.5 square miles (14.3 km²), of which, 5.5 square miles (14.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.36%) is water.
Mesa Verde National Park, featuring old Indian cliff dwellings, is situated southeast of Cortez.
Cortez is a local commercial center, competing with Durango in the east, and Farmington, New Mexico in the south, and draws trade from Southeastern Utah, the extreme Northeastern corner of Arizona, the Shiprock area of Northwestern New Mexico, and San Miquel, Dolores, Montezuma, and parts of LaPlata County in Colorado. Its economy is based very heavily on tourism, both to nearby Mesa Verde National Park as well as to San Juan National Forest, BLM lands in the area (including Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, and both the Ute Mountain Indian Reservation and the Navajo Indian Reservation).
Demographics
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 7,977 people, 3,209 households, and 2,079 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,449.9 people per square mile (560.0/km²). There were 3,508 housing units at an average density of 637.6/sq mi (246.3/km²). The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male (3,809) and 52.3% female (4,168). The racial makeup of the city was 80.77% White, 0.26% African American, 10.09% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 6.04% from other races, and 2.44% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.30% of the population.
There were 3,209 households out of which 31.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.1% were married couples living together, 12.7% 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 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city, the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $28,776, and the median income for a family was $35,533. Males had a median income of $30,755 versus $20,280 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,040. About 14.8% of families and 18.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.3% of those under age 18 and 17.3% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Cortez Municipal Airport serves Cortez.
See also
References
Cortez Fire Protection District www.cortezfire.com
External links
