Salida, Colorado

The Arkansas, Colorado, post office opened on June 16, 1880, but was renamed Salida on March 28, 1881. Salida, meaning "exit" in Spanish, was named on account of its location near the point where the Arkansas River flows out of the valley and into Bighorn Sheep Canyon, upstream from the Royal Gorge. The Town of Salida was incorporated on March 23, 1891. bypassing the nearby community of Cleora. Rather than risk their settlement withering away from lack of rail service, it is said that the population of Cleora moved to Salida en masse. That same year, the railroad continued from "South Arkansas," following up the Arkansas river, connecting with the rich silver mines of Leadville. Later that year, the Rio Grande connected South Arkansas to Poncha Junction. This small start would connect via Marshall Pass with the western slope and Salt Lake City, Utah, turning the newly re-christened Salida into an important junction in the early history of Colorado. As a result, Salida became known as a tourist and railroad enthusiast mecca into the mid-20th century. ==Geography==

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , and the Arkansas River, which runs through the town, is the major source of water for local agriculture. The Sawatch Range runs north and south and is located roughly west of Salida. The Mosquito Range parallels the Sawatch Range to the east, forming the Upper Arkansas Valley, and the southern terminus of the range, just east of Salida, is known locally as the Arkansas Hills. Methodist Mountain, which is a major feature on Salida's southern horizon, is the northernmost mountain in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. To the north of Salida is the Upper Arkansas Valley and the town of Buena Vista. U.S. Route 50 runs along the southern edge of the city and leads east down the Arkansas River to Cañon City; to the west it leads to Poncha Springs and over the Continental Divide to Gunnison. Canon City and Pueblo lie to the east. Climate According to the Köppen climate classification, Salida has a Cold semi-arid climate (BSk) {{Weather box | width = auto | collapsed = yes | single line = yes | location = Salida, Colorado (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1897–1923, 1931–2017) | Jan record high F = 65 | Feb record high F = 71 | Mar record high F = 77 | Apr record high F = 82 | May record high F = 93 | Jun record high F = 98 | Jul record high F = 103 | Aug record high F = 100 | Sep record high F = 94 | Oct record high F = 85 | Nov record high F = 80 | Dec record high F = 70 | year record high F = | Jan high F = 43.4 | Feb high F = 45.5 | Mar high F = 54.0 | Apr high F = 60.3 | May high F = 70.2 | Jun high F = 82.0 | Jul high F = 85.8 | Aug high F = 83.1 | Sep high F = 77.0 | Oct high F = 65.4 | Nov high F = 52.7 | Dec high F = 43.2 | year high F = 63.6 | Jan mean F = 27.4 | Feb mean F = 30.1 | Mar mean F = 37.5 | Apr mean F = 44.0 | May mean F = 52.4 | Jun mean F = 62.7 | Jul mean F = 67.4 | Aug mean F = 65.1 | Sep mean F = 58.0 | Oct mean F = 47.1 | Nov mean F = 36.1 | Dec mean F = 27.9 | year mean F = 46.3 | Jan low F = 11.5 | Feb low F = 14.8 | Mar low F = 21.0 | Apr low F = 27.7 | May low F = 34.6 | Jun low F = 43.4 | Jul low F = 49.1 | Aug low F = 47.2 | Sep low F = 38.9 | Oct low F = 28.9 | Nov low F = 19.5 | Dec low F = 12.6 | year low F = 29.1 | Jan record low F = -35 | Feb record low F = -33 | Mar record low F = -21 | Apr record low F = -8 | May record low F = 13 | Jun record low F = 23 | Jul record low F = 30 | Aug record low F = 31 | Sep record low F = 14 | Oct record low F = -4 | Nov record low F = -20 | Dec record low F = -31 | year record low F = | precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation inch = 0.31 | Feb precipitation inch = 0.27 | Mar precipitation inch = 0.69 | Apr precipitation inch = 1.05 | May precipitation inch = 0.96 | Jun precipitation inch = 0.50 | Jul precipitation inch = 1.36 | Aug precipitation inch = 1.46 | Sep precipitation inch = 0.67 | Oct precipitation inch = 0.87 | Nov precipitation inch = 0.25 | Dec precipitation inch = 0.38 | year precipitation inch = 8.77 | unit precipitation days = 0.01 in | Jan precipitation days = 2.3 | Feb precipitation days = 2.4 | Mar precipitation days = 3.9 | Apr precipitation days = 4.7 | May precipitation days = 5.0 | Jun precipitation days = 4.3 | Jul precipitation days = 8.3 | Aug precipitation days = 9.9 | Sep precipitation days = 5.1 | Oct precipitation days = 4.9 | Nov precipitation days = 3.1 | Dec precipitation days = 3.0 | year precipitation days = 56.9 | Jan snow inch = 4.0 | Feb snow inch = 4.1 | Mar snow inch = 6.5 | Apr snow inch = 8.0 | May snow inch = 2.7 | Jun snow inch = 0.0 | Jul snow inch = 0.0 | Aug snow inch = 0.0 | Sep snow inch = 0.0 | Oct snow inch = 2.6 | Nov snow inch = 4.1 | Dec snow inch = 4.7 | year snow inch = 36.7 | unit snow days = 0.1 in | Jan snow days = 2.1 | Feb snow days = 2.2 | Mar snow days = 2.4 | Apr snow days = 2.6 | May snow days = 0.6 | Jun snow days = 0.0 | Jul snow days = 0.0 | Aug snow days = 0.0 | Sep snow days = 0.0 | Oct snow days = 1.1 | Nov snow days = 2.3 | Dec snow days = 3.0 | year snow days = 16.3 | source = NOAA (mean maxima/minima 1981–2010) ==Demographics==

2020 census As of the 2020 census, Salida had a population of 5,666. The median age was 48.0 years. 17.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 25.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.9 males age 18 and over. There were 2,744 households in Salida, of which 20.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 40.1% were married-couple households, 22.7% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 29.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 38.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Of the 2,504 households 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.1% were non-families. 35.9% of households were one person and 15.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.80. The age distribution was 21.4% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males. The median household income was $28,790 and the median family income was $38,240. Males had a median income of $30,447 versus $20,867 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,252. About 9.2% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.7% of those under age 18 and 13.7% of those age 65 or over. ==Arts and culture==

The Salida Downtown Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. On March 30, 2012, downtown Salida was named one of two inaugural Certified Creative Districts in Colorado. Salida is also home to the Shavano Chapter of the Columbine Poets of Colorado, which is affiliated with the National Federation of State Poetry Societies (NFSPS). The group organizes workshops and festivals and offers poetry contests for both adults and students. On March 30, 2012, Colorado by Colorado Creative Industries, a division of the State's Office of Economic Development and International Trade, announced that the City of Salida's historic downtown was selected as one of only two inaugural “Certified Creative Districts” in Colorado. ==Education==

The city is served by Salida Public Schools. There are two public high schools, Salida High School and Horizons Exploratory Academy; and three middle schools, Salida Middle School, Salida Montessori Charter School, and the Crest Academy. Colorado Mountain College has a campus in Salida, which opened in 2019. ==Infrastructure==

Health care Salida and surrounding Chaffee County are served by the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center, located on the north side of town on Rush Drive. Transportation Salida is part of Colorado's Bustang bus network. It is on both the Alamosa-Pueblo and the Crested Butte-Denver Outrider lines. Mountain Valley Transport offers hourly service between Salida and Buena Vista during the day, as well as local door-to-door service. ==Notable people==

• Sally Blane, actress • Louie Croft Boyd, Superintendent of Nurses, Rio Grande Hospital • Laura Evans, madam • Chris Guccione, Major League Baseball umpire • Kent Haruf, novelist • Ruth Hinshaw Spray, peace activist ==See also==