Welcome to Salida!

The town of Salida, Colorado was founded as a railroad town in the late 1880s, an influence that began to wane after World War II. Over the next three decades—1950s through 1970s—the town’s workers found employment primarily as ranchers or traveled to Leadville, Colorado where they worked for the world’s largest producer of molybdenum ore, the Climax Molybdenum Company. Molybdenum ore was mined by this company continuously from the 1920s through 1980s; it shut down completely in 1995, awaiting higher ore prices.

In more recent years, the little mountain town of Salida has assumed a higher regional and national profile and along with this attention, it has attracted numerous tourism venues, from outdoor recreational activities to an appreciation for the arts and culinary delights. Thus, today the major employer for the Salida region is tourism.

To get an understanding of the demographics of Salida—its “makeup,” if you will—scroll down to the table below. Here you will find the latest local, state, and national statistics that offer a more precise look at the population and its characteristics. Some important points from this compilation show that, compared to the state of Colorado and to the United States overall:

• the population in Salida tends to be older and predominantly white
• there is a lower percentage of foreign-born persons living in Salida
• Salida has a higher percentage of high school graduates; its percentage of residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher is close to that of the state of Colorado but higher than the national level
• home ownership rates amongst Salida residents are comparable to the state and national levels
• the average value of owner-occupied homes in Salida is less than that for the state of Colorado but significantly higher than the reported national average.

To get a broader perspective of the community of Salida, it is important to note a few other details. According to the website www.city-data.com, the January 2011 cost of living index in Salida was 88.9 (national average is 100), a figure that suggests the town is more affordable than many other locales in the U.S. It has a population density of approximately 2,448 people per square mile.

Historical statistics reveal that the town’s population increased 15.7 percent in the 1990s; census data show that the population then decreased by almost 5 percent from 2000 to 2010. Unemployment figures for March 2011 showed that 8.5 percent of the working population was unemployed (state-wide, the figure was 9.2 percent).

But an important yet anecdotal point to keep in mind is that folks come to Salida because they plan to “work to live,” not live to work. The natural beauty of the region is a major draw for those whose focus is a pleasant and relaxing lifestyle. Furthermore, the town has become a favorite destination for retirees as well. So don’t expect the mythical nose-to-the-grindstone Puritan ethic of the Northeastern U.S. to be at “work” here…remember that many people come here NOT to work, but rather to play in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.

For those considering a move to the area, there are other important facts to consider, everything from crime statistics and typical weather patterns to natural disasters, if any. According to www.city-data.com, the crime index for Salida during the year 2010 was 171.6, substantially lower (and better) than the national average of 319.1. The weather in Salida is much milder than other mountainous Colorado towns thanks to a “banana-belt” climate afforded by the surrounding mountain ranges and the interaction of these barriers with weather patterns. Of note, there are few natural disasters to speak of—a fire, high winds and storms, heavy snow—and nothing that reaches the level of some truly memorable national disasters on record. 

Latest statistics for Salida, the state of Colorado, and the United States*