Huerfano County
Also known as Huerfano County, Colorado, Huerfano County, CO
county in Colorado, United States
Key facts
- Country
- United States
- State
- Colorado
- Founded
- November 1, 1861
- Named after
- Huerfano Butte
- Seat
- Walsenburg
- Largest city
- Walsenburg
- Other cities
- La Veta
- Total
- 1,593.27 sq mi (4,126.6 km )
- Land
- 1,591.03 sq mi (4,120.7 km )
- Water
- 2.24 sq mi (5.8 km ) 0.14%
- Estimate 2025
- 7,011
- Density
- 4.39/sq mi (1.69/km )
- Time zone
~8 min read
Article
Huerfano County (/ˈwɛərfənoʊ/ WAIR-fə-noh; Spanish pronunciation: [ˈweɾfano]) is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,820. The county seat is Walsenburg. The county, whose name comes from the Spanish huérfano meaning "orphan", was named for the Huerfano Butte, a local landmark. The area of Huerfano County boomed early in the 1900s with the discovery of large coal deposits. After large scale World War II coal demand ended in the 1940s Walsenburg and Huerfano saw a steady economic decline through 2015.
History