Otero County

General Overview

First settled by Native American tribes, French trappers, Spanish missionaries and early Mexican homesteaders, Otero County is named for Miguel Antonio Otero, a lawyer, congressional delegate and entrepreneur who was one of the founders of the city of La Junta, which today is the County Seat. Otero County served for many years as a frontier trade hub and was home to Bent’s Old Fort, a premiere frontier trading post in the 1800s. The county also boasts having a portion of the Old Santa Fe Trail traveling through it. Well over a century after Bent’s Old Fort and the Santa Fe Trail were thriving pieces of the Old West, the county remains one of the southeast region's centers of commerce, but with a wink and a nod to its history: today, Bent’s Old Fort has been painstakingly re-created into a replica of the old adobe trading post that allows visitors to step back in time to explore 19th Century life along the Santa Fe Trail.

Located about 160 miles from Denver and 50 miles from the nearest metropolitan area of Pueblo, Otero County is 1,262 square miles, with U.S. Highway 50 and the Arkansas River spanning the entire length of the county from east to west. Otero County is rural, with a population of roughly 19,000. The county, and especially the city of Rocky Ford, are rich in agricultural history and are famously known for prize-winning cantaloupe and watermelon crops, including several varieties that were developed locally and bear the Rocky Ford name. However, in recent years, the county has become a nucleus of new energy development with a concentration on bio-fuel related enterprises, including harnessing wind and solar power and using agricultural waste to generate energy. The enterprising leaders of the county have an eye toward the future as they develop economic strategies to take Otero County into the next decade.

Demographics

The demographic nature of Otero County is largely driven by its history. The county has a Hispanic population of nearly 40%, with close to 22% speaking a language other than English. Much of the county’s population is aging, due in large part to the fact that many residents have lived here their entire lives, while much of the younger generation has left the area to pursue careers. A total of 18.2% of the county’s residents are age 65 or older. As for educational attainment levels, 75.7% of residents over age 25 have graduated from high school and 15.4% possess a bachelor’s degree or higher. A low cost of living in Otero County makes it possible for many residents to own their own homes. The county has a homeownership rate of 69.1%, above the 67.3% average for Colorado.

Economy

The economy of Otero County has largely been driven by agriculture. In addition to traditional farming and ranching, the industry includes farm equipment manufacturing, research into best practices for growing crops and stock sales. In fact, Otero County’s Winter Livestock and the La Junta Livestock Commission combined make up the second largest market for feeder cattle and calves in the country behind Oklahoma City. In recent years, non-agricultural types of industry have also located to the area, bringing a locker manufacturing plant, railroad bolt manufacturer, water purifier manufacturer and others. The county is home to a 3,500-acre industrial park that includes room for new businesses and access to a municipal airport.

The recession that has affected the nation has also touched Otero County, but not to the extremes that many parts of the country have seen. In fact, Otero County’s low cost of living, low sales and use tax structure and low cost of commercial real estate make it an ideal location to live and work. In addition, the county has a large, available workforce. A subtle shift and diversification of our economic base has resulted in a strong economy and bright outlook. Economic development efforts focus on business and industries that want a "small town flavor" without urban sprawl. Telecommunications and light industry have been welcome additions to our local economy, and their stability and employment needs offer our children opportunities that were not available a few years ago.   The county’s labor force is 9,288, with a current employment rate of approximately 92%. The average per capita income is $15,113, compared to $24,049 for Colorado as a whole. The biggest industries in Otero County, after agriculture, are retail, healthcare and manufacturing (with approximately 700 employees). The largest employers in the county include the Arkansas Valley Regional Medical Center (425), East Otero (La Junta) School District (179), Lewis Bolt and Nut (167), Otero County (152), DeBourgh Manufacturing (130) and Otero Junior College (125).

Photo by Lex Nichols

Education

Otero County is home to six communities: Fowler, Manzanola, Rocky Ford, Swink, La Junta and Cheraw. Each of these communities operates its own school district, making for some long-standing but good-natured rivalries among local sports teams. Even with these rivalries, these districts have found ways to share some services and even provide opportunities for youth to compete in sports at other schools if their home district doesn’t offer a specific sport.

The county also offers residents a higher education option through Otero Junior College, a fully accredited two-year college that has been designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution, with a full 30% of its students being of Hispanic descent. This designation has allowed OJC to apply for and receive several HSI-specific grants designed to build the college’s capacity and better provide services to area residents. In addition to its two-year degree program, OJC provides opportunities for residents to earn vocational certificates and works with area employers to provide training programs that are most in demand. At the present time, these include auto mechanics, cosmetology, agri-business management, computer systems technology, early childhood education, law enforcement, nursing assistant, real estate, emergency medical services, massage therapy, practical nursing and small business management.

Health Services

Because Otero County has a population that is aging, quality healthcare is a major issue. The county is home to the Arkansas Valley Regional Medical Center, which is accredited by The Joint Commission, recognized nationwide as a symbol of quality that reflects an organization's commitment to meeting certain performance standards. The hospital provides a range of services, including 24-hour emergency care, diagnostic imaging, Intensive Care, laboratory, OB/GYN services, outpatient rehabilitation, pain management, respiratory care, a sleep lab and women’s imaging.

In addition to the hospital, AVRMC operates a nursing home located on the Medical Center's campus. The county is also home to several other nursing homes, a Hospice, assisted living facilities and an award-winning mental health facility. Unfortunately, the county is experiencing an ongoing shortage of physicians, especially specialty doctors. However, several specialists from outside the region do have arrangements with AVRMC to hold hours locally each month so that local residents may receive necessary healthcare at home rather than traveling.

Otero Junior College is working to assist with the shortage of healthcare providers by offering a nationally-accredited nursing program. To fill the need for more nurses, the college has developed two innovative programs: an evening and weekend nursing training program that allows students to take classes in off hours so they may continue to work during the day; and a mobile nursing simulation lab that is the first of its kind in the nation and allows students with opportunities to receive more of their training in simulated scenarios, which alleviates pressure from the hospital and other clinical sites.

Recreation

The county is home to a vast number of cultural and recreational resources, including the Koshare Indian Museum and its world-famous Koshare Indian Dancers, the Otero Museum, Fowler Historical Society and Museum, the Picketwire Center for Performing and Visual Arts, Rocky Ford Museum, three golf courses, the Sk8Way Skateboard Park designed by Tony Hawk, several community parks, the Comanche National Grasslands and Vogel and Picketwire Canyons.

The county also offers a wealth of activities to keep its residents and visitors entertained. Among the premiere events hosted here each year are the Arkansas Valley Balloon Festival every November in Rocky Ford, the Arkansas Valley Fair in August (the oldest continuous county fair in the state), Early  Settlers Day in September in La Junta, Swink Days every spring in the town of Swink, Missouri Day every summer in Fowler, the Kids Rodeo and Race Meet in August at the La Junta Industrial Park and La Junta’s Music at the Junction, an annual music festival held each year in August and showcasing top-name bands.

Nonprofit Organizations

• American Concrete Institute Rocky Mountain Chapter
• Arkansas Valley Community Center, Inc.
• Arkansas Valley Community Concert Association
•  Arkansas Valley Exposition and Fair
• Arkansas Valley Hospice
• Arkansas Valley Network Association
• Arkansas Valley Pregnancy Center, Inc.
• Arkansas Valley Regional Medical Center
• Arkansas Valley Resource Center, Inc.
• Bent’s Old Fort Historical Association 
• Blackburn Dennis Community Center
• Central Colorado Education Trust 
• Colorado Boys Ranch Foundation
• Colorado Mennonite Retirement Center
• Community Hospital Building, Inc.
• Council of Preventative and Supportive Services for the Aging
• Erica Burney Foundation
• Family Guidance Institute
• Foundation for Rocky Ford Schools
• Friends of the Rocky Ford Library
• Inner-Mountain Family Resources, Inc.
• Jonathan and Shari Fox Family Foundation
• Koshare Indian Museum, Inc.
• La Junta Childcare Services, Inc.  
• Manzanola First Response Unit
• Mountain and Plains Rotary Youth Exchange
• Newfarms
• Otero County Landfill, Inc.
• Otero Museum Foundation, Inc.
• Otero Partners Incorporated
• Picketwire Players
• The Ray L. Parr Beneficial Fund, Inc.
• Rocky Ford Housing Authority
• Rocky Mountain Mennonite Relief Sale
• Self Help Shop Limited
• Southeast Colorado Regional Trauma and EMS Advisory Council, Inc.
• Southeast Mental Health Services
• Southeastern Colorado Institute of Natural History
• Tri-County Family Care Center, Inc.
• Tri-County Housing, Inc.
• William Gorham Trust