RoadsideThoughts
A Gazetteer for the United States and Canada
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Welcome to Chaffee County ...

Time Zone: Chaffee County lies in the Mountain Time Zone (MST/MDT) and observes daylight saving time.

The community of Salida is the Seat for Chaffee County.

Chaffee County was founded February 10, 1879 and was created by taking area from  County.

From the Census Estimates for 2019, <1> Chaffee had a population of 20,356 people. This is an increase of 14.31% since the last Census (which gave a population of 17,808 people in 2010).

At the time of the 2010 Census, Chaffee represented 0.35% of the total population of Colorado.

Below are some of the communities located in Chaffee County:

  • Buena Vista
    (12 miles [19.3 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Buena Vista have been provided by the GNIS.<2> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Buena Vista
    • Buena Vista is located in Chaffee County (CO)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,116 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Buena Vista <3>
  • Poncha Springs
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)
  • Salida
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southeast)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Salida
    • Salida is located in Chaffee County (CO)
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 5,690 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Salida <3>

Websites of Interest ...

Footnotes ...

<1>On a yearly basis, the US Census Bureau creates an estimate of the county's population. Keep in mind that this is an estimate and not an actual count. The last physical count was the 2010 Census and the next count will be for the 2020 Census.
<2>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<3>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.