La Junta
| La Junta, Colorado | ||
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| Municipality | ||
Woodruff Block, built 1892. 1985 photo, Historic American Buildings Survey.
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 Location in Otero County and the State of Colorado |
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| Coordinates: 37°58′53″N 103°32′51″W / 37.98139°N 103.54750°WCoordinates: 37°58′53″N 103°32′51″W / 37.98139°N 103.54750°W | ||
| Country |
 United States
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| State |
 State of Colorado
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| County | Otero County Seat | |
| Incorporated | April 23, 1881 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Home Rule Municipality | |
| • Mayor | Lynn Horner | |
| • City Manager | Rick Klein | |
| • City Council | Jim Goodwin, Betty Velasquez, Frank McKenzie, Jeffri Pruyn, Ed Vela, Roger Roath | |
| • City Attorney | Phil Malouff | |
| • Police Chief | G. Todd Quick | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 3.02 sq mi (7.83 km2) | |
| • Land | 3.02 sq mi (7.81 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.01 sq mi (0.02 km2) | |
| Elevation | 4,078 ft (1,243 m) | |
| Population (2010) | ||
| • Total | 7,077 | |
| • Estimate (2016) | 6,930 | |
| • Density | 2,297.75/sq mi (887.18/km2) | |
| Time zone | Mountain (MST) (UTC-7) | |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) | |
| ZIP code | 81050 | |
| Area code(s) | 719 | |
| FIPS code | 08-42110 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0204829 | |
| Website | City of La Junta, Colorado | |
La Junta is the city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Otero County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,077 at the 2010 United States Census. La Junta is located on the Arkansas River in southeastern Colorado east of Pueblo.
La Junta (Spanish for "the junction") was named for the fact it rested at the intersection of the Santa Fe Trail and a pioneer road to Pueblo. The town developed near Bent's Post, a fur trading post of the 19th century.
During World War II, La Junta had an Army Air Force Training Base outside town. An Air Force detachment of the Strategic Air Command remained there until modern flight simulators developed in the 1980s rendered live flight unnecessary for pilot training maneuvers. At least one military aircraft crashed close by during such training maneuvers.
The airport, located 5 miles (8.0 km) north of La Junta, has 77 acres (31 ha) of tarmac and two runways which are still in use. One runway (east-west) is 6,851 feet (2,088 m) long and the other is 5,800 feet (1,800 m). [1].
The Caboose (pictured here) is the drive-through for the State Bank, which was established in 1893. The bank has been remodeled with antiques, including a teller line from the late 1890s.
La Junta is located at 37°58′53″N 103°32′51″W / 37.98139°N 103.54750°W (37.981333, -103.547540). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km2), all of it land. The area is high plains terrain, dry with short grass prairie and sagebrush, and is part of the Southwestern Tablelands ecological region. This area of Colorado is often the warmest. Summer brings numerous days above 100 °F (38 °C). On July 20, 2005, many cities in this region broke or tied heat records. La Junta reached 107 °F (42 °C) with an overnight low of 87 °F (31 °C). However, the all-time record high for La Junta occurred on July 20, 1998 with a temperature of 113 °F (45 °C).
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