Demographics

A little history about the Town of Westcliffe

Westcliffe is located in south-central Colorado and is the county seat for Custer County. Situated in the Wet Mountain Valley (Sierra Mojada) at the intersection of two state highways, the Town of Westcliffe presently covers approximately 1.1 square miles of land area.

Dr. William A. Bell owned the ranch that the original town of Westcliffe is platted on and began to sell his subdivided lots after convincing the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad to extend its rail line to his property in 1881, nearby the booming town of Silver Cliff. Westcliffe was incorporated in July 1887 and is named for Westcliffe-on-the-Sea in England, the birthplace of Dr. Bell.

Over the past 113 years, the population of Westcliffe has fluctuated significantly, experiencing in "boom and bust" cycles common throughout Colorado's history. From 1990 to 1999, Westcliffe's population increased 52.6 percent, from 312 to 476 persons.

Westcliffe is the region's economic center, the "downtown" for Custer County and the Wet Mountain Valley. Since 1990, the number of wage and salary jobs in Custer County has doubled, while unemployment rates have dipped to below 5 percent. Average annual wages are also increasing in Custer County, although they still lag behind the state average. Between 1994 and 1999, the average annual wage in Custer County increased from $13,836 to $19,117, a 40 percent increase. During that same time period, average annual wages increased 31 percent statewide, averaging $34,189 in 1999.

Steady population and economic growth is expected to continue. By the year 2020, the Colorado Division of Local Government estimates that 971 people will be living in Westcliffe, nearly twice the number of people living in Westcliffe today. By 2020, Custer County's demand for labor is also expected to double, and a low 4.2 percent unemployment rate is expected to remain stable.