Editing Buena Vista, Colorado (section)

==History==
The Arkansas River Valley and the area of what would become Buena Vista was first settled in 1864 by settlers drawn to the area by the plentiful water which made the land suitable for agriculture.<ref name="buenavistacolorado.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.buenavistacolorado.org/buena-vista-colorado-area-history |title=Buena Vista, Colorado Area History &#124; Buena Vista Colorado Chamber of Commerce |access-date=September 20, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330064622/http://www.buenavistacolorado.org/buena-vista-colorado-area-history |archive-date=March 30, 2015 }}</ref> The Buena Vista, Colorado, post office opened on September 18, 1879.<ref name=CPO>{{cite book|title=Colorado Post Offices 1859–1989|first1=William H.|last1=Bauer|first2=James L.|last2=Ozment|first3=John H.|last3=Willard|date=1990|publisher=[[Colorado Railroad Museum|Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation]]|location=[[Golden, Colorado]]|isbn=0-918654-42-4}}</ref> By 1880, the county seat had moved from [[Granite, Colorado|Granite]] to Buena Vista, but by 1928 [[Salida, Colorado|Salida]] had a larger population so the county seat was moved once again. By 1894, Buena Vista had electricity, telephone service, street lights, parks, cemeteries, and schools.<ref name="buenavistacolorado.org"/> Travelers, speculators, and miners traveling up the Arkansas Valley towards [[Leadville, Colorado|Leadville]] made Buena Vista a popular stagecoach stop, and railroad depot following the 1890s. While certainly experiencing economic ups and downs, the valley's agricultural economy has made the area more resistant to the 'boom, bust' cycle of mining towns.

Buena Vista is located in central Colorado roughly midway between [[Salida, Colorado|Salida]] and [[Leadville, Colorado|Leadville]] in the Upper [[Arkansas River]] Valley at an elevation of {{convert|7965|ft|m|0|sp=us}}. The area between Buena Vista and Salida is often referred to as the [[Denver & Rio Grande]], South Park & Pacific, and [[Colorado Midland]] railroads. Many of the existing buildings of Buena Vista date back to this era, and were built in the 1880s and 1890s.

The name "Buena Vista", [[Spanish language|Spanish]] for "Good View", can often be heard pronounced locally as {{IPAc-en|'|b|j|u:|n|@|_|'|v|I|s|t|@}}. This Americanized pronunciation was specified by Alsina Dearheimer, who chose this name for the town, which was officially selected over other names (Cottonwood, Mahonville) on the occasion of the town's incorporation. Alternate pronunciations include the Spanish {{IPA|es|ˈbwena ˈβista|}} and simply {{IPAc-en|'|b|j|u:|n|i}}. Many residents simply refer to the town as "BV."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stossmeister |first=Andrew |date=September 30, 2023 |title=BV Beats North Fork |url=https://heartoftherockiesradio.com/buena-vista-beats-north-fork/ |access-date=October 17, 2023 |website=Heart of the Rockies Radio |language=en-US}}</ref>