Editing San Luis Valley (section)

==Demography==
A significant portion of the residents of the San Luis Valley are Hispanic with historic populations in Costilla and Conejos counties which were settled by early migrants from New Mexico. There are a few Native Americans in the valley. There are small [[Amish]] communities which were recently established.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.denverpost.com/ci_15782765?IADID |title=Amish settle in Colorado's San Luis Valley, diversifying to support families |first=Ann |last=Schrader |newspaper=[[The Denver Post]] |date=2010-08-15 |access-date=October 3, 2010 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Much of the grazing land on the floor of the valley is of little value. In Costilla County, large tracts of land have been subdivided into 5 acre plots.<ref name="Conover38">"Costilla, with more than forty-five thousand five-acre lots."Conover, Ted. Cheap Land Colorado (p. 38). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.</ref> 35 acre plots are also common in the valley as a 35-acre plot allows drilling a well to water a garden and livestock.<ref>{{cite web |title=GUIDE TO COLORADO WELL PERMITS, WATER RIGHTS, AND WATER ADMINISTRATION |url=https://svlhwcd.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/wellpermitguide.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220806232826/https://svlhwcd.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/wellpermitguide.pdf |archive-date=2022-08-06 |url-status=live |publisher=STATE OF COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES DIVISION OF WATER RESOURCES |quote=Domestic and Livestock Wells – These types of well permits are issued on tracts of land of 35 acres or more where the proposed well will be the only well on the tract, or on tracts of land of less than 35 acres in limited areas of the state where the surface drainage system is not over-appropriated (see glossary term, over-appropriated), or where the well will produce from a deeper source, thus having minimal impact on surface water rights. Depending on under what provisions the well permit is issued, the well may be able to serve up to three single-family dwellings, irrigate one acre or less of lawn and garden, and provide water for the individual's domestic animals and livestock. Use Form GWS-44 in applying for this type of permit.}}</ref> These have been sold to homesteaders who often live [[off-the-grid]].<ref name="TCHC">{{cite book |first=Ted |last=Conover |author-link=Ted Conover |title=Cheap Land Colorado: Off-Gridders at America's Edge |date=November 1, 2022 |publisher=Knopf |isbn=978-0525521488 |pages=304 |url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/573452/cheap-land-colorado-by-ted-conover/ |access-date=November 11, 2022 |format=hardcover}}</ref>

La Puente,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://lapuentehome.org/programs/ | title=Programs | date=15 June 2017 }}</ref> headquartered in Alamosa offers social services to the homeless and others in the valley.<ref name="Conover33">"Lance has been leading La Puente for more than thirty years. He has overseen its expansion from just a homeless shelter to an organization that offers a wide range of services to the poor: a valley-wide network of food banks, plus social enterprises from Milagros Coffee House, at Alamosa’s main intersection, to a used-clothing store, a supportive-housing office, a program for kids from at-risk families, and more."Conover, Ted. Cheap Land Colorado (p. 33). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.</ref><ref name="TCHC"/>