Editing Trinidad, Colorado

{{short description|City in Colorado, United States}}
{{About|the home rule municipality|the island|Trinidad}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- Basic info  ---------------->
 | name                     = Trinidad, Colorado
 | settlement_type          = [[List of cities and towns in Colorado#Home rule municipality|Home rule municipality]]<ref name=COMun>{{cite web |url=https://dola.colorado.gov/lgis/municipalities.jsf|title=Active Colorado Municipalities|publisher=[[Colorado|State of Colorado]], [[Colorado Department of Local Affairs]], Division of Local Government|access-date=January 28, 2021}}</ref>
 | nickname                 = 
 | motto                    = 
<!-- images and maps  ----------->
 | image_skyline            = Trinidad, Colorado from Simpsons Rest.JPG
 | image_size               = 
 | image_caption            = Trinidad from the Simpsons Rest Overlook
 | image_flag               = 
 | flag_size                = 
 | image_map                = Las Animas County Colorado Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Trinidad Highlighted 0878610.svg
 | map_caption              = Location of the City of Trinidad in {{nowrap|[[Las Animas County, Colorado]]}}
<!-- Location ------------------>
 | subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
 | subdivision_name         = {{flag|United States}}
 | subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
 | subdivision_name1        = {{flag|Colorado}}
 | subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Colorado|County]]
 | subdivision_name2        = [[Las Animas County, Colorado|Las Animas County]]<ref name=COcounty>{{cite web |url=https://dola.colorado.gov/lgis/counties.jsf|title=Colorado Counties|publisher=[[Colorado|State of Colorado]], [[Colorado Department of Local Affairs]], Division of Local Government|access-date=January 28, 2021}}</ref>
 | subdivision_type3        = [[List of cities and towns in Colorado|City]]
 | subdivision_name3        = Trinidad<ref name=COMun/>
<!-- Politics ----------------->
 | government_footnotes     = 
 | government_type          = [[Colorado municipalities#Home rule municipality|Home rule municipality]]<ref name=COMun/>
 | leader_title             = 
 | leader_name              = 
 | leader_title1            = <!-- for places with, say, both a mayor and a city manager -->
 | leader_name1             = 
 | established_title        = <!-- Settled -->
 | established_date         = 
 | established_title2       = <!-- Incorporated (town) -->
 | established_date2        = 
 | established_title3       = [[Municipal corporation|Incorporated]]
 | established_date3        = December 30, 1879<ref name=MuniIncCO>{{cite web | url = http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/muninc.html | title = Colorado Municipal Incorporations | publisher = [[Colorado|State of Colorado]], Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives | date = December 1, 2004 | access-date = September 2, 2007}}</ref>
<!-- Area    --------------------->
 | unit_pref                = Imperial
 | area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_08.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=July 1, 2020}}</ref>
 | area_total_km2           = 24.31
 | area_land_km2            = 24.31
 | area_water_km2           = 0.00
 | area_total_sq_mi         = 9.38
 | area_land_sq_mi          = 9.38
 | area_water_sq_mi         = 0.00
<!-- Population   ----------------------->
 | population_as_of         = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
 | population_footnotes     = 
 | population_note          = 
 | population_total         = 8329
 | population_density_km2   = 337.37
 | population_density_sq_mi = 873.73
<!-- General information  --------------->
 | timezone                 = [[Mountain Time Zone|Mountain (MST)]]
 | utc_offset               = &minus;7
 | timezone_DST             = [[Mountain Time Zone|MDT]]
 | utc_offset_DST           = &minus;6
 | coordinates              = {{coord|37|10|15|N|104|30|23|W|region:US-CO_type:city|display=inline,title}}
 | elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
 | elevation_ft             = 6030
<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->
 | postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]<ref name=ZIPcode>{{cite web | url = http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/citytown.jsp | title = ZIP Code Lookup | format = [[JavaScript]]/[[HTML]] | publisher = [[United States Postal Service]] | access-date = January 7, 2008 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101104123722/http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/citytown.jsp | archive-date = November 4, 2010 }}</ref>
 | postal_code              = 81082
 | area_code                = [[Area code 719|719]]
 | blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
 | blank_info               = 08-78610
 | blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
 | blank1_info              = 2412094<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2412094}}</ref>
 | website                  = [http://trinidad.co.gov/ City Website]
}}
[[File:Trinidad Colorado.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Trinidad from the Wormhole Loop Trail.]]

'''Trinidad''' is the [[List of cities and towns in Colorado#Home rule municipality|home rule municipality]] that is the [[county seat]] of and the [[List of cities and towns in Colorado|most populous municipality]] in [[Las Animas County, Colorado]], United States.<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|access-date=June 7, 2011|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref> The population was 8,329 as of the [[U.S. Census 2010|2020 census]].<ref>{{Cite web | publisher=U.S. Census Bureau | year=2021  | title=2020 Census of Population and Housing - Trinidad city, Colorado; United States | url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/trinidadcitycolorado,US/PST045219}}</ref> Trinidad lies {{convert|21|mi|abbr=on}} north of [[Raton, New Mexico]], and {{convert|195|mi|abbr=on}} south of [[Denver]]. It is on the historic [[Santa Fe Trail]].

The city is home to [[Trinidad State College]], the oldest community college in Colorado.

==History==
===Early===
Trinidad was first explored by Spanish and Mexican traders, who liked its proximity to the [[Santa Fe Trail]]. It was founded in 1862 soon after coal was discovered in the region. This led to an influx of immigrants eager to capitalize on this natural resource. By the late 1860s, the town had about 1,200 residents.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://takearoadtrip.com/trinidad-history.html|title=Trinidad, Colorado's History as a stop on the Santa Fe Trail|website=takearoadtrip.com|access-date=March 26, 2018}}</ref> Trinidad was officially incorporated in 1876, just a few months before Colorado became a state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.coloradomagazineonline.com/Cities%20_%20Towns/Trinidad/Trinidad.htm|title="Main Street Trinidad." Colorado Magazine Online|website=coloradomagazineonline.com|access-date=March 26, 2018}}</ref> In 1878 the [[Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway]] reached Trinidad, making it easier for goods to be shipped from distant locations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.greatamericanstations.com/Stations/TRI|title=Trinidad, CO (TRI)|website=greatamericanstations.com|access-date=March 26, 2018}}</ref> In the 1880s Trinidad became home to a number of well-known people, including [[Bat Masterson]], who briefly served as the town's marshal in 1882.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sangres.com/history/batmasterson.htm#.VFLcjVfSKx5|title=Bartholomew "Bat" Masterson|website=www.sangres.com|access-date=March 26, 2018}}</ref> By 1900 Trinidad's population had grown to 7,500 and it had two English-language newspapers and one in Spanish.<ref>American Newspaper Directory, 1900 edition, p. 94.</ref> In 1885, Holy Trinity Catholic Church was constructed.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=REtEXQNWq6MC&pg=PA143|last=Hellmann|first=Paul T.|title=Historical Gazetteer of the United States|date=February 14, 2006|publisher=Routledge |isbn=1135948593}}</ref>

In the early 1900s Trinidad became nationally known for having the first woman sports editor of a newspaper, [[Ina Eloise Young]].<ref>"She's Sporting Editor." Editor & Publisher, December 21, 1907, p. 11.</ref> Her expertise was in baseball, and in 1908 she was the only woman sportswriter to cover the World Series.<ref>C-N Only Coloradio Newspaper That Has Special Writer at World's Championship Games." Trinidad Chronicle-News, October 12, 1908, p. 1.</ref> During the same time, Trinidad was home to a popular semiprofessional baseball team that was briefly coached by [[Damon Runyon]].<ref>"An All-Star Team Picked by A.D. Runyon." Denver Daily News, September 15, 1907, p. S2.</ref><ref>"All Stars Defeated in Three Games by Hard Hitting Trinidads" The Chronicle News, (Trinidad, Colorado), September 3, 1907, p. 1.</ref>  
[[File:Colorado Baseball Teams Small.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|This photograph was taken in Trinidad, Colorado on Labor Day, September 2, 1907, prior to the final game of a three-game series between the Denver All Stars baseball team and the Trinidad baseball team.]] 
On August 7, 1902, the Bowen Town coal mine, six miles north of Trinidad, experienced a horrific gas explosion, killing 13 miners.<ref>"Thirteen Miners Blown Up in Mine Near Trinidad." Denver Daily News, August 8, 1902, p. 1.</ref> It was one of the worst mining disasters so far in the state; conditions in the mine provided the impetus for several labor strikes. At one point in late 1903, an estimated 3,000 miners, members of the United Mine Workers of America, went on strike.<ref>"Almost Unanimous Action By Southern Colorado Men." Denver Daily News, November 9, 1903, p. 2.</ref> In 1904 Trinidad experienced several disasters. In mid-January a fire destroyed two blocks of the town's business section, causing more than $75,000 in damages.<ref>"Worst Fire in Trinidad's History Destroys Two Business Blocks." Denver Post, January 12, 1904, p. 8.</ref> In late September, the Trinidad area and the region along the [[Purgatoire River]] endured an unusually heavy rainstorm, leading to severe flooding; the flood destroyed the Santa Fe railroad station, wiped out every bridge in town, and caused several hundred thousand dollars' worth of property damage.<ref>"Destructive Flood Sweeps Trinidad, Colo." Omaha World Herald, October 1, 1904, p. 4.</ref> As Trinidad continued to grow, a number of new construction projects began in the downtown area, including a new library, a new city hall, an opera house, and a new hotel.<ref>"New Opera House and a City Hall." Denver Daily News, February 20, 1904, p. 11.</ref>

====1913–1914 strike====
{{see also|Colorado Coalfield War|1927–1928 Colorado Coal Strike}}

Trinidad became the a focal point of the 1913-1914 [[United Mine Workers of America]] [[strike action|strike]] against the [[John D. Rockefeller, Jr.|Rockefeller]]-owned [[Colorado Fuel & Iron]] company, which has come to be known as the [[Colorado Coalfield War]]. The [[Colorado and Southern Railway]] stop that connected Trinidad with [[Denver]] and [[Walsenburg, Colorado|Walsenburg]] made the town strategically important for both the strikers and [[Colorado Army National Guard|Colorado National Guard]]. On April 20, 1914, just 18&nbsp;miles north of town, the events of the [[Ludlow Massacre]] occurred.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sylte |first=Allison |title=A 105-year-old tragedy in this Colorado ghost town shows the true meaning of what we're celebrating this weekend |url=https://www.9news.com/article/life/style/colorado-guide/remembering-the-ludlow-colorado-massacre-on-labor-day/73-731564b9-3839-4755-ac87-035e7241ec6b |publisher=9News |date=August 30, 2019}}</ref>

===Late 20th century onward===
Trinidad was dubbed the "Sex Change Capital of the World",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.westword.com/news/in-the-age-of-caitlyn-jenner-trinidad-is-no-longer-worlds-sex-change-capital-6965216|title=In the Age of Caitlyn Jenner, Trinidad Is No Longer World's Sex-Change Capital|first=Patricia|last=Calhoun|date=July 29, 2015|website=westword.com|access-date=March 26, 2018}}</ref> because a local doctor had an international reputation for performing [[sex reassignment surgery]]. In the 1960s, [[Stanley Biber]], a veteran surgeon returning from Korea, decided to move to Trinidad because he had heard that the town needed a surgeon. In 1969 a local social worker asked him to perform the surgery for her, which he learned by consulting diagrams and a New York surgeon. Biber attained a reputation as a good surgeon at a time when very few doctors were performing sex-change operations. At his peak he averaged four sex-change operations a day, and the term "taking a trip to Trinidad" became a euphemism for some seeking the procedures he offered. In 1995, [[Claudine Griggs]] published ''Passage through Trinidad: Journal of a Surgical Sex Change'' about her experience with Biber.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Griggs |first1=Claudine |title=Passage through Trinidad: journal of a surgical sex change |date=1996 |publisher=McFarland & Co. |location=Jefferson, NC |isbn=978-0-7864-0088-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/passagethroughtr0000grig}}</ref> Biber was featured in [[Mr. Garrison's Fancy New Vagina|an episode]] of ''[[South Park]]'', in which elementary school teacher [[Mr. Garrison]] undergoes a sex-change operation. Biber's surgical practice was taken over in 2003 by [[Marci Bowers]]. Bowers has since moved the practice to Burlingame, California. The 2008 documentary ''[[Trinidad (2008 film)|Trinidad]]'' focuses on Bowers and two of her patients.<ref>{{cite web|title=LAFF '08 INTERVIEW "Trinidad" Co-Directors Jay Hodges and PJ Raval|url=http://www.indiewire.com/article/laff_08_interview_trinidad_co-directors_jay_hodges_and_pj_raval|work=[[IndieWire]]|access-date=September 5, 2015|date=June 26, 2008}}</ref>

[[Drop City]], a [[counterculture]] artists' community, was formed in 1965 on land about {{convert|4|mi|abbr=on}} north of Trinidad. Founded by art students and filmmakers from the [[University of Kansas]] and [[University of Colorado at Boulder]], Drop City became known as the first rural "hippie [[Intentional community|commune]]",<ref>Rabbit, Peter. (1971). ''Drop City''. The Olympia Press, Inc. p. cover [http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/~jmcd/book/revs3/dcty.html Review]</ref> and received attention from ''[[Life Magazine|Life]]'' and ''[[Time Magazine|Time]]'' magazines, as well as from reporters around the world.<ref>[http://www.cpr.org/news/story/colorado-was-ground-zero-hippies-68 "Colorado was ground zero for hippies in '68"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424113151/https://www.cpr.org/news/story/colorado-was-ground-zero-hippies-68 |date=April 24, 2019 }}, Colorado Public Radio, February 12, 2015</ref> Drop City was abandoned by the early 1970s, but influenced subsequent alternative-living projects across the country.
[[File:Trinidad-co-downtown-panorama-rainy-june-2023.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Panorama of downtown Trinidad facing west on 1st Street]]

In 2015, Trinidad started to experience a new boom due to the marijuana industry. The town raised $4.4 million in tax revenue from $44 million in annual marijuana sales, about 5.13% of the state's total sales.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/1217%20Retail%20Marijuana%20Sales%20Tax%20%2815%25%29%20Report%20PUBLISH.pdf|title=State Retail Marijuana Sales Tax (15%) Tax Revenue from December 2017|last=State of Colorado|website=www.colorado.gov/pacific/revenue/colorado-marijuana-tax-data|access-date=March 3, 2018|archive-date=March 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180304172423/https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/1217%20Retail%20Marijuana%20Sales%20Tax%20%2815%25%29%20Report%20PUBLISH.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2016/04/20/health/trinidad-colorado-small-town-marijuana/index.html|title=Can marijuana money save small towns?|author1=Ana Cabrera |author2=Mallory Simon |author3=Sara Weisfeldt |others=Video by Matthew Gannon and Ken Tillis|work=CNN|access-date=March 4, 2018}}</ref> In 2018 ''High Times'' called Trinidad "Weed Town, USA", noting that its 23 licensed retail marijuana dispensaries serving less than 10,000 people amounts to one dispensary per 352 people. "In one downtown block alone along Commercial Street, there were five dispensaries in a single building in town which the owner referred to as the "World's First Pot Mini Mall",<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mexican |first=Daniel J. Chacón |date=April 2, 2016 |title=Colo. entrepreneurs have high hopes for marijuana mini-mall |url=https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/colo-entrepreneurs-have-high-hopes-for-marijuana-mini-mall/article_b977c728-8562-58f6-8322-5a73a1d800d3.html |access-date=July 31, 2023 |website=Santa Fe New Mexican |language=en}}</ref> others call it the 'weed mall'.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hightimes.com/culture/weed-town-usa-how-marijuana-rescued-town-trinidad-colorado/|title=Weed Town, USA: How Marijuana Rescued the Town of Trinidad, Colorado|website=hightimes.com|date=June 18, 2018|access-date=July 25, 2018}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|6.3|sqmi|km2}}, all of it land.

Trinidad is situated in the [[Purgatoire River]] valley in far southern Colorado at an elevation of {{convert|6025|ft|m|abbr=on}}. The city lies 13&nbsp;mi north of the [[New Mexico]] border. On the northern end of the town is [[Simpson's Rest]], a prominent bluff named for early resident George Simpson, who is buried atop it. North Avenue leads to a rut-prone county road to the top of Simpson's Rest for overviews of the city. The vista from Simpson's Rest includes [[Fishers Peak]], a prominent mountain of {{convert|9600|ft|m|abbr=on}} in elevation, southeast of the city. To the northwest are the prominent [[Spanish Peaks]].

===Climate===
Trinidad experiences a semiarid climate, with hot summers and cold winters. Summer days are hot, but due to Trinidad's high elevation summer nights are cool, and temperatures [[Diurnal temperature variation|drop sharply]] after sunset. Winters are cold, but milder than in many mountain towns in Colorado. In the winter, daytime highs are usually above freezing, but temperatures below {{convert|0|F|C|1|disp=or}} are possible, especially at night.

{{Weather box
 | width       = auto
 | collapsed   = yes
 | single line = yes
 | location    = Trinidad, Colorado (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1899–present)
 | Jan record high F  = 78
 | Feb record high F  = 78
 | Mar record high F  = 84
 | Apr record high F  = 90
 | May record high F  = 96
 | Jun record high F  = 101
 | Jul record high F  = 101
 | Aug record high F  = 99
 | Sep record high F  = 99
 | Oct record high F  = 90
 | Nov record high F  = 87
 | Dec record high F  = 82
 | year record high F =

|Jan avg record high F = 67.7
|Feb avg record high F = 68.9
|Mar avg record high F = 75.8
|Apr avg record high F = 81.3
|May avg record high F = 88.4
|Jun avg record high F = 96.0
|Jul avg record high F = 96.6
|Aug avg record high F = 93.5
|Sep avg record high F = 90.7
|Oct avg record high F = 84.1
|Nov avg record high F = 74.4
|Dec avg record high F = 67.9
|year avg record high F = 97.8

 | Jan high F = 49.5
 | Feb high F = 51.5
 | Mar high F = 59.1
 | Apr high F = 65.6
 | May high F = 74.5
 | Jun high F = 84.8
 | Jul high F = 87.8
 | Aug high F = 85.5
 | Sep high F = 79.6
 | Oct high F = 69.0
 | Nov high F = 57.0
 | Dec high F = 48.5
 | year high F = 67.7
 | Jan mean F = 35.7
 | Feb mean F = 37.9
 | Mar mean F = 45.3
 | Apr mean F = 51.7
 | May mean F = 60.8
 | Jun mean F = 70.3
 | Jul mean F = 74.3
 | Aug mean F = 72.2
 | Sep mean F = 66.0
 | Oct mean F = 54.6
 | Nov mean F = 43.4
 | Dec mean F = 35.4
 | year mean F = 54.0
 | Jan low F = 22.0
 | Feb low F = 24.3
 | Mar low F = 31.5
 | Apr low F = 37.8
 | May low F = 47.1
 | Jun low F = 55.9
 | Jul low F = 60.7
 | Aug low F = 58.9
 | Sep low F = 52.3
 | Oct low F = 40.1
 | Nov low F = 29.8
 | Dec low F = 22.3
 | year low F = 40.2

|Jan avg record low F = 0.4
|Feb avg record low F = 1.0
|Mar avg record low F = 10.0
|Apr avg record low F = 18.9
|May avg record low F = 31.0
|Jun avg record low F = 42.2
|Jul avg record low F = 50.1
|Aug avg record low F = 48.8
|Sep avg record low F = 35.5
|Oct avg record low F = 20.8
|Nov avg record low F = 8.2
|Dec avg record low F = -1.2
|year avg record low F = -6.5

 | Jan record low F  = -32
 | Feb record low F  = -21
 | Mar record low F  = -15
 | Apr record low F  = -6
 | May record low F  = 22
 | Jun record low F  = 26
 | Jul record low F  = 42
 | Aug record low F  = 37
 | Sep record low F  = 23
 | Oct record low F  = 2
 | Nov record low F  = -15
 | Dec record low F  = -26
 | year record low F = 
 | precipitation colour   = green
 | Jan precipitation inch = 0.54
 | Feb precipitation inch = 0.47
 | Mar precipitation inch = 1.07
 | Apr precipitation inch = 1.40
 | May precipitation inch = 1.52
 | Jun precipitation inch = 1.27
 | Jul precipitation inch = 2.63
 | Aug precipitation inch = 2.29
 | Sep precipitation inch = 1.27
 | Oct precipitation inch = 1.23
 | Nov precipitation inch = 0.64
 | Dec precipitation inch = 0.54
 | year precipitation inch = 14.87
 | unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
 | Jan precipitation days  = 3.5
 | Feb precipitation days  = 4.0
 | Mar precipitation days  = 5.5
 | Apr precipitation days  = 6.0
 | May precipitation days  = 7.0
 | Jun precipitation days  = 6.8
 | Jul precipitation days  = 10.4
 | Aug precipitation days  = 10.6
 | Sep precipitation days  = 5.9
 | Oct precipitation days  = 4.7
 | Nov precipitation days  = 3.8
 | Dec precipitation days  = 4.2
 | year precipitation days = 72.4
 | Jan snow inch = 7.7
 | Feb snow inch = 7.3
 | Mar snow inch = 9.5
 | Apr snow inch = 7.8
 | May snow inch = 0.5
 | Jun snow inch = 0.0
 | Jul snow inch = 0.0
 | Aug snow inch = 0.0
 | Sep snow inch = 0.1
 | Oct snow inch = 4.8
 | Nov snow inch = 8.3
 | Dec snow inch = 9.1
 | year snow inch = 55.1
 | unit snow days = 0.1 in
 | Jan snow days  = 2.5
 | Feb snow days  = 2.8
 | Mar snow days  = 2.6
 | Apr snow days  = 1.8
 | May snow days  = 0.2
 | Jun snow days  = 0.0
 | Jul snow days  = 0.0
 | Aug snow days  = 0.0
 | Sep snow days  = 0.0
 | Oct snow days  = 0.9
 | Nov snow days  = 1.8
 | Dec snow days  = 3.3
 | year snow days = 15.9
 | source = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|NOAA]]<ref name="NOWData">{{cite web
|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=pub
|title = NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = December 8, 2023}}</ref><ref name="NCEI">{{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00058429&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL
|title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|access-date = December 8, 2023}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1870= 562
|1880= 2226
|1890= 5523
|1900= 5345
|1910= 10204
|1920= 10906
|1930= 11732
|1940= 13223
|1950= 12204
|1960= 10691
|1970= 9901
|1980= 9663
|1990= 8580
|2000= 9078
|2010= 9096
|estyear=
|estimate=
|estref=
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
|2020=8329}}

As of the census<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, 9,078 people, 3,701 households, and 2,335 families resided in the city. The population density was {{convert|1,439.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The 4,126 housing units averaged {{convert|654.2|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}. The [[Race (United States Census)|racial makeup]] of the city was 79.97% White, 0.54% African American, 3.02% Native American, 0.43% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 12.12% from other races, and 3.78% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 48.07% of the population.

Of the 3,701 households, 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were not families; 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city, the population was distributed as 24.9% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 24.2% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,681, and for a family was $33,992. Males had a median income of $27,817 versus $19,064 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,271. About 16.2% of families and 18.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.6% of those under age 18 and 20% of those age 65 or over.

==Economy==
[[File:Oil Fields in the Hills Southwest of Trinidad Colorado (49806848352).jpg|thumb|right|Gas fields southwest of Trinidad]]
For many years Trinidad housed the miners who worked in the coal mines of the [[Raton Basin]] south and west of the town. Major operators included [[Colorado Fuel and Iron]] and [[Victor-American Fuel Company]]. The mines are now closed, but since the 1980s companies have been drilling new gas wells to extract [[coalbed methane]] from the remaining coal seams.

Trinidad's location at the foot of [[Raton Pass]], along the [[Santa Fe Trail]] between [[St. Joseph, Missouri]], and [[Santa Fe, New Mexico]], has always made it a favored route for travelers, first by foot, then horse and ox-drawn wagon, then railroad. [[Interstate 25 in Colorado|Interstate 25]] is the most highly traveled route between Colorado and New Mexico and bisects Trinidad.

In the early 20th century, Trinidad was the closest town to what many consider the beginning of the labor movement.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}} Later that century the town saw swings of boom and bust as the oil industry heated and cooled.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}

==Transportation==
[[File:Southwestchieftrinidad.jpg|thumb|The Amtrak ''[[Southwest Chief]]'' at [[Trinidad station (Colorado)|Trinidad station]]]]

===Road===
*[[Image:I-25.svg|20px]] [[Interstate 25 in Colorado|I-25]]
*[[Image:US 160.svg|20px]] [[U.S. Route 160 (Colorado)|US 160]]

===Rail===
*[[Trinidad (Amtrak station)]], served by the ''[[Southwest Chief]]''
*Junction of [[BNSF Railway]]'s [[Raton Pass|Raton Subdivision]], Twin Peaks Subdivision, and Spanish Peaks Subdivision

===Air===
*[[Perry Stokes Airport]]
{{clear}}

===Bus===
*South Central Council of Governments operates [[demand-responsive transport]] in Trinidad.
*[[Greyhound Lines]] serves Trinidad on its route between Denver and Albuquerque.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://extranet.greyhound.com/Revsup/schedules2/pageset.html|title=Greyhound System Timetable}}</ref>
*Limousine Express serves Trinidad on its route between Denver and El Paso.
*Trinidad is part of Colorado's [[Bustang]] network. It is on the Trinidad-Pueblo Outrider line.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bustang Schedule |url=https://ridebustang.com/schedules/ |website=RideBustang |publisher=CDOT |access-date=April 7, 2023 |archive-date=September 15, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190915041049/http://ridebustang.com/schedules/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Education==
*[[Trinidad State College]]

==Sports==
The [[Trinidad Triggers]] are a professional baseball team in the independent [[Pecos League]] which is not affiliated with [[Major League Baseball]] or [[Minor League Baseball]]. They play their home games at Trinidad Central Park.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.trinidadtriggers.com/ | title=The official website of the Trinidad Triggers | access-date=2024-07-22}}</ref>

==Notable people==

* [[Buster Adams]], major league outfielder
* [[Felipe Baca]], early settler
* [[Casimiro Barela]], State Senator, served as Justice of Peace in Trinidad
* [[Stanley Biber]] (1923–2006), physician<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-09-11/la-na-col1-trinidad-gender-confirmation-surgery-legacy|title=He made this town the world's 'sex-change capital,' but he's not honored here|last=Smith|first=Martin J.|date=September 12, 2019|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|language=en-US|access-date=September 14, 2019}}</ref>
* [[Marci Bowers]], physician
* [[Dana B. Chase]] (1848–1897), photographer
* [[Bennett Cohen]] (1890–1964), film director
* [[John Gagliardi]], a native,  NCAA all-time, all-division winningest football coach
* [[Erick Hawkins]], modern-dance choreographer and dancer, born in Trinidad
* [[Snatam Kaur]], singer of [[Sikh]] religious music, born in Trinidad
* [[Cissy King]], dancer on ''[[The Lawrence Welk Show]]'', born in Trinidad
* [[Ronnie Lane]], rock musician, lived in Trinidad during final years of his life
* [[Bat Masterson]], [[gunfighter|gunman]], town [[marshal]] of Trinidad during the 1880s;<ref>{{cite web|last=Weiser|first=Kathy|title=Bat Masterson, Loyalty in Lawlessness|url=http://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-batmasterson.html|publisher=Legends of America|date=July 2015|quote=He also spent a year as marshal of Trinidad, Colorado, as well as serving as Sheriff of South Pueblo, Colorado.}}</ref> his brother [[James Masterson|Jim]] was also town marshal during the 1880s
* [[M. Mike Miller]], travel writer and eight-term member of the [[Alaska House of Representatives]], born in Trinidad
* [[Arthur Roy Mitchell]], [[Western (genre)|Western]] artist, Trinidad native; the Mitchell Museum houses many of his major works
* [[Erskine Sanford]], actor, notable for his work with [[Orson Welles]] in films such as ''[[Citizen Kane]]''
* [[Poker Alice|Alice Ivers Tubbs]], frontier gambler known as "Poker Alice"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-pokeralice.html|title=Kathy Weiser, "Poker Alice – Famous Frontier Gambler"|publisher=legendsofamerica.com|access-date=May 10, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Thomas Wilson (composer)|Thomas Wilson]], composer, born in Trinidad in 1927, lived there 17 months before moving to [[Glasgow, Scotland|Glasgow]]
* [[Ed Wolff (actor)|Ed Wolff]], actor and circus giant
* [[Ina Eloise Young]], first female sports editor

==See also==
{{portal|Colorado }}
*[[National Old Trails Road]]
*[[Raton Pass]]
*[[Santa Fe National Historic Trail]]
*[[Spanish Peaks]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{sister project links|auto=yes}}
*[http://trinidad.co.gov/ City of Trinidad]
*[https://westernmininghistory.com/towns/colorado/trinidad/ Coal mining history of Trinidad] at Western Mining History
*[http://dtdapps.coloradodot.info/staticdata/Downloads/CityMaps/Trinidad.pdf CDOT map of Trinidad]
*[https://www.visittrinidadcolorado.com Visit Trinidad Colorado]

{{Las Animas County, Colorado}}
{{Colorado county seats}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Trinidad, Colorado|*]]
[[Category:Cities in Las Animas County, Colorado]]
[[Category:Cities in Colorado]]
[[Category:County seats in Colorado]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1862]]
[[Category:1879 establishments in Colorado]]