SOUTHERN
COLORADO
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT
Pueblo County
Located at the confluence of the Arkansas River and the Fountain Creek, Pueblo has been an important transportation crossroads and trading center for over 150 years. A small fort was established at the present site of Pueblo in the early 1840's, although Spanish and French explorers had visited here as early as 1540 and in 1806 when Zebulon Pike explored the area after it had become part of the United States through the Louisiana Purchase. Growth was rapid during he 1870's when the railroad came to Pueblo and when the present-day City of Pueblo was incorporated in 1886, in a consolidation of three previously existing towns.In 1881, the Colorado Coal and Iron Company established a blast furnace in Pueblo. This company was a forerunner of the present Rocky Mountain Steel Mills, and the nascent steel industry in Pueblo was a magnet to Eastern and Southern European immigrants seeking employment opportunities in America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In recent years, Pueblo has undergone a gradual transformation from manufacturing to a service oriented economy.
Modern Pueblo continues to be a major transportation center, which is served by two U.S. Highways, two railroads, numerous truck lines and a commercial airport. The Pueblo trade area consists of over a dozen counties in Southern Colorado. Many residents of this region come to Pueblo in order to shop or to participate in the numerous cultural and recreation activities that are available.
Puebloans are particularly proud of their community's extensive system of parks, symphony orchestra and arts and conference center. The Colorado State Fair is held here each year in August. Beautiful mountain scenery is within an hour's drive and Lake Pueblo, located 5 miles west of the city, offers excellent facilities for boating, camping, fishing and other water sports.
With its low cost of living, excellent environmental quality and outstanding educational facilities, Pueblo offers an attractive life-style to its residents and a diversity of opportunities and amenities to new and expanding businesses. Embarking on an encounter with the future, the City of Pueblo stands ready to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century.
For more information on Pueblo County, visit the following links:
City of Pueblo
Pueblo County
Pueblo Business and City Information
Pueblo Chamber of Commerce
Pueblo West
Southern Colorado Economic Development District (SCEDD)
1104 N. Main St.
Pueblo, CO 81003
(719) 545-8680 - (719) 545-9908 Fax
Toll Free 877-252-7297