Cold semi-arid
Buena Vista, Colorado
Chaffee County, Colorado · Population 3k · 7,976 ft elevation
Living in Buena Vista
Buena Vista has a cold semi-arid climate: hot summers (July highs around 83°F) and cold winters (January lows around 11°F).
Precipitation is very dry at about 10″ a year, and it gets a fair bit of snow (49″ a season).
Skies are sunny (67% of possible sunshine). It never gets truly muggy.
Air quality is moderate: a median AQI of 51, with about 11 unhealthy-air days in the latest year.
Buena Vista is an outdoor hub: about 67% of the land within 30 miles is public (parks, national forest and the like), and the terrain rises and falls about 4,500 ft around town.
Buena Vista at a glance
- Population
- 3k
- Elevation
- 7,976 ft
- Average daily high
- 60°F18th percentile
- Average daily low
- 29°F1th percentile
- Annual precipitation
- 10″3th percentile
- Annual snowfall
- 49″87th percentile
- Sunshine hours per year
- 2,960 hrs64th percentile
- Median AQI
- 5185th percentile
- Median home value
- $496k81th percentile
- Median rent
- $1,519/mo69th percentile
- Median household income
- $58k28th percentile
- Property tax rate
- 0.37%3th percentile
- Top state income-tax rate
- 4.4%
- Sales tax (state + local)
- 7.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 14.6%
- Homes with broadband
- 81%10th percentile
- Average commute
- 11 min
- Math proficiency (8th grade)
- 42%42th percentile
- Reading proficiency (8th grade)
- 47%
- Violent crime rate
- 31 per 100k8th percentile
- Property crime rate
- 532 per 100k
- Overall natural-hazard risk
- 5112th percentile
- Outdoor access
- 9998th percentile
- Public land within 10 miles
- 69%
- Public land within 30 miles
- 67%
- Mountain relief within 30 miles
- 4,462 ft
Climate by month
| Month | High | Low | Precipitation | Snow | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41°F | 11°F | 0.3″ | 6.2″ | 214 hrs |
| Feb | 43°F | 14°F | 0.4″ | 7.4″ | 203 hrs |
| Mar | 50°F | 21°F | 0.6″ | 8.2″ | 268 hrs |
| Apr | 56°F | 27°F | 1.0″ | 8.1″ | 247 hrs |
| May | 66°F | 36°F | 1.2″ | 3.2″ | 255 hrs |
| Jun | 78°F | 43°F | 0.7″ | — | 323 hrs |
| Jul | 83°F | 49°F | 1.5″ | — | 302 hrs |
| Aug | 80°F | 47°F | 1.6″ | — | 276 hrs |
| Sep | 74°F | 40°F | 0.9″ | 0.4″ | 264 hrs |
| Oct | 62°F | 29°F | 0.8″ | 3.1″ | 227 hrs |
| Nov | 50°F | 19°F | 0.4″ | 5.1″ | 195 hrs |
| Dec | 40°F | 11°F | 0.4″ | 7.6″ | 186 hrs |
Near Buena Vista
- Salida, CO · 5.8k
- Leadville, CO · 2.6k
- Aspen, CO · 6.9k
- Breckenridge, CO · 5k
- Gunnison, CO · 6.7k
- Snowmass Village, CO · 3k
- Frisco, CO · 2.9k
- Park Center, CO · 2.5k
Largest places in Colorado
- Denver, CO · 714k
- Colorado Springs, CO · 483k
- Aurora, CO · 390k
- Fort Collins, CO · 170k
- Lakewood, CO · 156k
- Thornton, CO · 143k
- Arvada, CO · 123k
- Westminster, CO · 116k
Sources: NOAA climate normals, NASA POWER, EPA air quality, U.S. Census Bureau, FEMA, FBI, EPA walkability and EDFacts. Methodology