Chaffee County, Colorado

Chaffee County is one of the 64 counties of the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2010 census, the population was 17,809. The county seat is Salida.HistoryChaffee County has a confusing origin. Between February 8 and February 10, 1879, Carbonate County was created by the Colorado legislature out of northern Lake County. On February 10 the two counties were renamed, with the southern part of Lake County becoming Chaffee County, and Carbonate County becoming Lake County. Chaffee County is known as the “Heart of the Rockies”. It was named for Jerome B. Chaffee, Colorado's first United States Senator.GeographyAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and (0.2%) is water.National protected areasBrowns Canyon National MonumentBuffalo Peaks WildernessCollegiate Peaks WildernessSan Isabel National ForestRecreation areaArkansas Headwaters Recreation Area