Map of Rico town

Rico is an incorporated small town in Dolores County, Colorado, United States. It was settled in 1879 as a silver mining center in the Pioneer Mining District; today it functions as a historic and tourism site. The population was 288 at the 2020 census. Its current form of government is that of a home rule municipality.

Rico is a name derived from Spanish meaning “rich”.

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Rico location map. Where is Rico town?

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Geography

Rico is located in eastern Dolores County at 37°41′32″N 108°1′51″W / 37.69222°N 108.03083°W / 37.69222; -108.03083 (37.692095, -108.030839), in the valley of the Dolores River. Colorado State Highway 145 passes through the town as it follows the river, leading southwest 48 miles (77 km) to Cortez and northeast over Lizard Head Pass 27 miles (43 km) to Telluride.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town of Rico has an area of 0.8 square miles (2.0 km), all of it land.

Climate

Rico experiences an alpine subarctic climate (Köppen climate classification Dfc) with long, cold, very snowy winters and short, cool summers due to the high altitude and high precipitation year-round due to orographic lift.

See also