Bent County is a county in Colorado, United States, on the Arkansas River in the southeastern part of the state. It had a population of 5,650 at the 2020 census and covers 1,513 square miles (3,920 km2) centred near 37°57′N 103°05′W.
Las Animas is the county seat and the only incorporated municipality; its postal code is 81054. The county has 1 incorporated town, 2 census-designated places and several unincorporated communities, sits in the Mountain time zone, and observes Mountain Daylight Time in summer.
Towns & Villages in Bent County
Bent County has one incorporated municipality — Las Animas, the county seat — plus two census-designated places and a handful of unincorporated communities strung along the Arkansas River valley and U.S. Highway 50. CDP = Census-Designated Place, Unincorp. = unincorporated community with no municipal government.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Las Animas | City · seat | 2,199 | 81054 |
| Hasty | CDP | 150 | 81044 |
| McClave | CDP | 259 | 81057 |
| Fort Lyon | Unincorp. | — | 81054 |
| Boggsville | Unincorp. | — | 81054 |
| Caddoa | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Able | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Marlman | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Melina | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Ninaview | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Prowers | Unincorp. | — | — |
Boggsville, just south of Las Animas at the confluence of the Purgatoire and Arkansas rivers, was the county’s first seat and a trading-post settlement founded by Thomas Boggs and John Prowers before Las Animas took over the role in 1873. Fort Lyon, on the Arkansas a few miles east of Las Animas, began as an Army post and later became a Veterans Affairs medical facility — it is a named place, not a town with its own government.
ZIP Codes
- 81054 — Las Animas (also serves Fort Lyon and Boggsville)
- 81044 — Hasty
- 81057 — McClave
The county’s smaller unincorporated places (Able, Caddoa, Marlman, Melina, Ninaview, Prowers) do not carry a separate ZIP code and are served by the nearest post office town above.
Geography
Bent County sits in the Arkansas River valley of the High Plains, with the river crossing the county west to east through Las Animas and past the John Martin Reservoir on the county’s eastern edge. The terrain is mostly flat to gently rolling shortgrass prairie, with irrigated farmland concentrated along the river bottom and rangeland covering the uplands to the north and south. The Santa Fe National Historic Trail and its modern National Scenic Byway pass through the county, following the historic wagon route along the Arkansas.
Bent County borders Kiowa County to the north, Prowers County to the east, Baca County to the southeast, Las Animas County to the southwest, and Otero County to the west.
Demographics
Bent County’s population was 5,650 at the 2020 census, giving a density of about 3.7 people per square mile — one of the more sparsely settled counties on Colorado’s eastern plains. Las Animas is by far the largest community, followed by the McClave and Hasty CDPs. Median household income in Bent County runs well below the Colorado median of $92,911; the county’s economy is dominated by agriculture and public-sector employment rather than the wage growth seen along the Front Range.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture is the backbone of the local economy — irrigated corn, alfalfa and melons along the Arkansas River bottom, with cattle ranching on the surrounding prairie. The Bent County Correctional Facility, a state prison near Las Animas, is one of the county’s largest employers. The Bent County School District operates the county’s public schools out of Las Animas. John Martin Reservoir, on the county’s eastern edge, draws anglers, boaters and birders and is the centerpiece of John Martin Reservoir State Park.
History
Bent County was organized on February 6, 1874, and named for William Bent, the frontier trader who built Bent’s Fort on the Arkansas River and became a major figure in early trade between American settlers and the Cheyenne and Arapaho. Boggsville, founded in the 1860s, served as the county’s first seat and one of the earliest Anglo-American settlements in southeastern Colorado before Las Animas was platted along the new Kansas Pacific rail line and took over as seat in 1873. Fort Lyon, originally an Army post established in the 1860s, later became a long-serving Veterans Affairs hospital and correctional facility.
Getting There
U.S. Highway 50 runs east–west through Las Animas, and Colorado State Highways 101, 109, 194 and 196 connect the county’s smaller communities to it.
- La Junta — 18 miles west
- Lamar — 30 miles east
- Pueblo — 65 miles west
- Colorado Springs — 130 miles northwest
The nearest commercial airport is Colorado Springs Airport; La Junta’s Arkansas Valley Regional Airport handles general aviation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Bent County, Colorado?
It is along the Arkansas River in the southeastern part of Colorado, between La Junta and Lamar.
What is the population of Bent County?
5,650 at the 2020 census.
How big is Bent County?
1,513 square miles (3,920 km2) of land.
What is the county seat of Bent County?
Las Animas is the county seat and the county’s only incorporated municipality.
How many towns are in Bent County?
One incorporated town (Las Animas), two census-designated places (Hasty, McClave), and several smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Bent County?
81054 (Las Animas), 81044 (Hasty) and 81057 (McClave) are the main ZIP codes.
What is John Martin Reservoir?
A large Arkansas River reservoir on the county’s eastern edge, the centerpiece of John Martin Reservoir State Park and a major regional fishing and boating destination.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Colorado.