Dolores County, Colorado

{Rico in Dolores County. Photo: Ken Lund} In 2009, Dolores County became known the most economically depressed county in Colorado. It’s the seventh-least populous, with a 2010 population of 2,064. Dove Creek is the county seat.

Fifty percent of Dolores County is government-owned forestland, part of the San Juan National Forest. The area is rich in archeological history and is believed to have been inhabited by humans as early as 2500 B.C.E. Dolores County is home to several hundred Anasazi sites.