East on Colorado SR-194 in Otero County. Photo: Kent Kanouse
Otero County’s population was 18,831 in 2010. The county was named for Miguel Antonio Otero, a La Junta town founder. La Junta is the county seat, located in southeastern Colorado on the Arkansas River. Bent’s Old Fort, a vital trading post on the Santa Fe Trail, is northeast of La Junta.
Comanche National Grassland is found in Otero County, offering 440,000 acres of petroglyphs, dinosaur footprints, abandoned homesteads, abundant wildlife, and the Santa Fe Trail.
Visit the Otero County Government website.
Otero County map.
County Towns
- Cheraw
- Fowler
- La Junta
- Manzanola
- Rocky Ford
- Swink
Adjacent Counties
- Bent – east
- Crowley – north
- Kiowa – northeast
- Las Animas – south
- Pueblo – west
Otero County Courthouse in La Junta.
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