Pueblo, CO

With a population of more than 103,000 residents, Pueblo is about 40 miles south of Colorado Springs and 110 miles south of Colorado's state capital, Denver. Pueblo is often referred to as "Steel City" because it is one of the largest steel-producing cities in the entire country. The ore mines formed Pueblo into the city that it is today, joining together the former cities of Pueblo, South Pueblo, Central Pueblo, and Bessemer into modern-day Pueblo. But most Americans know Pueblo as the address for government information: The Federal Citizen Information Center, the source for government booklets and pamphlets, is located here.

GETTING AROUND

Two major highways, U.S. Highway 50 and Interstate 25, intersect in Pueblo. This intersection has been called the second-most important intersection in the state after the intersection of Interstates 70 and 25 in Denver. U.S. Highway 50 is an east-west highway that starts in Kansas and works its way to the west through California. Interstate 25 is a north-south interstate that stretches from Wyoming to New Mexico. For public transportation, the Pueblo Transit provides daily bus routes to residents or visitors in Pueblo's downtown. Located five miles northeast of the Central Business District, Pueblo Memorial Airport is used for commercial passenger flights as well as military, charter, business, and flight training. There are three flight schools present at the airport, including one for helicopter training.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

More than half of the homes in Pueblo were built more than 30 years ago. The most expensive homes are in the neighborhood around Encino Drive and Bridle Trail, southwest of downtown Pueblo. The least expensive homes are located by U.S. Route 50 and Baxter Road, east of downtown. In downtown Pueblo, the Union Avenue Historic District preserves 19th century buildings, now shops and restaurants.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

The city of Pueblo enjoys a fairly stable economy. The median household income in Pueblo is around $33,600; the statewide median household income is around $55,200. The average salary for jobs in Pueblo is around $31,000.

Rocky Mountain Steel, a specialty steel mini-mill, is the remaining legacy of Pueblo's steel-producing heyday.

Educational services and health care are major industries in Pueblo. Other prominent industries in the city are retail trade, arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services.

The renewable energy sector is expected to get a boost in the city of Pueblo. According to a recent announcement by Vestas, the largest renewable energy plant in the world -- which manufactures the towers for wind turbines -- is going to be built in the industrial park at Pueblo.

• Saint Mary Corwin Hospital started off as a two-story boarding house in the 1880s, and it is now a thriving hospital on Minnequa Avenue. It contains a Level II Trauma Center and a Flight for Life helicopter base. The hospital underwent an expansion in 2006; its state-of-the-art emergency department and one-step cancer center have put the hospital on the map.
• Parkview Medical Center, located on West 16th Street, was founded in 1923 and focuses on acute health-care and behavioral health specialty services. It has a Level II Trauma Center and the region's first certified stroke center.
• Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo is on West 24th Street, serves adolescents through geriatric age ranges. Its goal is to provide quality mental health to its patients through its numerous employed professions, such as nursing, psychology, social work, and medicine.

FOR VISITORS

• Pueblo Zoo: Covering 25 acres, the zoo is open year-round and houses more than 400 animals. It includes a Pioneer Ranch for children to explore farm animals and an Ecocenter, where visitors can experience the only underwater viewing of penguins in Colorado.
• Rosemont Museum: The 24,000-square-foot museum is situated in a former mansion. Visitors can examine the Romanesque style of the home and admire its architecture and décor.
• Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum: This museum is on the airport's grounds and is named after Fred Weisbrod, the late city manager. Visitors can learn about the airport's beginnings as an Army Corps base in 1943 and view military aircraft and artifacts at the museum.
• El Pueblo History Museum: Found on North Union Avenue, this museum features an 1840s-style adobe trading post and plaza. It showcases the city's history and the multitude of ethnic groups found in the region. Exhibits change frequently, providing frequent visitors a chance to learn something new with every visit.

EVENTS

• Chili & Frijoles Festival: Pueblo celebrates the harvest of the Mira Sol Chile with an annual festival celebrated over a three-day weekend in September. The festival takes place in downtown Pueblo and attracts nearly 90,000 visitors. A highlight of the celebration is the jalapeñ;o eating contest that features a monetary prize to the top three winners.
• Colorado State Fair: Held annually during the last week of August and the first week of September, the state fair has been held for more than 130 years. The fair is held on Beluah Avenue, where it sits on 102 acres of land. An estimated 500,000 visitors attend the festivities in Pueblo, which include concerts, carnival rides, livestock, and more than 300 commercial exhibits.

EDUCATION

With an enrollment of more than 4,000 students, Colorado State University-Pueblo is a public college. The campus spans more than 275 acres situated in the Belmont area on Pueblo's northern edge. Up until 2003, the school was called the University of Southern Colorado. Today, students can choose from more than 25 undergraduate programs and 6 graduate degrees. For athletics, the university is a member of the NCAA Division II level and the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.

Pueblo Community College is a two-year college offering more than 50 certificate and associate degree programs. Its area of focus is in health-care education. This college maintains three campuses, and the main campus is in Pueblo.

LOCAL MEDIA

The city of Pueblo is served by a variety of media sources:

• Pueblo Chieftain is the area's local daily newspaper.
• CSU Pueblo Today is the university newspaper.
• KCSJ AM 590 is a talk radio station.
• KOAA TV 5 is the area's NBC affiliate television station.
• KTSC TV 8 is Pueblo's PBS affiliate television station.