(MONTE VISTA) – We are San Luis Valley and located in the region’s heart is Monte Vista, Spanish for mountain view. The town’s prime location makes it an ideal jumping-off point to explore its many 14,000-foot mountain peaks.
“Monte Vista and the San Luis Valley as a whole is so welcoming,” George Dingfelder, Monte Vista Chief of Police said. “The six counties are very much a community and yet we’re all individual communities, but when push comes to shove we always come together.”
Incorporated in 1886, Monte Vista was once a stop for the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad. Today, you walk through downtown where the streets are lined with historical buildings and unique art. Adams Street in Monte Vista is considered the main business hub of Monte Vista.
In Monte Vista the main business is agriculture. There are 50,000 acres of potatoes grown annually and around 20 different varieties in the San Luis Valley.
“This is the place, this is where everything happens,” Dale Becker, Mayor of Monte Vista explained. “They’re some of the most quality potatoes you’ll ever get. If you’re shopping for potatoes, make sure it has the San Luis Valley on the bag.”
Set in a high plains valley, everyone falls in love with Monte Vista for one reason or another.
“I was born and raised in Alamosa, so I moved here 36 years ago,” Becker explained. “I left twice and there’s no place like here at all. The San Luis Valley is unique in its own manner.”
This summer Monte Vista will host Colorado’s Oldest Professional Rodeo, The Ski-Hi Stampede. Which has drawn cowboys from all over the world since 1919. Through that time, Monte Vista continues to evoke a quiet laid-back lifestyle in a close-knit community where people know each other, can rely on each other, and where people are connected.
“We will still be that friendly community always, that’s what I feel about the people here,” Becker said.
