La Jara

The little town of La Jara has only 822 residents in this agricultural town. Sadly, almost half of the residents here are below the poverty rate, and the median household income is just $29,701. Housing, like income, is also well below the average for the state and you can purchase an average median priced home here for just $95,587. Although the poverty rate is high, you would never guess it while driving through. When you drive through town you notice several things. The homes and yards are all nicely tended and very green, the schools (which are very good) are a large part of the community and they look nice. The playgrounds for the kids are very good and they have a long row of swing sets, more than you'd ever see in a larger school. The business district, however, has many empty building and store fronts which lead you to the understanding that this was once a much more thriving town. There aren't too many businesses here outside of a dental office, a car wash, liquor store, and a lumber company.

On the eastern side of town the railroad is still standing and the depot has been there since 1911. The original depot was located on the other side of the track and was built in 1881. Outside of town you can see large plots of land used for growing a variety of crops. In the distance you can see mountains and in the peak growing seasons this is a lovely view of the green fields with the mountains for the back drop.

The population of La Jara is primarily Hispanic at 62%, followed by white. The most common industries here are retail and construction. Many of the residents travel to Alamosa for both work and shopping. This isn't bad since the drive is only about 15 minutes away.