This years’ Fourth of July celebrations drew in big crowds, with more than 63,300 people visiting Archuleta County from July 3-7, according to a Placer report provided by Tourism Director Jennifer Green.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population estimate for Archuleta County as of July 1 is listed at 14,189.
“It was an increase over 2022 and 2023, but not quite to the crazy visitor pandemic levels of 2021, which had 68,600 visitors over the same time frame,” Green states in a communication with The SUN.
Green explains that she worked with a company called Placer to obtain visitation data for the holiday weekend.
Placer uses geofencing technology that can track the number of people in an area by harnessing GPS signals from mobile devices, according to its website.
Green’s report shows the number of visitors who spent more than 10 minutes within the county’s boundaries and notes the average amount of time visitors spent was approximately nine and half hours.
What the number of visitors means to the area financially remains to be seen, with both sales tax and lodgers’ tax revenue data reported in arrears.
The summer months also mean increased calls for service for first responders.
According to Pagosa Springs Police Department (PSPD) Chief Bill Rockensock, the summer months of July and August, along with spring break in March, are usually busier months in terms of calls for service received by the PSPD.
In an interview with Rockensock, he provided some data from previous years for comparison, noting that in July 2022 the PSPD received a total of 210 calls for service and in August 2022 it received 814 calls for service.
In July 2023 the PSPD received 872 calls for service and 824 in August 2023, according to Rockensock.
He noted that the slower months of November and December, the PSPD typically receives around 500 calls for service per month.
Rockensock indicated that the PSPD received a total of 8,688 calls for service throughout the entire year of 2023, and predicts that number will go above 9,000 for 2024.
Additionally, Rockensock noted that in 2014, the PSPD received a total of 4,006 calls for service.
“We’ve gone up every single year,” Rockensock said.
According to an Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office blotter report, the agency received 267 calls for service between July 1 and 7.
Data provided by the agency show just under 250 calls for July 3-7 in 2022 and 2023, and more than 150 calls for the same span in 2024.
In an interview, Pagosa Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Karn Macht indicated that the PFPD received a total of 23 calls for service from July 3-9.
Editor’s note: Local emergency response agencies are using a different dispatching and call management software system than last year, which may affect comparisons.
