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City moved almost completely to Alamosa when buildings were loaded on flat . cars and moved to the new site. The business center of Alamosa was clustered along the railroad on what is now Sixth Street but was then called Front Street. Development of the region was closely linked with the expanding Rio Grande Railroad system. The original line was completed over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to Russell in 1877 and reached Alamosa in July 1878. Surveys were extended in all directions from Alamosa in order to tap the rich mineral resources of the region. The next two or three years saw many of these surveys translated into ever increasing miles of track. The rapid development, first of the mining industry, and second, of agriculture in its various phases, made the rail extensions economically feasible. By 1890 the San Luis Valley was covered by railways with Alamosa at the hub. ~ During this time Alamosa had been part of the original counties of the Territory of Legislature carved a new county out of the Castilla Counties and called it Alamosa designated as county seat of the new county. III. SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS Conejos County, which was one of Colorado. In 1913, the Colorado northern portions of Conejos and County. The city of Alamosa was A. Population: The 1980 populations of Alamosa County and the City of Alamosa were 11,799, and 6830, respectively. The populations of the City of Alamosa decreased by 2.2 percent from 1970 to 1980, however, 1985 estimates for the City put the population at 7,145; a five percent increase from 1980. OBERS projections for the area indicate that the population of Alamosa in the year 2000 will be approximately 7250. The population of the County is estimated to be 13,100 in the year 2000. Industrv and Emplovment Commercial agriculture is the most important basic industry. In terms of employment, however, the service industry accounted for 36% of the total employment according to the 1980 census. Table 1 presents employed persons over 16 in Alamosa County by basic industries. TABLE 1 Employment by Labor Sector Alamosa County 1980 Census Data Total, All Industries Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Mining Construction Manufacturing, Durable and Nondurable Goods Transportation Communications and Other Public Utilities Whoesale Trade 5 Number Pct 4,984 475 363 278 126 182 131 100.0 9.5 7.3 5.6 2.5 3.7 2.6