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Compare towns

Lamar vs Cortez

330 miles apart. The biggest differences: home values (+78% in Cortez) and property tax bill (+59% in Cortez).

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Lamar, COKnown for its schoolsColorado · 7,611 people
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Cortez, COHomes around $343KColorado · 8,976 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

LamarKnown for its schools
SchoolsBetter than 65%of CO districts Housing$177K typical home67% below the CO typical home Outdoors#54 most walkable in CO6.9 miles of trails across 6 parks and preserves All about Lamar →
CortezHomes around $343K
Housing$343K typical home36% below the CO typical home HealthHealthier than 61%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates Outdoors#38 most conserved land in CO12 miles of trails across 8 parks and preserves All about Cortez →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Home values+78%
Homes cost more in Cortez
Cortez $272,900Lamar $152,900
Property tax bill+59%
Tax bills are bigger in Cortez
Cortez $701Lamar $441
Trails+74%
Cortez has more miles of trail
Cortez 12.0 miLamar 6.9 mi
Average commute5 min
Lamar has the shorter commute
Cortez 15 minLamar 10 min
Rent+15%
Rent runs higher in Cortez
Cortez $984Lamar $858
Growth since 2010+4.8 pts
Cortez has grown faster since 2010
Cortez +3.3%Lamar -1.5%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $900 more a month in Cortez

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Lamar$970/mo
Typical home $177K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.29% · or rent about $858/mo · Housing →
Cortez$1,870/mo
Typical home $343K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.26% · or rent about $984/mo · Housing →

The difference: $900 a month, about $10,800 a year, between Cortez and Lamar.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Cortez places higher on 14 of 21 CO lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Colorado ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
–LamarNot graded DCortezSafer than 9% of U.S. towns
Schools
B+LamarBetter than 65% of districts in the state CCortezBetter than 33% of districts in the state
Health
C+LamarHealthier than 37% of U.S. towns BCortezHealthier than 61% of U.S. towns
7Lamar
14Cortez

Lists won, of 21 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Closest to a top hospitalHealth · 160 towns #159#7 Highest graduation rateSchools · 142 towns #1#112 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 160 towns #146#102 Lowest depressionHealth · 160 towns #76#112 Most activeHealth · 160 towns #150#115 Most trailsOutdoors · 143 towns #79#54 Most conserved landOutdoors · 152 towns #63#38 HealthiestHealth · 160 towns #152#126

Left end = #1 in Colorado. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Lamar’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
LamarCortez
Snow a year30″33″
January low14°F17°F
July high93°F91°F
Growing season (days)163d147d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)78th2nd
Outdoors & history
LamarCortez
Trails7 mi12 mi
Conserved land9.8%15.3%
Settled—1886
National Register places53
Archive photos—24
Famous people born here—7
Community
LamarCortez
Library hours a week52 hrs47 hrs
Colleges in town1—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

330 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

LamarCOCortezCO
Lamar ↔ Cortez330 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

LamarCortez
People
Population 7,611Lowest 8,976Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -1.5%Lowest CO: +14.8% +3.3%Highest CO: +14.8%
Median age 33.4±2.8Lowest 11% below CO 36.4±4.1Highest 3% below CO
Cortez and Lamar are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 26.8%±3.1Highest CO: 21% 23.4%±4.1Lowest CO: 21%
Lamar and Cortez are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 14.8%±2.7Lowest CO: 15.6% 19.8%±3.1Highest CO: 15.6%
Cortez and Lamar are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 20.6%Lowest CO: 45.7% 26.6%Highest CO: 45.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 6.3%±1.7Highest CO: 6.4% 2.8%±2Lowest CO: 6.4%
Lamar and Cortez are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $53,188±$10kLowest 44% below CO $54,247±$7kHighest 43% below CO
Cortez and Lamar are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $152,900±$22kLowest 72% below CO $272,900±$18kHighest 49% below CO
Rentmedian gross, monthly $858±$47Lowest 51% below CO $984±$62Highest 44% below CO
Property taxmedian, yearly $441Lowest 83% below CO $701Highest 73% below CO
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 64.6%±13.8Highest CO: 52.9% 55.9%±12.3Lowest CO: 52.9%
Lamar and Cortez are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 21.3%Highest CO: 9.4% 15%Lowest CO: 9.4%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 64%Lowest CO: 66.2% 65.6%Highest CO: 66.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1971Lowest 17 yrs older than CO 1972Highest 16 yrs older than CO
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 10 minLowest 62% below CO 15 minHighest 40% below CO
Work from home 4.9%±3.6Lowest CO: 21% 6.7%±3.2Highest CO: 21%
Cortez and Lamar are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 48.6%Highest 48.1%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 2.8 mi 2.8 mi
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.90Lowest 1.31Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Denver (4%)Durango (6%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in CortezFew work in Lamar
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 9.8%Lowest 15.3%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 6.9 miLowest 12.0 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 1.3 miLowest 1.9 miHighest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 6Lowest 8Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 91.1Highest 78.3Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #113 of 142 in CO#103 of 142 in CO
School district Lamar School District No. Re-2Montezuma-Cortez School District No. Re-1
High school in town Lamar High SchoolMontezuma-Cortez High School
Students per teacherat that high school 15.5Lowest 21.0Highest
Colorado average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Lamar neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Lamar’s Town Square.

Cortez neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Cortez’s Town Square.

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Towns like Lamar

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Florence3,885 people · $250K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Colorado towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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