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About Lamar

Lamar is located in Southeastern Colorado and connects two major highways, US Highway 50 and 287/385. The City of Lamar is ripe for manufacturing, transportation and distribution, aviation, agri-business, and other growth opportunities. Lamar is home to about 7,500 people year round. With a rich history rooted in agriculture and manufacturing, our town has grown into a vibrant hub for small businesses, annual events and festivities, recreational activities and much more! 

Video Tour

Created in 2023, the Lamar Video Tour provides an overview of our city, the quality of life, amenities, tourism, economic development, and community organizations.

Old steam locomotive 1819 displayed outdoors near a windmill, behind a chain-link fence.

 

Our History

Lamar’s colorful history began with a hijacking in May, 1886.

The most likely site for a town in Southeast Colorado was the location where Blackwell Station depot had been built, but the landowner refused to negotiate. A fake telegram was sent to the property owner luring him away and in the middle of the night, a railroad wrecking crew moved the depot three miles west and renamed the depot and the town Lamar. 

Although our town's history is spirited, the present-day lifestyle in southeastern Colorado is quite tame. Lamar offers rural family living at its best with a small-town atmosphere and a strong sense of community. We are in the heart of America with two major U.S. Highways intersecting in downtown Lamar connecting Mexico to Canada and the East Coast to the West Coast. We are in the middle of everywhere!

Aerial view of Lamar, Colorado in the 1930s, showing buildings and streets.
Aerial Photo of Lamar
Vintage photo of an old building with "Opera House Block" sign, a marquee reading "Pioneer", cars from the '40s or '50s, and people on the sidewalk.
Downtown Lamar
Vintage black-and-white photo of a bustling street scene with people gathered, old cars, and a train in the background.
Downtown Lamar
A traditional windmill surrounded by green shrubs under a blue sky.
Dutch Windmill
The Lamar City Council Group of seven people smiling in a meeting room with the seal of the City of Lamar, Colorado.
The Lamar City Council 2024
Street view with a printing shop, other businesses, trees, benches, and a banner for Lamar.
Downtown Lamar
Street view with buildings, a planter with flowers, and vehicles in the background.
Lamar Downtown Main Street
A park scene with trees, rocks, a path, and a picnic table in the background.
Lamar Willow Creek Park
Aerial view of Lamar, Colorado in the 1930s, showing buildings and streets.
Vintage photo of an old building with "Opera House Block" sign, a marquee reading "Pioneer", cars from the '40s or '50s, and people on the sidewalk.
Vintage black-and-white photo of a bustling street scene with people gathered, old cars, and a train in the background.
A traditional windmill surrounded by green shrubs under a blue sky.
The Lamar City Council Group of seven people smiling in a meeting room with the seal of the City of Lamar, Colorado.
Street view with a printing shop, other businesses, trees, benches, and a banner for Lamar.
Street view with buildings, a planter with flowers, and vehicles in the background.
A park scene with trees, rocks, a path, and a picnic table in the background.

Our Community

Lamar is the commercial center of a vast farming and ranching region and is already known for its natural and historic resources:

  • The Arkansas River
  • The historic downtown
  • The location on the Santa Fe Trail

Lamar is in close proximity to historic sites such as:

  • The Amache-Granada Japanese Relocation Center
  • The Sand Creek Massacre site
  • Bent’s Old Fort and Bent's New Fort
  • John Martin Reservoir

Lamar is one of Colorado’s best birding destinations with over 400 species of birds traveling through annually. Monarch butterflies are abundant earning Lamar the privilege of being Colorado’s only Monarch City USA. 

You will never find a community with more compassion, loyalty and heart. Lamar is a great place to visit, but a better place to live!

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