ALAMOSA

city, seat of Alamosa county, southern Colorado, U.S. It lies along the Rio Grande in the San Luis Valley. It was founded and incorporated in 1878 when Garland City, a former terminus of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, was moved to the site. It developed as a rail and highway centre from which vegetables, including the famous Red McClure potatoes, are shipped. It is the seat of Adams State College (1921) and is the gateway to the Great Sand Dunes National Monument. Part of Rio Grande National Forest is nearby. Pop. (1990) 7,579.