Welcome to Branson ...
The town of Branson is located in Las Animas County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Branson, you might consider that their post office opened in 1918.
The town was incorporated March 26, 1921.
From Place Names in Colorado,<2> the origin of Branson is described as "Named for Al Branson, hardware merchant, a civic minded man and leading citizen of Trinidad."
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Branson has a population of 70 people<3> (see below for details).
Branson is 6,280 feet [1,914 m] above sea level.<4> In other words, the altitude of Branson is about 1¼ mile [or ~2 km] above sea level.
Time Zone: Branson lies in the Mountain Time Zone (MST/MDT) and observes daylight saving time
Note: If you travel east from Branson, you will leave Mountain Time and cross into the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT).
Branson is within the (719) area code.
The ZIP code for Branson: 81027<5>
In the past, Branson was named Wilson's Switch.
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Branson had an population of 70 people. This is a decrease of 5.41% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 9.09% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Branson had a population of 74 people. This makes Branson the county's 5th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 74 people, the population of Branson decreased 3.9% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 77 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Branson.
Communities Also Named Branson ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 2 communities that are also named Branson - they are located in California and Missouri.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Branson.
Communities near Branson ...
We have created a list of 8 communities that are near Branson.
- Des Moines
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Des Moines have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Des Moines
- Des Moines is located in Union County (NM)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 121 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Des Moines <7>
- Folsom
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the south)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Folsom have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Folsom
- Folsom is located in Union County (NM)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 53 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Folsom <7>
- Trinchera
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Trinchera
- Trinchera is located in Las Animas County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Trinchera <7>
- Capulin
(20 miles [32.2 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Capulin
- Capulin is located in Union County (NM)
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Capulin <7>
- Troy ‑ Historic
(26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast) - San Miguel ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for San Miguel have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for San Miguel
- San Miguel is located in Las Animas County
- Villegreen
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Villegreen
- Villegreen is located in Las Animas County
- Kiowa ‑ Historic
(28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Branson. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Branson.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Branson. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Branson.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Branson. See our Newspapers Page for Branson.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Branson ...
Looking for more information about Branson? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Branson, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Branson.
Adding Branson to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Branson in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Branson was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<9>
From that list, the Branson post office opened in 1918.
We also found Branson on a map titled Rand McNally Map of New Mexico (1925).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Branson.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Branson. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Las Animas County: www.tlac.net/county/
The official website for State of Colorado: https://www.colorado.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Colorado's counties, including Las Animas, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | |
| <3> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Branson. |
| <4> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Branson - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a town (such as Branson). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Branson or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <6> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <7> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <8> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
| <9> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |