US-CO - Lewis - Sign - New Mexico - North America - The West - Southwest, 2009
Lewis’s story
115 years in pictures
The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 2009 and 2 maps from 1956 on.
- 1911Lewis is settled
LewisCO
Today 277 people live in this town, first settled in 1911.
Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0
Population
277
Census survey, 2020–24
Typical home
$444K
+2.8% in a year
Median age
36.7
years
Jobs based here
19
A commuter town
Is Lewis a good place to live?
100% of households own their home in Lewis, where Colorado’s towns sit at 71% and U.S. towns at 73%. Lewis has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Small town
277 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
Getting set up
Moving to Lewis: who provides what
Lewis is unincorporated, so Montezuma County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerEmpire Electric Assn15.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
Internet5 providers96% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesMontezuma CountyMontezuma County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Colorado you can register online until 8 days before Election Day, in person up to and including Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 8 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereMontezuma County Clerk and RecorderMontezuma County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code8132781327 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Lewis.
Work & commute
Lewis has 0.2 jobs per working resident, so most workers leave town for work
Lewis’ average commute is 31 minutes. The top destinations are Cortez (32%), Durango (6%) and Dolores (5%). The median commute is under 12 miles.
0%work in town
Where working residents work
In Lewis0%
Cortez32%
Durango6%
Dolores5%
Colorado Springs2%
12 mi
median commute distance
19
jobs based in Lewis
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Natural hazards
Top of a low hazard risk in Lewis: avalanches
The risk rating from FEMA in Lewis is 27 of 100. FEMA puts 49% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to avalanches, and 18% to inland flooding. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 73% of U.S. communities.
27risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
AvalanchesInland floodingDrought
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
The climate in Lewis brings snowy winters and pleasant summers
Expect chilly, snowy winters and warm summers in Lewis, with very little rain. Summer afternoons peak near 87° in July, and January nights bottom out around 16°; snowfall runs to about 70 inches a winter.
70″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter18–41°
Spring33–60°
Summer52–84°
Fall35–63°
Oct 8
typical first frost
May 15
typical last frost
+1.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Housing
The typical home in Lewis is valued at about $444K
Values rose 2.8% in the 12 months to September 2026.
$444KZillow home value
Typical home value
Lewis$444K
Colorado$529K
+2.8%
value change, 1 year
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Health
How healthy Lewis is
For adults in Lewis, the share who had a checkup this year is 75%. On the CDC’s 26 measures, Lewis is ahead of Colorado on 3 and behind on 9. Among adults in the town, 15% report frequent physical distress and 15% binge drink.
| Lewis | Colorado towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 30% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 71% | 79% |
26 measures vs. Colorado
3 better14 too close to call9 worse
| What stands out | Lewis | CO |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 15.2% | 19% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 75.8% | 69.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 8.4% | 5.3% |
Southwest Memorial Hospital
10.8 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,981 acres
2.1 mi
of trails · 0.7 per sq mi
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Nearby attractions
All 19 attractions →Mesa Verde National Park and 7 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lewis. Close and well known come first.
Big draw16 mi National ParkMesa Verde National Park463K visitors a year
25 mi Ancient siteCliff Palace
7 mi National MonumentHovenweep National Monument27K visitors a year
21 mi Park & preserveCanyons of the Ancients National Monument
7 mi MuseumAnasazi Heritage Center
17 mi National MonumentYucca House National MonumentSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Mesa Verde National Park: Elaine from Sheffield, England, CC BY 2.0 · Cliff Palace: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hovenweep National Monument: teofilo, CC BY 2.0 · Canyons of the Ancients National Monument: Bureau of Land Management, Public domain · Anasazi Heritage Center: McGhiever, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Yucca House National Monument: National Park Service, Public domain
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Keep exploring
Everything we know about Lewis
16pages on Lewis
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Lewis; the nearest are
Fort Lewis CollegeUniversity or college · Public · Durango46.2 mi$9,958 in-state tuitionSan Juan CollegeCommunity college · Public · Farmington, NM57.3 mi$1,928 in-state tuition
About 0 of every 100 Lewis residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Colorado.
A commuter town
100% of working residents leave Lewis for work
Where Lewis’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
19jobs based in Lewis
0%of working residents work in town
12 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
About Lewis
Census-designated place in Montezuma County, CO, USA
Lewis is an unincorporated town, a post office, and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Montezuma County, Colorado, United States. The Lewis post office has the ZIP Code 81327. At the 2020 census, the population of the Lewis CDP was 257, down from 302 in 2010.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 6,719 ft
- ZIP code
- 81327
Questions about Lewis
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Lewis, CO a good place to live?
Lewis has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.