Pueblo West—-Before Robert P. McCulloch and his company, McCulloch Properties, Inc. came to Colorado, the area that is now known as Pueblo West was little more than a barren plain inhabited by sage brush and rattlesnakes. Receiving inspiration from the neighboring City of Pueblo and the momentum of successfully creating Lake Havasu, Arizona, McCulloch and his company formally founded the Pueblo West Metropolitan District (the District) on September 16, 1969. Not long after the creation of the District, McCulloch built the Pueblo West Inn where guests were treated to a luxurious experience in an effort to sell land in the rolling prairies of the new community. The Pueblo West News, the District’s first newspaper, reported by 1974 over 2,000 new residents had moved into Pueblo West, and Pueblo School District 70 founded Pueblo West Elementary with 200 students enrolling in the fall.
Around that same time, a handful of recreational and industrial opportunities were also being founded on Pueblo West property, including the South Equestrian Center, National Horseman’s Arena, the Pueblo West Golf and Tennis Club, and manufacturing company Aspen Skiwear, all making use of the area’s expansive plains for their ventures. Pueblo West boasted a population of nearly 4,500 by the early 1980s, requiring the building of Pueblo West Middle School. With developmental opportunities abounding in the North Industrial Park, the economy of the District was growing right alongside its residential areas. Following a population boom in the 1990s, several new elementary schools were built, with Pueblo West High School officially opening in 1996. In the early 2000s, a trail system was laid for the enjoyment of the residents, along with an additional fire station being built to serve the north side of the District. Pueblo West also entered into the Southern Delivery System, a bilateral agreement to supply water from the Pueblo Reservoir to Colorado Springs. Today, Pueblo West is home to over 30,000 residents and boasts a growing industrial center.