Huerfano County (/ˈwɛərfənoʊ/; Spanish pronunciation: [ˈweɾfano]) is one of the 64 counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,711. The county seat is Walsenburg. The county, whose name comes from the Spanish huérfano meaning "orphan", was named for the Huerfano Butte, a local landmark. The area of Huerfano County boomed early in the 1900s with the discovery of large coal deposits. After large scale WWII coal demand ended in the 1940s Walsenburg and Huerfano saw a steady economical decline through 2015.