Occupying what is known as Wet Mountain Valley between the Sangre de Cristo peaks to the west and Wet Mountains to the east, Custer County also abuts Great Sand Dunes National Park on the southwestern slopes of the Sangre de Cristo range. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains (Spanish for "Blood of Christ") are the southernmost subrange of the Rockies. The county seat of Westcliffe is a rural community of fewer than 5,000 residents that has been recognized, along with neighboring Silver Cliff, by the International Dark-Sky Association for their lack of light pollution and visibility of the night sky. Awarded in 2015, the two towns are the highest of the existing 16 certified locations around the world, with their 8,000-foot altitude getting stargazers that bit closer to the stars and Milky Way. A combined nearly 100,000 acres were listed for sale in Colorado's Custer County recently; the combined value of all Custer County farms, ranches, and rural real estate for sale was $184 million. Custer County ranks 16th out of 64 counties in the state for the total acreage of land currently advertised for sale. There were two properties listed as sold in Custer County through the Land Network Comparable Sales Program. This represented a total value of $1,380,000. Westcliffe featured the most land for sale. Based on its natural assets, tourism and recreation contribute significant revenue toward Custer County's overall GDP. Custer County is Colorado's 52nd largest county (739 square miles). It's located in the South Central Colorado region of the state.