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. The value of all farms, ranches, and rural real estate for sale in Custer County recently was approximately $180 million, representing a combined 13,871 acres of land for sale in Custer County. Custer County ranks 16th out of 64 counties in the state for the total number of acres 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. Of all farms, ranches, and rural real estate for sale in Custer County, Westcliffe featured the most land for sale. Based on its natural assets, Custer County's economy is dependent on tourism and recreation. Custer County is the 52nd largest county (739 square miles) in Colorado. It's located in the South Central Colorado region of Colorado.