Colorado Highways:
County-Related Trivia Items

Colorado Counties

First a primer on Colorado counties. Colorado has 62 counties and 2 city-counties (Denver and Broomfield). A city-county is a consolidated government that provides the services that both a city and county normally would provide separately.


County seats:
  • Adams County: Brighton
  • Alamosa County: Alamosa
  • Arapahoe County: Littleton
  • Archuleta County: Pagosa Springs
  • Baca County: Springfield
  • Bent County: Las Animas
  • Boulder County: Boulder
  • Broomfield *
  • Chaffee County: Salida
  • Cheyenne County: Cheyenne Wells
  • Clear Creek County: Georgetown
  • Conejos County: Conejos
  • Costilla County: San Luis
  • Crowley County: Ordway
  • Custer County: Westcliffe
  • Delta County: Delta
  • Denver *
  • Dolores County: Dove Creek
  • Douglas County: Castle Rock
  • Eagle County: Eagle
  • Elbert County: Kiowa
  • El Paso County: Colorado Springs
  • Fremont County: Cañon City
  • Garfield County: Glenwood Springs
  • Gilpin County: Central City
  • Grand County: Hot Sulphur Springs
  • Gunnison County: Gunnison
  • Hinsdale County: Lake City
  • Huerfano County: Walsenburg
  • Jackson County: Walden
  • Jefferson County: Golden
  • Kiowa County: Eads
  • Kit Carson County: Burlington
  • Lake County: Leadville
  • La Plata County: Durango
  • Larimer County: Fort Collins
  • Las Animas County: Trinidad
  • Lincoln County: Hugo
  • Logan County: Sterling
  • Mesa County: Grand Junction
  • Mineral County: Creede
  • Moffat County: Craig
  • Montezuma County: Cortez
  • Montrose County: Montrose
  • Morgan County: Fort Morgan
  • Otero County: La Junta
  • Ouray County: Ouray
  • Park County: Fairplay
  • Phillips County: Holyoke
  • Pitkin County: Aspen
  • Prowers County: Lamar
  • Pueblo County: Pueblo
  • Rio Blanco County: Meeker
  • Rio Grande County: Del Norte
  • Routt County: Steamboat Springs
  • Saguache County: Saguache
  • San Juan County: Silverton
  • San Miguel County: Telluride
  • Sedgwick County: Julesburg
  • Summit County: Breckenridge
  • Teller County: Cripple Creek
  • Washington County: Akron
  • Weld County: Greeley
  • Yuma County: Wray

* Consolidated city/county.

Related Site: Colorado County History

County Population Ranks (2005 Census Estimates)

Largest Counties:
1. El Paso County - 565,582
2. Denver City & County - 557,917
3. Arapahoe County - 529,090
4. Jefferson County - 526,801
5. Adams County - 399,426
6. Boulder County - 280,440
7. Larimer County - 271,927
8. Douglas County - 249,416
9. Weld County - 228,943
10. Pueblo County - 151,322

    

Smallest Counties:
55. Custer County - 3860
56. Costilla County - 3424
57. Sedgwick County - 2529
58. Cheyenne County - 1953
59. Dolores County - 1827
60. Jackson County - 1448
61. Kiowa County - 1422
62. Mineral County - 932
63. Hinsdale County - 765
64. San Juan County - 577

County Population Density Ranks (2005 Census Estimates)

Population densities show how closely packed together people are. It is expressed as persons per square mile and is found by dividing a county's population by its area. Here are my calculations for the most and least densely populated counties in Colorado. Populations are July 1, 2005 Census estimates. Areas are land areas excluding water, tabulated by the 2000 Census.

Most Dense
 Least Dense
County
 Population
(2005 Est.)		 Land Area
Square Miles		 Density
Persons per Sq. Mile
 County
 Population
(2005 Est.)		 Land Area
Square Miles		 Density
Persons per Sq. Mile
1. Denver
 557,917
 153.35
 3638.19
 60. Cheyenne
 1953
 1781.35
 1.10
2. Broomfield
 43,478
 33.60*
 1293.99
 61. Mineral
 932
 875.72
 1.06
3. Jefferson
 526,801
 767.94**
 685.99
 62. Jackson
 1448
 1613.21
 0.90
4. Arapahoe
 529,090
 803.14
 658.78
 63. Kiowa
 1422
 1770.99
 0.80
5. Boulder
 280,440
 731.74**
 383.25
 64. Hinsdale
 765
 1117.68
 0.68

Note that the population densities don't necessarily mean people are uniformly spread out with that density throughout the county. Consider Arapahoe County. It has the fourth highest population density, but that is calculated with the full area of the county, even though the vast majority of its residents live in the western third of the county. So the population density of the western portion of Arapahoe County is much higher than the number calculated here.

* Not a Census number; from the Broomfield web site.
** Found by taking the area shown in the 2000 Census tabulation and deducting a best guess for the area taken over by Broomfield in 2001.

County Total Area Ranks

Largest Counties:
1. Las Animas County - 4775.42 square miles
2. Moffat County - 4750.94 square miles
3. Weld County - 4016.78 square miles
4. Mesa County - 3341.11 square miles
5. Gunnison County - 3259.75 square miles

    

Smallest Counties:
60. San Juan County - 388.29 square miles
61. Lake County - 383.90 square miles
62. Denver City & County - 154.94 square miles
63. Gilpin County - 150.25 square miles
64. Broomfield City & County - 33.60 square miles*

Numbers from data compiled in 2000 Census.

* Not a Census number; from the Broomfield web site.

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Page created 4 July 2006
Last updated 4 July 2006