Grand County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the U.S. state of

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 15,717. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Hot Sulphur Springs, and the largest community is Granby.

History

When Grand County was created on February 2, 1874, it was carved out of Summit County and contained land to the western and northern borders of the state, which is in present-day Moffat County and Routt County. It was named after Grand Lake and the Grand River, an old name for the upper Colorado River, which has its headwaters in the county. On January 29, 1877, Routt County was created and Grand County shrank down to its current western boundary. When valuable minerals were found in North Park, Grand County claimed the area as part of its county, a claim Larimer County also held. It took a decision by the Colorado Supreme Court in 1886 to declare North Park part of Larimer County, setting Grand County's northern boundary. In 2004, Marvin John Heemeyer, a local businessman from Granby, used a modified bulldozer to destroy parts of the town of Granby. This was after Heemeyer lawsuit against the town alleging the government ruined his business was dismissed. His attack ended when one of the bulldozer tracks became inoperable and he committed suicide.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.2%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Larimer County - northeast * Gilpin County - east * Boulder County - east * Clear Creek County - southeast * Summit County - south * Eagle County - southwest * Jackson County - north * Routt County - west

Major highways

U.S. Highway 34 * US 40

U.S. Highway 40 * Colorado 9

State Highway 9 * Colorado 125

State Highway 125 * Colorado 134

State Highway 134

National protected areas

* Arapaho National Forest * Arapaho National Recreation Area * Byers Peak Wilderness * Continental Divide National Scenic Trail * Indian Peaks Wilderness * Never Summer Wilderness * Ptarmigan Peak Wilderness *

Rocky Mountain National Park Rocky Mountain National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located approximately northwest of Denver in north-central Colorado, within the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The park is s ...

* Routt National Forest * Sarvis Creek Wilderness * Vasquez Peak Wilderness

Bicycle routes

* Great Parks Bicycle Route * TransAmerica Trail Bicycle Route

Scenic byways

* Colorado River Headwaters National Scenic Byway * Trail Ridge Road/Beaver Meadow National Scenic Byway

Demographics

At the 2000 census, there were 12,442 people in 5,075 households, including 3,217 families, in the county. The population density was . There were 10,894 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.15% White, 0.48% Black or African American, 0.43% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 2.00% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. 4.36% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 23.8% were of German, 12.6% Irish, 10.0% English and 7.3% American ancestry. Of the 5,075 households 28.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.70% were married couples living together, 5.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.60% were non-families. 24.80% of households were one person and 4.80% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.85. The age distribution was 21.80% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 34.70% from 25 to 44, 26.80% from 45 to 64, and 7.80% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 112.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 115.70 males. The median household income was $47,759 and the median family income was $55,217. Males had a median income of $34,861 versus $26,445 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,198. About 5.40% of families and 7.30% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 7.90% of those under age 18 and 6.10% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Unlike many counties dominated by a ski town, Grand County leans Republican, having not voted Democratic at the presidential level since Lyndon Johnson won it in 1964. The town of Winter Park, where the Winter Park Ski Resort is located, in the southeast part of the county, is solidly Democratic, while other areas like Granby and Hot Sulphur Springs and most of the rest of the county lean Republican.https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/upshot/2020-election-map.html The Republican lean has been narrowing in recent elections, with

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

only winning pluralities in 2020 and 2024. In the latter,

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

lost by only 79 votes, the closest she came to flipping any county in the election.

History

Geography

Adjacent counties

Major highways

National protected areas

Bicycle routes

Scenic byways

Demographics

Politics

Communities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other

See also

References

External links