Routt County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,829. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Steamboat Springs. Routt County comprises the Steamboat Springs, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Placer gold was found near

Hahns Peak Hahns Peak is a summit in Routt County, Colorado, in the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consis ...

in 1864 as part of the

Colorado Gold Rush The Pike's Peak Gold Rush (later known as the Colorado Gold Rush) was the boom in gold prospecting and mining in the Pike's Peak Country of western Kansas Territory and southwestern Nebraska Territory of the United States that began in July 1858 a ...

.Voynick, S.M., 1992, Colorado Gold, Missoula: Mountain Press Publishing Company, Routt County was created out of the western portion of Grand County on January 29, 1877. It was named in honor of

John Long Routt John Long Routt (April 25, 1826 – August 13, 1907) was an Americans, American politician of the Republican Party. Born in Eddyville, Kentucky, he served as the List of governors of Colorado, first and seventh governor of Colorado from 1876 to ...

, the last territorial and first state governor of Colorado. The western portion of Routt County was split off to form Moffat County on February 27, 1911.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.3%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Carbon County,

Wyoming Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...

- north * Jackson County - east * Grand County - southeast *

Eagle County Eagle County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,731. The county seat is the Town of Eagle and the most populous community is Edwards. The county is named for the Eagle River. Eagl ...

- south * Garfield County - south-southwest * Rio Blanco County - southwest * Moffat County - west

Major Highways

U.S. Highway 40 * Colorado 131

State Highway 131 * Colorado 134

State Highway 134

National protected areas

Mount Zirkel Wilderness The Mount Zirkel Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located in Routt National Forest in northwest Colorado. The closest city is Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The wilderness is named after Mount Zirkel, the highest peak in the range at , which ...

Routt National Forest Routt may refer to: ;Places In the United States: * Routt, Louisville, Kentucky *Routt County, Colorado ;People *Joe Routt *John Long Routt *Stanford Routt Stanford Bermond Routt (born July 26, 1983) is a former American football cornerback. Aft ...

* Sarvis Creek Wilderness *

White River National Forest White River National Forest is a United States National Forest, National Forest in northwest Colorado. It is named after the White River (Green River), White River that passes through its northern section. It is the most visited National Forest ...

State protected areas

Pearl Lake State Park Pearl Lake State Park, at the base of Hahn's Peak, is in Routt County, Colorado near the town of Hahn's Peak, Colorado and is north of Steamboat Springs. Pearl Lake is named for M. Pearl Hartt, the wife of pioneer sheep rancher, John Kelly Har ...

Stagecoach State Park Stagecoach State Park is a Colorado State Park located in Routt County south of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The park established in 1989 includes a reservoir on the Yampa River formed by Stagecoach Dam. Facilities include a marina, boat ra ...

Steamboat Lake State Park Steamboat Lake State Park is a Colorado state park located in Routt County north of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and near the community of Hahns Peak Village. The park, established west of Hahns Peak in 1967, includes a reservoir. Park facilit ...

* Yampa River State Park

Trails and byways

Continental Divide National Scenic Trail The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (in short Continental Divide Trail (CDT)) is a United States National Scenic Trail with a length measured by the Continental Divide Trail Coalition of between the U.S. border with Chihuahua, Mexico a ...

Fish Creek Falls National Recreation Trail Fish are Aquatic animal, aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack Limb (anatomy), limbs with Digit (anatomy), digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous and bony fish as we ...

* Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway *

Great Parks Bicycle Route The Great Parks Bicycle Route is a two-part bicycle touring route developed and mapped by Adventure Cycling Association. Great Parks North runs 751.5 miles (1209.4 km) from Jasper, Alberta, Canada, to Missoula, Montana, U.S. Great Parks South extend ...

* Swamp Park National Recreation Trail

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 19,690 people, 7,953 households, and 4,779 families living in the county. The population density was 8 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 11,217 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile (2/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the county was 96.90% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.73% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. 3.22% of the population were Hispanic Latino of any race. Of the 7,953 households 31.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.60% were married couples living together, 5.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.90% were non-families. 24.40% of households were one person and 3.70% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.92. The age distribution was 22.60% under the age of 18, 10.10% from 18 to 24, 36.50% from 25 to 44, 25.70% from 45 to 64, and 5.00% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 116.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.40 males. The median household income was $53,612 and the median family income was $61,927. Males had a median income of $36,997 versus $26,576 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,792. About 2.80% of families and 6.10% 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 t ...

, including 5.20% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Routt County tilted Republican for much of the second half of the 20th century. From 1952 to 1988, Republicans carried the county in all but one election. The one break in this trend came in 1964, when Lyndon Johnson won Routt by a healthy margin of 63–37. Since the late 1980s, Routt County has trended Democratic. It swung from a 34-point win for Ronald Reagan in 1984 to only a five-point win for George H. W. Bush in 1988. In 1992, Bill Clinton became the first Democrat to win the county since 1964 and only the second since 1948, carrying it with modest pluralities in both of his bids. George W. Bush won the county in 2000 by only 264 votes. However, John Kerry won it by a 10-point majority in 2004, and since then Routt has become powerfully Democratic, with Democrats winning by margins rivaling those in the counties closer to Denver. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the county 54–37. Routt County continued its Democratic trend in 2020, with Joe Biden winning the county 63–35. This is the largest margin of victory for a Democratic presidential candidate in the county since the 1916 election.

Communities

City

* Steamboat Springs

Towns

* Hayden * Oak Creek *

Yampa Yampa is a Colorado municipalities#Statutory town, statutory town in Routt County, Colorado, Routt County, Colorado, United States. The population was 429 at the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census. City name is the Ute dialect, Northern U ...

Census-designated place

* Phippsburg

Other places

Clark Clark is an English language surname, ultimately derived from the Latin with historical links to England, Scotland, and Ireland ''clericus'' meaning "scribe", "secretary" or a scholar within a religious order, referring to someone who was educate ...

Hahns Peak Village Hahns Peak Village is an unincorporated community in Routt County, Colorado, United States. The village is located north of Clark on Routt County Road 129, and east-southeast of Steamboat Lake State Park. The community is named for Hahns Peak ...

Toponas Toponas is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in Routt County, Colorado, Routt County, Colorado, United States. Description The community took its name from nearby Toponas Rock. The population in 2010 was 48; in 2017 it is estim ...

* Milner

References

External links

*
Colorado County Evolution by Don StanwyckColorado Historical Society
{{Coord, 40.48, -106.99, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-CO_source:UScensus1990 Colorado counties 1877 establishments in Colorado Populated places established in 1877