The U.S. State of Colorado currently has 271 active incorporated municipalities, comprising 196 towns, 73 cities, and two consolidated city and county governments.
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Municipal government
Colorado municipalities operate under one of five types of municipal governing authority.Constitution of the State of ColoradoColorado Revised Statutes
Consolidated city and county
In the State of Colorado, only Denver and Broomfield have consolidated city and county governments: *The City and County of Denver operates under Article XX, Section 4 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado; and Title 30, Article 11, Section 101 of the Colorado Revised Statutes. Denver has an elected mayor and a city council of 13 members with 11 members elected from council districts and two members elected at large. *The City and County of Broomfield operates under Article XX, Sections 10–13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. Broomfield has an appointed city and county manager, an elected mayor, and a city council of 11 members composed of the mayor and two members elected from each of five wards.
Home rule municipality
Colorado has 61 cities and 35 towns that are home rule municipalities: *Colorado home rule municipalities are self-governing under Article 20 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado; Title 31, Article 1, Section 202 of the Colorado Revised Statutes; and the home rule charter of each municipality. The home rule charter determines the form of government. A Colorado home rule municipality may declare itself to be either a city or a town.
Statutory city
Colorado has 12 statutory cities: *Colorado statutory cities operate under Title 31, Article 1, Section 203 and Article 4, Section 100 or Section 200 of the Colorado Revised Statutes. Statutory cities have an elected mayor and a city council composed of the mayor and two members elected from each ward. A statutory city may petition to reorganize as a Section 200 statutory city with an appointed city manager and a city council with two members elected from each ward and one member elected at large. The mayor may be the city council member elected at large or the city council may appoint a mayor.
Statutory town
Colorado has 160 statutory towns:
*Colorado statutory towns operate under Title 31, Article 1, Section 203 and Article 4, Part 3 of the Colorado Revised Statutes. Statutory towns have an elected mayor and a board of trustees composed of the mayor and four or six additional members elected at large.
*These are roughly equivalent to Villages in other states such as villages in New York and Delaware.
Territorial charter municipality
The Town of Georgetown is the only municipality that still operates under a charter granted by the Territory of Colorado:
*The Town of Georgetown operates under Article 14, Section 13 of the Charter & Constitution of the Colorado Territory. The town mayor is called the Police Judge and the town council is called the Board of Selectmen.
Legal distinctions
Colorado law makes relatively few distinctions between a city and a town. A Home Rule Municipality may declare itself either a city or a town. In general, cities are more populous than towns, although the towns of Castle Rock and Parker have more than 50,000 residents each, while the City of Black Hawk has fewer than 150 residents. The City of Central is the only Colorado municipality that does not place its full place name at the end of its municipal name. The towns of Garden City, Lake City, Orchard City, and Sugar City are statutory towns despite the word "city" at the end of their name. The municipality of Creede uses the official title "City of Creede" despite its status as a Colorado statutory town. Neither village nor civil township is a type of civil division in the State of Colorado, although the cities of Cherry Hills Village and Greenwood Village and the towns of Log Lane Village, Mountain Village, and Snowmass Village have the word "village" at the end of their names. Several resort communities use the word "village" to describe their central business district. In Colorado, a municipality may extend into multiple counties.
Table of municipalities
The sortable table below lists each of the 271 active incorporated municipalities of the State of Colorado with the following information: #The place name of the municipality #The official name of the municipality #The original date of municipal incorporation #The current form of municipal government #The counties in which the municipality lies #A link to a detailed transportation map of the municipality #The rank by population among the 271 Colorado municipalities as of July 1, 2019, as determined by the United States Census Bureau #The municipal population as of July 1, 2019, as estimated by the United States Census Bureau #The municipal population as of April 1, 2010, as enumerated by the 2010 United States Census #The percent population change from April 1, 2010, to July 1, 2019 and #The average population density as of July 1, 2014, as determined by the United States Census Bureau #The land area as of July 1, 2014, as determined by the United States Census Bureau #The water area as of July 1, 2014, as determined by the United States Census Bureau #The total area as of July 1, 2014, as determined by the United States Census Bureau #The International Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS) place code. #The World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84) location coordinates as of July 1, 2014, as determined by the United States Census Bureau
Municipal distinctions
*The City and County of Denver is the oldest and the most populous municipality, and the capital of the State of Colorado. *The Town of Lakeside is the least populous municipality in Colorado and is adjacent to Denver, the most populous. *The City of Castle Pines is the youngest municipality in Colorado. *The Town of Georgetown is governed by the oldest municipal charter in Colorado. *The Town of Castle Rock is the most populous town in Colorado. *The City of Blackhawk is the least populous city and home rule municipality in Colorado. *The City of Colorado Springs is the most extensive municipality and most populous home rule municipality in Colorado. *The Town of Sawpit is the least extensive and the fourth least populous municipality in Colorado. *The Town of Mountain View is the most densely populated municipality in Colorado. *The Town of Bonanza is the least densely populated and the second least populous municipality in Colorado. *The cities of Denver, Broomfield, and Leadville and the towns of Pagosa Springs, Silverton, Walden, Lake City, and Creede are the only municipalities in their respective counties. *Several municipalities lie within two counties, but only the cities of Aurora and Littleton are split between three counties.
See also
*Colorado **Outline of Colorado ***Index of Colorado-related articles **Bibliography of Colorado **Colorado statistical areas ***Front Range Urban Corridor ****North Central Colorado Urban Area ****South Central Colorado Urban Area **Geography of Colorado **History of Colorado **List of counties in Colorado **List of places in Colorado ***List of census-designated places in Colorado ***List of forts in Colorado ***List of ghost towns in Colorado ***List of mountain passes in Colorado ***List of mountain peaks of Colorado ***List of municipalities in Colorado ****List of adjectivals and demonyms for Colorado cities ****List of city nicknames in Colorado ***List of post offices in Colorado **Protected areas of Colorado
Notes
References
External links
Colorado state government website
Colorado Department of Local Affairs
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Colorado Municipal League
United States Census Bureau
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*** ***ttps://www.census.gov U.S. Census website**ttp://www.doi.gov/ U.S. Department of the Interior*
U.S. Geological Survey
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Geographic Names Information System query
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U.S. Postal Service
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Wikimapia map of Colorado
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