Adams 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 United States census, the population was 519,572. 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 ...

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

, and the largest city is Thornton. The county is named for Alva Adams, an early Governor of the State of Colorado in 1887–1889. Adams County is part of the Denver metropolitan area.

History

On May 30, 1854, the Kansas–Nebraska Act created the Territory of Nebraska and Territory of Kansas, divided by the Parallel 40° North ( 168th Avenue in present-day Adams County). The future Adams County, Colorado, occupied a strip of northern Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory, immediately south of the Nebraska Territory. In 1859, John D. "Colonel Jack" Henderson built a ranch, trading post, and hotel on Henderson Island in the

South Platte River The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River. Flowing through the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska, it is itself a major river of the American Midwestern United States, Midwest and the American Sou ...

in Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory. Jack Henderson was the former editor and proprietor of the Leavenworth (

Kansas Territory The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Slave and ...

) Journal and an outspoken pro-slavery politician who had been accused of vote fraud in eastern Kansas. Henderson sold meat and provisions to gold seekers on their way up the South Platte River Trail to the gold fields during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. Henderson Island was the first permanent settlement in the South Platte River Valley between Fort Saint Vrain in the Nebraska Territory and the Cherry Creek Diggings in the

. Jack Henderson eventually returned to eastern Kansas and fought for the Union in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Henderson Island is today the site of the Adams County Regional Park and Fairgrounds. The eastern portion of the

was admitted to the Union as the State of Kansas on January 29, 1861, and on February 28, 1861, the remaining western portion of the territory was made part of the new

Colorado Territory The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the 38th State of Colorado. The territory was organized ...

. The

created Arapahoe County, on November 1, 1861, and Colorado was admitted to the Union on August 1, 1876. In 1901, the Colorado General Assembly voted to split Arapahoe County into three parts: a new Adams County, a new consolidated

City and County of Denver Denver ( ) is a consolidated city and county, the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. It is located in the Western United States, in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains east of ...

, and the remainder of the Arapahoe County to be renamed South Arapahoe County. A ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court, subsequent legislation, and a

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

delayed the creation of Adams County until November 15, 1902.

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

James Bradley Orman designated

as the temporary Adams

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 ...

. Adams County originally stretched from present-day Sheridan Boulevard to the

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

state border. On May 12, 1903, the eastern of Adams County was transferred to the new Washington County and the new Yuma County, reducing the length of Adams County to the present . On November 8, 1904, Adams County voters chose

as the permanent

. A 1989 vote transferred of Adams County to the

for the proposed Denver International Airport, leaving the densely populated western portion of the county as two oddly-shaped peninsulas. Adams County lost the tip of its northwest corner when the consolidated City and County of Broomfield was created on November 15, 2001.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.4%) is water. Adams County surrounds (and surrendered the land for) most of Denver International Airport which are in the

Adjacent counties

* Weld County – north * Morgan County – northeast * Washington County – east * Arapahoe County – south * City & County of Denver – southwest * Jefferson County – west * City & County of Broomfield – northwest

Major highways

Interstate 25 Interstate 25 (I-25), also known as the Pan-American Freeway, is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States. It is primarily a north–south highway, serving as the main route through New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. I-25 st ...

Interstate 70 Interstate 70 (I-70) is a major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States that runs from Interstate 15, I-15 near Cove Fort, Utah, to Interstate 695 (Maryland), I-695 and Maryland Route 570 (MD 570) in Woodlawn, Baltimo ...

* Interstate 76 * Interstate 225 * Interstate 270 * * US 6

U.S. Highway 6 * US 36

U.S. Highway 36 * US 40

U.S. Highway 40 * US 85

U.S. Highway 85 * US 287

U.S. Highway 287 * Colorado 2

State Highway 2 * Colorado 7

State Highway 7 * Colorado 36

State Highway 36 * Colorado 40

State Highway 40 * Colorado 44

State Highway 44 * Colorado 79

State Highway 79 * Colorado 128

State Highway 128 * Colorado 224

State Highway 224 * Colorado 265

State Highway 265 * E-470 (tollway) * 20px State Highway 95 * 20px U.S. Highway 87

National protected area

* Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge">U.S. Highway 87 (Colorado) "> U.S. Highway 87

National protected area

* Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge

State park

* Barr Lake State Park

Historic trail

* South Platte Trail

Recreational trails

* American Discovery Trail * Big Dry Creek National Recreation Trail * Highline Canal National Recreation Trail * Platte River Greenway National Recreation Trail * Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Recreation Trail

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 363,857 people, 128,156 households, and 92,144 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 132,594 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 77.29%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.97%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.19% Native American, 3.21% Asian, 0.12%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 11.73% from other races, and 3.49% from two or more races. 28.19% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 128,156 households, out of which 37.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.80% were married couples living together, 12.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.10% were non-families. 21.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.50% had someone who was 65 years of age or older living alone. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.27. In the county, the population was spread out, with 28.60% under the age of 18, 10.30% from 18 to 24, 34.00% from 25 to 44, 19.40% from 45 to 64, and 7.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $47,323, and the median income for a family was $52,517. Males had a median income of $36,499 versus $28,053 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,944. About 6.50% of families and 8.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.90% of those under age 18 and 7.30% of those age 65 or over. In 2000, the largest denominational groups were Catholics (with 60,429 members) and

Evangelical Protestant Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of the Christian ...

s (with 25,552 members). The largest religious bodies were the Catholic Church (with 60,429 adherents) and

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...

(with 6,808 adherents).

Government

Adams County has a Board of Commissioners that operate as a collective governing board. There are five members that form the Board of Commissioners with each elected to represent a district or portion of the county. There are other elected officials that oversee an aspect or department of county operations. Adams County lies within the 17th Judicial District which is represented by District Attorney Brian Mason.

Politics

Adams County is predominately Democratic, not having voted Republican since

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was an American politician and actor who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He was a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party a ...

in 1984. In 2016,

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

won the county without a majority, becoming the first Democrat to do so since her husband

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

in 1992. In the 2020 election,

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

easily won the county with a majority of the vote, a percentage similar to Barack Obama in 2012 and 2008 but with a much larger vote count.

Education

The school districts serving Adams County are: * Adams 12 Five Star Schools * Adams-Arapahoe School District 28J * Adams County School District 14 * Bennett School District 29-J * Byers School District 32J * Deer Trail School District 26J * Mapleton School District 1 * School District 27J * Strasburg School District 31J * Westminster Public School District * Wiggins School District RE-50J The county is also home to the Westminster campus of Front Range Community College, the largest community college by enrollment in Colorado.

Communities

Cities

* Arvada (part) *

Aurora An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

(part) *

* Commerce City * Federal Heights * Northglenn * Thornton (most) *

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

(part)

Town

* Bennett (part) * Lochbuie (part)

Census-designated places

* Berkley *

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

* North Washington * Shaw Heights * Sherrelwood * Strasburg (mostly in Arapahoe Co.) * Todd Creek * Twin Lakes * Watkins (mostly in Arapahoe Co.) * Welby

Other unincorporated communities

* Adams City * Barr Lake * Cabin Creek * Comanche *

Dupont Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to: People * Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...

* Eastlake * Hazeltine * Henderson *

Leader Leadership, is defined as the ability of an individual, group, or organization to "", influence, or guide other individuals, teams, or organizations. "Leadership" is a contested term. Specialist literature debates various viewpoints on the co ...

* Living Springs *

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

License plate code

Up until 1999 when Colorado ceased coding license plates by county, Adams County used the following codes on license plates issued to passenger vehicles: TE-UF, GA-GG, SAA-SEW, and SEY-TZZ.

In popular culture

Adams County was featured as the fictional rival of South Park's peewee hockey team in the ''South Park'' episode "Stanley's Cup".

References

External links

Adams County Government website
*
History of Adams County, Colorado

Adams County Community Development

Adams County Education Consortium
* {{authority control Colorado counties 1901 establishments in Colorado Eastern Plains Populated places established in 1901

History

Geography

Adjacent counties

Major highways

National protected area

National protected area

State park

Historic trail

Recreational trails

Demographics

Government

Politics

Education

Communities

Cities

Town

Census-designated places

Other unincorporated communities

License plate code

In popular culture

See also

References

External links