Arapahoe County, Colorado
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Arapahoe 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 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 so ...
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, its population was 655,070, making it the third-most populous county in Colorado. 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 Littleton, and the most populous city is
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 ...
. The county was named for the
Arapaho The Arapaho ( ; , ) are a Native American people historically living on the plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Lakota and Dakota. By the 1850s, Arapaho bands formed t ...
Native American tribe, who once lived in the region. Arapahoe County is part of the
Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
-Aurora- Lakewood metropolitan statistical area. Arapahoe County calls itself "Colorado's First County", since its origins antedate the Pike's Peak Gold Rush.


History

On August 25, 1855, the Kansas Territorial Legislature created a huge Arapahoe County to govern the entire western portion of the Territory of Kansas. The county was named for the Arapaho Nation, who lived in the region. In July 1858, gold was discovered along 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 (in present-day Englewood). This discovery precipitated the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. Many residents of the mining region felt disconnected from the remote territorial governments of
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 ...
and
Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
, so they voted to form their own Territory of Jefferson on October 24, 1859. The following month, the Jefferson Territorial Legislature organized 12 counties for the new territory, including a smaller Arapahoe County. Denver City served as 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 ...
of Arapahoe County. The Jefferson Territory never received federal sanction, and when the State of Kansas was admitted to the Union on January 29, 1861, the mining regions temporarily reverted to unorganized territory. On February 28, 1861, Congress passed an act organizing the Territory of Colorado, using present-day borders. On November 1, 1861, the Colorado Territorial Assembly organized the 17 original counties of Colorado, including a new Arapahoe County. Arapahoe County originally stretched from the line of present-day Sheridan Boulevard east to the Kansas border, and from the line of present-day County Line Road north to the
40th parallel north Following are circles of latitude between the 35th parallel north and the 40th parallel north: 36th parallel north The 36th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 36 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses Africa, t ...
(168th Avenue). Denver City served as 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 ...
of Arapahoe County until 1902. In 1901, the Colorado General Assembly voted to split Arapahoe County into three parts - 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 ...
, a new Adams County, and the remainder of the Arapahoe County to be renamed South Arapahoe County. A ruling by the Colorado Supreme Court, subsequent
legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred ...
, 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 reorganization 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 Littleton as the temporary
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 ...
of South Arapahoe County. On April 11, 1903, the Colorado General Assembly changed the name of South Arapahoe County back to Arapahoe County. On November 8, 1904, Arapahoe County voters chose Littleton over Englewood by a vote of 1310 to 829 to be the permanent county seat.


Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which are land and (0.9%) are covered by water. The county measures east-west and north-south. Two
exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...
s of Arapahoe County are entirely surrounded by the City and County of Denver, the City of Glendale, and the Holly Hills neighborhood, a
census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
.


Adjacent counties

*
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 ...
– northwest and exclaves * Adams County – north * Washington County – east * Lincoln County – southeast * Elbert County – south * Douglas County – southwest * Jefferson County – west


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 225 * * * * * U.S. Highway 85 * U.S. Highway 285 * State Highway 30 * State Highway 36 * State Highway 40 * State Highway 75 * State Highway 79 * State Highway 83 * State Highway 88 * State Highway 177 * State Highway 470 * E-470 (tollway)


State park

* Cherry Creek State Park


Historic trails

* Smoky Hill Trail * South Platte Trail


Recreation trails

* Highline Canal National Recreation Trail * Platte River Greenway National Recreation Trail


Demographics

As of the
census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, 487,967 people, 190,909 households, and 125,809 families were residing in the county. The
population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
was . The 196,835 housing units averaged . The racial makeup of the county was 79.93% White, 7.67% African American, 0.66% Native American, 3.95% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 4.51% from other races, and 3.16% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race made up 11.81% of the population. Of the 190,909 households, 34.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.20% were married couples living together, 10.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.10% were not families. About 27.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53, and the average family size was 3.11. In the county, the age distribution was 26.70% under 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 33.10% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 8.60% who were 65 or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males. The median income for a household was $53,570, and for a family was $63,875. Males had a median income of $41,601 versus $31,612 for females. The
per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the county was $28,147. About 4.20% of families and 5.80% 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 7.00% of those under age 18 and 5.10% of those age 65 or over.


Education


K-12 Education

Arapahoe County is home to nine public school districts:
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 ...
, Bennett, Byers, Cherry Creek, Deer Trail, Englewood, Littleton, Sheridan, and Strasburg. There are also several private schools throughout the county, including St. Mary's Academy in Cherry Hills Village, Regis Jesuit High School in Aurora, and Kent Denver School in Englewood.


Higher Education

Arapahoe County is home to two large community colleges: Arapahoe Community College in Littleton, and the Community College of Aurora. The county is also home to the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and the Denver South campus of Colorado Technical University, both located in Aurora.


Politics

Arapahoe County was once a classic bastion of suburban conservatism. In the 1924 Colorado gubernatorial election, Republican Clarence Morley, who was openly affiliated with the
Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to KKK or Klan, is an American Protestant-led Christian terrorism, Christian extremist, white supremacist, Right-wing terrorism, far-right hate group. It was founded in 1865 during Reconstruction era, ...
, won over 66% of the vote in Arapahoe County, a higher percentage than he received in any other county in Colorado. In addition, the county for many years was represented in congress by Republican
Tom Tancredo Thomas Gerard Tancredo (; born December 20, 1945) is an American politician from Colorado, who represented Colorado's 6th congressional district, the state's sixth congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1999 to ...
, a hardcore conservative known for his controversial
anti-immigration Opposition to immigration, also known as anti-immigration, is a political position that seeks to restrict immigration. In the modern sense, immigration refers to the entry of people from one state or territory into another state or territory in ...
,
anti-Catholic Anti-Catholicism is hostility towards Catholics and opposition to the Catholic Church, its clergy, and its adherents. Scholars have identified four categories of anti-Catholicism: constitutional-national, theological, popular and socio-cul ...
, and nativist political beliefs. As the Denver Metro Area grew in the 1960s and beyond, Arapahoe County became the most Republican county in the state outside of Colorado Springs. However, heavy urbanization, demographic changes and population increases - such as the rapid diversification of Aurora's population and younger professionals in the southern suburbs - have caused the county to become much more competitive since the 1990s. It swung from a 22-point win for
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...
in 1988 to only a three-point win in 1992. By the turn of the millennium, it had become more of a suburban swing county. In 2008, the county swung over dramatically to support
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...
, who became the first Democrat to carry it since 1964, and only the second since 1936. It swung from a four-point win for
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...
in 2004 to a 13-point win for Obama in 2008. It voted for Obama by a similar margin in 2012, and provided much of
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 ...
's statewide margin in 2016 as
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 ...
failed to win even 40 percent of the vote in one of the worst showings for a Republican in the county's history, with the Democrats carrying the former Tech Center area Republican strongholds of Centennial and Littleton. 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 ...
turned in the strongest showing for a Democrat in over a century, becoming the first Democrat to win over 60% of the vote since 1916. Biden carried Aurora by lopsided margins and the traditionallly Republican southern parts of the county by nearly 20 points. Federal Representation The bulk of the population and political strength of Arapahoe County is located in Colorado's 6th congressional district, Tancredo's former district, centered in
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 ...
and represented by
Jason Crow Jason Crow (born March 15, 1979) is an American politician, lawyer, and former U.S. Army officer serving since 2019 as the United States representative for . Crow is the first member of the Democratic Party to represent the district, which e ...
. The more rural eastern parts of the county are located in the 4th District represented by Lauren Boebert while the Denver enclave portions such as Glendale and Holly Hills are in the Denver-based 1st District represented by Diana DeGette.


Communities


Cities

*
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 ...
(most; also extends into Adams County and Douglas County) * Centennial * Cherry Hills Village * Englewood * Glendale (exclave completely surrounded by the city of
Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
) * Greenwood Village * Littleton (most; also extends into Douglas County and Jefferson County) * Sheridan


Towns

* Bennett (part; also extends into Adams County) * Bow Mar (part; also extends into Jefferson County) * Columbine Valley * Deer Trail * Foxfield


Census-designated places

* Aetna Estates * Brick Center * Byers * Cherry Creek * Columbine (part; also extends into Jefferson County) * Comanche Creek * Dove Valley * Four Square Mile * Holly Hills (exclave located within the city of
Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
) *
Inverness Inverness (; ; from the , meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands, having been granted city status in 2000. It is the administrative centre for The Highland Council and is regarded as the capital of the Highland ...
* Peoria * Strasburg (part; also extends into Adams County) * Watkins (part; also extends into Adams County)


Former census-designated places

* Castlewood (now part of Centennial) * Southglenn (now part of Centennial)


See also

* Bibliography of Colorado *
Geography of Colorado The geography of the U.S. State of Colorado is diverse, encompassing rugged mountainous terrain, vast plains, desert lands, desert canyons, and mesas. Colorado is a landlocked U.S. state. In 1861, the United States Congress defined the boun ...
* History of Colorado ** Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory ** Arrappahoe County, Jefferson Territory ** Arapahoe County, Colorado Territory ** South Arapahoe County, Colorado ** National Register of Historic Places listings in Arapahoe County, Colorado * Index of Colorado-related articles *
List of Colorado-related lists The following two master lists include links to lists related to the United States, U.S. Colorado, State of Colorado. #Colorado-related lists by topic #Alphabetical list of Colorado-related lists Colorado-related lists by topic General lists *Bib ...
**
List of counties in Colorado The U.S. State of Colorado is divided into 64 counties. Two of these, the City and County of Denver, which serves as the state capital, and the City and County of Broomfield, have consolidated city and county governments. In addition to Denv ...
**
List of statistical areas in Colorado The United States, U.S. Colorado, State of Colorado has 20 Statistical area (United States), statistical areas that have been delineated by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Statistical areas are important geographic delineations of pop ...
*
Outline of Colorado The following Outline (list), outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the U.S. state of Colorado: Colorado – List of U.S. states and territories by population#State and territory rankings, 22nd most populous, the Lis ...
**
Arapahoe Library District Arapahoe Library District is a public library located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, Arapahoe County, Colorado with branches in Byers, Colorado, Byers, Centennial, Colorado, Centennial, Denver, Deer Trail, Colorado, Deer Trail, and Four Square ...
** Front Range Urban Corridor


References


External links

*
Colorado County Evolution by Don StanwyckColorado Historical Society
{{authority control Colorado counties Colorado placenames of Native American origin 1861 establishments in Colorado Territory Eastern Plains Populated places established in 1861