Delta 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 ...

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 31,196. 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 ...

Delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...

History

Delta County was created by the Colorado legislature on February 11, 1883, out of portions of central Gunnison County. The county was named from a

delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet * D (NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta"), the fourth letter in the Latin alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * Delta Air Lines, a major US carrier ...

of arable land at the mouth of the

Uncompahgre River The Uncompahgre River is a tributary of the Gunnison River, approximately long, in southwestern Colorado in the United States. Lake Como at in northern San Juan County, in the Uncompahgre National Forest in the northwestern San Juan Mountain ...

, where it flows into the

Gunnison River The Gunnison River is located in western Colorado, United States and is one of the largest tributaries of the Colorado River. Description The river flows east to west and has a drainage area of according to the USGS. The drainage basin of the ...

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.6%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Mesa County – northwest * Gunnison County – east * Montrose County – south

Major highways

U.S. Highway 50 * Colorado 65

State Highway 65 * Colorado 92

State Highway 92 * Colorado 133

State Highway 133 * Colorado 348

State Highway 348

National protected areas

* Dominguez Canyon Wilderness * Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area (part) * Grand Mesa National Forest * Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area (part) * Gunnison Gorge Wilderness * Gunnison National Forest

State protected areas

* Crawford State Park * Sweitzer Lake State Park

Trails and byways

* American Discovery Trail * Crag Crest National Recreation Trail * Old Spanish National Historic Trail * * West Elk Loop Scenic Byway

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 27,834 people, 11,058 households, and 7,939 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 12,374 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.29% White, 0.52% Black or African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.25% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. 11.39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 11,058 households 29.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.30% were married couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 24.80% of households were one person and 12.40% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.89. The age distribution was 24.00% under the age of 18, 6.30% from 18 to 24, 23.60% from 25 to 44, 26.50% from 45 to 64, and 19.70% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 100.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.60 males. The median household income was $32,785 and the median family income was $37,748. Males had a median income of $31,348 versus $19,916 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,152. About 8.50% of families and 12.10% 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 ...

, including 15.00% of those under age 18 and 9.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

Towns

* Cedaredge * Crawford * Hotchkiss * Orchard City * Paonia

Census Designated Place

* Lazear

Unincorporated communities

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

* Cory * Eckert

Politics

Delta County votes predominantly Republican in national, state, and local elections. No Democratic presidential candidate has reached forty percent of Delta County's vote since

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after assassination of John F. Kennedy, the assassination of John F. Ken ...

carried the county in 1964, and since 1920 Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 is the only other Democrat to gain a majority, although Roosevelt did win a plurality against

Alf Landon Alfred Mossman Landon (September 9, 1887October 12, 1987) was an American oilman and politician who served as the 26th governor of Kansas from 1933 to 1937. A member of the Republican Party, he was the party's nominee in the 1936 presidential ...

in 1936. Delta County is split between two house districts for the Colorado House of Representatives, House District 58 & House District 54. Prior to the redistricting, which took effect in the November 2022 election, Delta County was split by House District 54 & 61.

Media

The local papers are the Delta County Independent and the Merchant Herald.

Education

The county is served by Delta County Joint School District 50-J.

Elementary Schools

*Cedaredge Elementary School *Garnet Mesa Elementary School (Delta) *Hotchkiss K-8 School *Lincoln Elementary School (Delta) *Paonia K-8 School

Middle Schools

*Cedaredge Middle School *Delta Middle School *Hotchkiss K-8 School *Paonia K-8 School

High Schools

*Cedaredge High School *Delta High School *North Fork High School (Hotchkiss)

Higher Education

Technical College of the Rockies, a trade school offering technical training and professional certificates, is located in the city of Delta.

Notes

References

External links

Delta County Government websiteColorado Historical SocietyDelta Real Time Weather
{{coord, 38.86, -107.86, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-CO_source:UScensus1990 Colorado counties 1883 establishments in Colorado Populated places established in 1883