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| Boulder County, Colorado | |
 Location in the state of Colorado | |
 Colorado's location in the U.S. | |
| Founded | November 1, 1861 |
|---|---|
| Named for | large granite boulders in area |
| Seat | Boulder |
| Largest city | Boulder |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
751.37 sq mi (1,946 km²) 742.46 sq mi (1,923 km²) 8.91 sq mi (23 km²), 1.19% |
| Population - (2020) - Density |
330,758 391/sq mi (151/km²) |
| Website | www.co.boulder.co.us |
| Footnotes: | |
Boulder County is the sixth most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county seat is Boulder. The most populous municipality in the county and the county seat is the City of Boulder. Boulder County is coextensive with the Boulder Metropolitan Statistical Area, an Office of Management and Budget-designated metropolitan statistical area also used for statistical purposes by the Census Bureau. The 2020 census was 330,758.
The Boulder MSA together with the Denver-Aurora MSA, and the Greeley MSA comprise the Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area.
History[]
Boulder County was one of the original 17 counties created by the Territory of Colorado on November 1, 1861. The county was named for Boulder City and Boulder Creek, so named because of the abundance of boulders in the area. Boulder County retains essentially the same borders as in 1861, although a 27.5 square miles (71.2 km2)of its southeastern corner and its approximate population of 40,000 became part of the City and County of Broomfield in 2001.
Geography[]
Boulder and the mountains to the west of the city
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 751.37 square miles (1,946.0 km2), of which 742.46 square miles (1,923.0 km2) (or 98.81%) is land and 8.91 square miles (23.1 km2) (or 1.19%) is water.[1]
Adjacent counties[]
- Larimer County, Colorado - north
- Weld County, Colorado - east
- City and County of Broomfield, Colorado - southeast
- Jefferson County, Colorado - south
- Gilpin County, Colorado - south
- Grand County, Colorado - west
Demographics[]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 21,544 | ||
| 1910 | 30,330 | 40.8% | |
| 1920 | 31,861 | 5.0% | |
| 1930 | 32,456 | 1.9% | |
| 1940 | 37,438 | 15.4% | |
| 1950 | 48,296 | 29.0% | |
| 1960 | 74,254 | 53.7% | |
| 1970 | 131,889 | 77.6% | |
| 1980 | 189,625 | 43.8% | |
| 1990 | 226,374 | 19.4% | |
| 2000 | 271,651 | 20.0% | |
| 2010 | 294,567 | 8.4% | |
| sources:[2][3] | |||
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 271,651 people, 114,680 households, and 68,808 families residing in the county. The population density was 392 people per square mile (151/km²). There were 119,900 housing units at an average density of 162 per square mile (62/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.54% White, 0.88% Black or African American, 0.61% Native American, 3.06% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 4.67% from other races, and 2.18% from two or more races. 10.46% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 114,680 households out of which 30.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.90% were married couples living together, 7.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.00% were non-families. 26.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the county the population was spread out with 22.90% under the age of 18, 13.40% from 18 to 24, 33.60% from 25 to 44, 22.30% from 45 to 64, and 7.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 102.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $55,861, and the median income for a family was $70,572. Males had a median income of $48,047 versus $32,207 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,976. About 4.60% of families and 9.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.60% of those under age 18 and 5.90% of those age 65 or over.
Politics[]
Boulder County went Republican in all but three presidential elections from 1920 to 1984, the exceptions being the national Democratic landslides of 1932, 1936 and 1964. However, it has swung heavily to the Democrats since the late 1980s, and has supported Democrats at every election since 1988. Since the 1990s, it has become one of the most liberal counties in Colorado; in most years, it is the second-strongest Democratic bastion in the state, behind only the City and County of Denver. The GOP has not crossed the 40% mark in the county since 1988. This tracks closely with the Democratic trend in other counties dominated by college towns.
In recent years, the GOP has turned in some of its worst showings in the county in memory. Republicans took less than 28% of the vote in Boulder County in both 2008 and 2012, only 22% in 2016, and just over 20% in 2020.
In 2000, Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader took 11.82% of the vote in Boulder County, more than twice the 5.25% he took statewide in Colorado, and more than four times his 2.73% nationwide vote share.[5]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2020 | 42,501 | 20.62% | 159,089 | 77.19% | 4,521 | 2.19% |
| 2016 | 41,396 | 22.00% | 132,334 | 70.34% | 14,415 | 7.66% |
| 2012 | 49,981 | 27.84% | 125,091 | 69.69% | 4,427 | 2.47% |
| 2008 | 44,904 | 26.14% | 124,159 | 72.29% | 2,700 | 1.57% |
| 2004 | 51,586 | 32.39% | 105,564 | 66.28% | 2,109 | 1.32% |
| 2000 | 50,873 | 36.44% | 69,983 | 50.12% | 18,770 | 13.44% |
| 1996 | 41,922 | 34.55% | 63,316 | 52.17% | 16,116 | 13.28% |
| 1992 | 33,553 | 26.47% | 64,567 | 50.93% | 28,651 | 22.60% |
| 1988 | 48,174 | 44.93% | 57,265 | 53.41% | 1,784 | 1.66% |
| 1984 | 53,535 | 55.06% | 42,195 | 43.40% | 1,493 | 1.54% |
| 1980 | 40,698 | 46.74% | 28,422 | 32.64% | 17,949 | 20.61% |
| 1976 | 42,830 | 52.71% | 33,284 | 40.96% | 5,139 | 6.32% |
| 1972 | 40,766 | 56.80% | 29,484 | 41.08% | 1,520 | 2.12% |
| 1968 | 27,671 | 57.66% | 17,422 | 36.30% | 2,895 | 6.03% |
| 1964 | 17,373 | 43.08% | 22,737 | 56.38% | 220 | 0.55% |
| 1960 | 19,791 | 61.47% | 12,276 | 38.13% | 130 | 0.40% |
| 1956 | 16,748 | 66.89% | 8,149 | 32.55% | 142 | 0.57% |
| 1952 | 15,069 | 65.29% | 7,767 | 33.65% | 243 | 1.05% |
| 1948 | 10,335 | 52.09% | 8,792 | 44.32% | 712 | 3.59% |
| 1944 | 10,054 | 57.09% | 7,442 | 42.26% | 114 | 0.65% |
| 1940 | 10,525 | 53.22% | 9,039 | 45.71% | 212 | 1.07% |
| 1936 | 7,244 | 41.39% | 9,788 | 55.93% | 469 | 2.68% |
| 1932 | 7,487 | 44.81% | 8,412 | 50.35% | 808 | 4.84% |
| 1928 | 9,457 | 67.48% | 4,363 | 31.13% | 195 | 1.39% |
| 1924 | 7,595 | 58.75% | 3,273 | 25.32% | 2,059 | 15.93% |
| 1920 | 6,456 | 57.91% | 4,200 | 37.67% | 492 | 4.41% |
| 1916 | 3,986 | 33.02% | 7,419 | 61.46% | 666 | 5.52% |
| 1912 | 2,445 | 23.02% | 4,330 | 40.77% | 3,845 | 36.21% |
| 1908 | 4,856 | 41.76% | 5,772 | 49.63% | 1,001 | 8.61% |
| 1904 | 5,483 | 53.90% | 4,030 | 39.62% | 659 | 6.48% |
| 1900 | 3,719 | 40.57% | 5,117 | 55.81% | 332 | 3.62% |
| 1896 | 1,033 | 14.33% | 6,046 | 83.87% | 130 | 1.80% |
| 1892 | 1,338 | 36.42% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,336 | 63.58% |
| 1888 | 1,639 | 54.98% | 1,176 | 39.45% | 166 | 5.57% |
| 1884 | 1,445 | 51.59% | 954 | 34.06% | 402 | 14.35% |
| 1880 | 1,313 | 54.66% | 796 | 33.14% | 293 | 12.20% |
Boulder County has also demonstrated its progressive leanings in referenda on social issues, such as in 2006, when nearly 2/3 of Boulder County voters voted to reject Amendment 43, a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. Although the amendment passed statewide with 55% of the vote, only 33% of Boulder County supported it.[7] In 2012, over 66% of Boulder County voted in favor of Amendment 64, legalizing marijuana in the state of Colorado.
Places[]
Boulder County, Colorado
Incorporated[]
- City of Boulder
- Town of Erie (also partly in Weld County)
- Town of Jamestown
- City of Lafayette
- City of Longmont (also partly in Weld County)
- City of Louisville
- Town of Lyons
- Town of Nederland
- Town of Superior (also partly in Jefferson County)
- Town of Ward
Unincorporated[]
- Allenspark (unincorporated CDP)
- Caribou (unincorporated ghost town)
- Coal Creek (unincorporated CDP, locally called Coal Creek Canyon, also partly in Gilpin County and Jefferson County)
- Eldora (unincorporated CDP)
- Eldorado Springs (unincorporated CDP)
- Gold Hill (unincorporated CDP)
- Gunbarrel (unincorporated CDP)
- Hygiene (unincorporated)
- Niwot (unincorporated CDP)
Rocky Mountain National Park[]
Rocky Mountain National Park is located in Boulder County, Larimer County, and Grand County. Longs Peak, the park's highest summit at 4345 meters (14,255 ft) elevation, is located in Boulder County.
State park[]
- Eldorado Canyon State Park
Historic district[]
- Colorado Chautauqua National Historic District
National forest and wilderness[]
- Arapaho National Forest
- Roosevelt National Forest
- Indian Peaks Wilderness
- James Peak Wilderness
Scenic trail and byway[]
- Continental Divide National Scenic Trail
- Peak to Peak Scenic and Historic Byway
See also[]
- Jackson County, Jefferson Territory
- Colorado census statistical areas
- Colorado counties
- Colorado metropolitan areas
- Colorado municipalities
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Boulder County, Colorado
- Colorado census statistical areas
- Combined Statistical Area
- Core Based Statistical Area
- Metropolitan Statistical Area
- Micropolitan Statistical Area
- Table of United States Combined Statistical Areas
- Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas
- Table of United States Micropolitan Statistical Areas
- Table of United States primary census statistical areas
- Larger urban regions that include Boulder County/the Boulder Metropolitan Statistical Area:
- Denver–Aurora–Boulder Combined Statistical Area
- Front Range Urban Corridor
- North Central Colorado Urban Area
- Core Based Statistical Areas adjacent toBoulder County/the Boulder Metropolitan Statistical Area
- Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
- Fort Collins – Loveland Metropolitan Statistical Area
- Weld County, Colorado (coextensive with the Greeley Metropolitan Statistical Area)
References[]
- ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ census.gov Colorado population by county, 1900-90 accessed 2009-05-12
- ^ quickfacts.census.gov - Boulder County accessed 2009-05-12
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://www.uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/statesub.php?year=2000&fips=8013&f=0&off=0&elect=0.
- ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/.
- ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/statesub.php?year=2006&fips=8013&f=0&off=60&elect=0.
External links[]
- Boulder County Government website
- Colorado County Evolution by Don Stanwyck
- Colorado Historical Society
- Rocky Mountain National Park website
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Larimer County |
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| Grand County | 
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Weld County | ||
   Boulder County, Colorado | ||||
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| Jefferson County and Gilpin County | City and County of Broomfield |
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| This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Boulder County, Colorado. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License. |