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El Paso County, Colorado
El Paso County Justice Center by David Shankbone
El Paso County Justice Center
Map of Colorado highlighting El Paso County
Location in the state of Colorado
Map of the U.S
Colorado's location in the U.S.
Founded November 1, 1861
Named for Spanish name for The Pass
Seat Colorado Springs
Largest city Colorado Springs
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

2,130 sq mi (5,517 km²)
2,127 sq mi (5,509 km²)
2.7 sq mi (7 km²), 0.1%
PopulationEst.
 - (2020)
 - Density

730,395
343/sq mi (132/km²)
Congressional district 5th
Time zone Mountain: UTC-7/-6
Website www.elpasoco.com
House in the mountains, El Paso County, CO IMG 5162

An isolated rural house next to a mountain in northern El Paso County.

Greenery of El Paso County, CO IMG 5163

Summer greenery of El Paso County

El Paso County is one of the 64 counties of the U.S. state of Colorado. The 2020 Census recorded its population as 730,395.[1] The Census Bureau's 2020 result indicates it is the most populous county in Colorado, again surpassing the City and County of Denver. The county seat is Colorado Springs,[2] the second most populous city in Colorado. El Paso County is included in the Colorado Springs, Colorado, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

El Paso County is located in Colorado's 5th congressional district. Since its creation in 1871, El Paso County has typically voted for the Republican presidential candidate in presidential elections; the last Democratic nominee to win the county was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. The Democratic Party won El Paso County four additional times prior, and the Populist Party won in 1892, with General James B. Weaver.

In 2004, the voters of Colorado Springs and El Paso County established the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA) and adopted a 1% sales tax dedicated to improving the region's transportation infrastructure. Together with state funding for COSMIX (2007 completion) and the I-25 interchange with Highway 16 (2008 completion), significant progress has been made since 2003 in addressing the transportation needs of the area. In 2012, the county voted to legalize marijuana.[3] On March 12, 2019, the county commissioners unanimously passed a resolution to become a Second Amendment sanctuary.[4]

History[]

In July 1858, gold was discovered along the South Platte River in Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory. This discovery precipitated the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. Many residents of the mining region felt disconnected from the remote territorial governments of Kansas and Nebraska, 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 El Paso County. El Paso County was named for the Spanish language name for Ute Pass north of Pikes Peak. Colorado City served as the county seat of El Paso County.

The Jefferson Territory never received federal sanction, but on February 28, 1861, U.S. President James Buchanan signed an act organizing the Territory of Colorado.[5] El Paso County was one of the original 17 counties created by the Colorado legislature on November 1, 1861. Part of its western territory was broken off to create Teller County in 1899. Originally based in Old Colorado City (now part of Colorado Springs, not today's Colorado City between Pueblo and Walsenburg), El Paso County's county seat was moved to Colorado Springs in 1873.

Geography[]

El Paso County Fairground

El Paso County Fairgrounds in Calhan, Colorado

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,130 square miles (5,500 km2), of which 2,127 square miles (5,510 km2) are land and 2.7 square miles (7.0 km2) (0.1%) are covered by water.[6]

Adjacent counties[]

Major highways[]

  • I-25 (CO) Interstate 25
  • Business Loop 25 I-25 Bus. (Nevada Avenue)
  • US 24 U.S. Highway 24
  • US 85 U.S. Highway 85
  • Colorado 16 State Highway 16 (Mesa Ridge Parkway)
  • Colorado 21 State Highway 21 (Powers Boulevard)
  • Colorado 83 State Highway 83 (In El Paso County, CO SH-83 begins with the intersection of CO SH-21)
  • Colorado 94 State Highway 94
  • Colorado 105 State Highway 105
  • Colorado 115 State Highway 115

National protected area[]

Pikes Peak from Colorado Springs by David Shankbone

Pikes Peak dominates the county's skyline.

  • Pike National Forest

State protected area[]

  • Cheyenne Mountain State Park

Historic sites[]

  • Pikes Peak National Historic Landmark
  • USAFA Cadet Area National Historic District
  • Old Colorado City (National Register of Historic Districts)
  • Manitou Springs (National Register of Historic Districts)

Trails[]

  • American Discovery Trail
  • Barr National Recreation Trail
  • Bear Creek Cañon Park
  • Bear Creek Regional Park and Nature Center
  • Calhan Paint Mines
  • Fountain Creek Nature Center
  • The Incline
  • New Santa Fe Trail
  • Pikes Peak Greenway
  • White House Ranch National Recreation Trail

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1870 987
1880 7,949 705.4%
1890 21,239 167.2%
1900 31,602 48.8%
1910 43,321 37.1%
1920 44,027 1.6%
1930 49,570 12.6%
1940 54,025 9.0%
1950 74,523 37.9%
1960 143,742 92.9%
1970 235,972 64.2%
1980 309,424 31.1%
1990 397,014 28.3%
2000 516,929 30.2%
2010 622,263 20.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2020[1]

As of the census[11] of 2000, 516,929 people, 192,409 households, and 133,916 families resided in the county. The population density was 243 people per square mile (94/km2). The 202,428 housing units at averaged 95 per square mile (37/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 81.19% White, 6.51% Black or African American, 0.91% Native American, 2.53% Asian, 0.24% Pacific Islander, 4.70% from other races, and 3.91% from two or more races. About 11.30% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 192,409 households, 36.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.60% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were not families. Around 23.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.11.

In El Paso county, the population pyramid was distributed as there being a slight surplus of males ages 0 to 45 and there after a slight surplus of females which is typical of most US populations. The greater than normal surplus of males between 18 and 35 are mainly due to the presence of five military installations located within the county.[12]

El Paso County Colorado Population Pyramid

El Paso County Colorado Population Pyramid

Communities[]

Cities[]

Towns[]

  • Calhan
  • Fountain
  • Green Mountain Falls
  • Manitou Springs
  • Monument
  • Palmer Lake
  • Ramah

Census-designated places[]

Peyton Colorado by David Shankbone

Peyton, Colorado.

  • Air Force Academy
  • Black Forest
  • Cascade-Chipita Park
  • Cimarron Hills
  • Ellicott
  • Fort Carson
  • Gleneagle
  • Peyton
  • Rock Creek Park
  • Security-Widefield
  • Stratmoor
  • Woodmoor

Other unincorporated communities[]

  • Crystola
  • Eastonville
  • Falcon
  • La Foret
  • Rush
  • Truckton
  • Yoder

Government[]

El Paso County Justice Center by David Shankbone

El Paso County Justice Center in Colorado Springs

El Paso County is governed by a board of county commissioners. Its current members are Holly Williams in district 1, Carrie Geitner in district 2, Stan VanderWerf in district 3, Longinos Gonzales Jr in district 4, and Cami Bremer in district 5.

The Colorado Department of Corrections has its headquarters in an unincorporated area in the county.[13][14]

Elected Officials[]

Position Elected Official
County Commissioner District 1 Holly Williams
County Commissioner District 2 Carrie Geitner
County Commissioner District 3 Stan VanderWerf
County Commissioner District 4 Longinos Gonzalez Jr.
County Commissioner District 5 Cami Bremer
County Assessor Steve Schleiker
County Clerk and Recorder Chuck Broerman
County Coroner Dr. Leon Kelly
District Attorney Michael Allen
County Sherriff Sheriff Bill Elder
County Surveyor Richard Mariotti
County Treasurer Mark Lowderman

Top employers[]

According to the city's 2014 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[15] the top employers in the city are:

# Employer % of County Employment (increase/decrease/flat)
1 Fort Carson 10.38% (+)
2 Peterson Air Force Base 3.89% (−)
3 Schriever Air Force Base 2.50% (−)
4 United States Air Force Academy 2.48% (−)
5 Colorado Springs School District 11 1.30% (−)
6 Academy School District 20 1.05% (+)
7 Memorial Health Services 1.03% (−)
8 Penrose-St. Francis Health Services 0.93% (=)
9 City of Colorado Springs 0.75% (−)
10 El Paso County 0.69% (−)

Libraries[]

The Pikes Peak Library District provides library services through its 15 branches and bookmobiles to the residents of El Paso County, with the exception of Widefield School District 3. The mission of the District is "Providing resources and opportunities that impact individual lives and build community. Seek. Engage. Transform."[16]

Politics[]

El Paso is somewhat conservative for a large urban county. It is by far the most populous reliably Republican county in Colorado. The county's Republican tilt predates the evangelical Christian influence in the area. It has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1920, except for the Democratic landslides of 1936 and 1964. In 2020, Joe Biden became the first Democrat to garner 40 percent of the county's vote since Lyndon Johnson's landslide of 1964, and only the third to do so since Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Dick Lamm in 1982 remains the last Democrat to win the county in a gubernatorial election. Eight years later, the county was one of only four in the state to back governor Roy Romer's opponent John Andrews.[17][18] The last Democrat to win the county in a Senate election was Gary Hart in 1974.[19]

United States presidential election results for El Paso County, Colorado[20]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 202,828 53.54% 161,941 42.75% 14,082 3.72%
2016 179,228 56.19% 108,010 33.86% 31,730 9.95%
2012 170,952 58.91% 111,819 38.54% 7,404 2.55%
2008 160,318 58.69% 108,899 39.86% 3,958 1.45%
2004 161,361 66.74% 77,648 32.11% 2,779 1.15%
2000 128,294 63.91% 61,799 30.78% 10,664 5.31%
1996 102,403 59.04% 55,822 32.19% 15,216 8.77%
1992 86,044 51.47% 45,827 27.41% 35,298 21.12%
1988 96,965 70.03% 39,995 28.88% 1,506 1.09%
1984 88,377 75.04% 28,185 23.93% 1,210 1.03%
1980 66,199 63.66% 27,463 26.41% 10,328 9.93%
1976 50,929 59.13% 32,911 38.21% 2,290 2.66%
1972 53,892 69.11% 21,234 27.23% 2,859 3.67%
1968 32,066 53.75% 21,232 35.59% 6,357 10.66%
1964 23,822 45.98% 27,844 53.75% 141 0.27%
1960 31,625 64.93% 17,018 34.94% 61 0.13%
1956 27,282 58.46% 18,879 40.46% 505 1.08%
1952 25,272 68.71% 11,203 30.46% 303 0.82%
1948 15,705 55.26% 12,291 43.25% 423 1.49%
1944 16,392 58.16% 11,679 41.44% 115 0.41%
1940 16,766 55.31% 13,320 43.94% 229 0.76%
1936 10,965 39.82% 15,652 56.84% 920 3.34%
1932 12,017 49.35% 11,353 46.62% 980 4.02%
1928 16,243 75.28% 5,069 23.49% 266 1.23%
1924 10,215 55.69% 4,140 22.57% 3,989 21.75%
1920 9,535 62.78% 5,073 33.40% 581 3.83%
1916 7,159 43.55% 8,381 50.99% 897 5.46%
1912 2,816 18.72% 5,559 36.95% 6,671 44.34%
1908 8,022 53.25% 5,995 39.79% 1,048 6.96%
1904 9,589 62.07% 5,281 34.18% 579 3.75%
1900 7,755 53.76% 6,230 43.19% 439 3.04%
1896 6,248 25.75% 17,672 72.84% 340 1.40%
1892 2,657 47.39% 0 0.00% 2,950 52.61%
1888 2,164 60.58% 1,281 35.86% 127 3.56%
1884 1,209 65.71% 534 29.02% 97 5.27%
1880 1,151 65.36% 580 32.94% 30 1.70%



Military installations[]

El Paso County is home to Army, Air Force and Space Force bases. These military installations border the city, to the north, south, and east, aside from Schriever Space Force Base, which is located about 10 miles east of Peterson Air Force Base.[21]Template:Circular reference

Fort Carson[]

Fort Carson, "The Mountain Post", is located just south of Colorado Springs at the base of the Rocky Mountains. It was established in 1942, following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. The city of Colorado Springs purchased land south of the city and donated it to the War Department. Construction began immediately and the first building, the camp headquarters, was completed January 31, 1942. Camp Carson was named in honor of the legendary Army scout, Gen. Christopher "Kit" Carson, who explored much of the West in the 1800s. Camp Carson became Fort Carson in 1954. An additional training area was purchased in September 1983 and is called Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site (PCMS).

Currently, Fort Carson is the home of 4th Infantry Division and several other units, including 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), the Colorado National Guard Regional Training Institute and PCMS, which is a maneuver training site for Fort Carson located near Trinidad, Colorado. The installation totals about 137,000 acres and PCMS is roughly 236,000 acres. Fort Carson has around 3,000 family housing units and 66 soldier barracks with 8,132 rooms. Services on the installation include four elementary schools, one middle school, a commissary, an exchange, and Evans Army Community Hospital, as well as Army Community Service facilities to include child development centers and youth centers and family morale, welfare, and recreation facilities to include a bowling alley, golf course, and numerous parks.

Fort Carson's economic impact on Colorado Springs and the surrounding communities was approximately $2.3 billion during fiscal year 2014. Fort Carson has about 24,300 soldiers on the installation, with 44,700 family members. The installation also has around 8,000 veterans and 3,300 civilians.[22]

PetersonAFB

AFSPC Headquarters, Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs.

Peterson Air Force Base[]

The Air Force has critical aspects of their service based at Colorado Springs, which carry on missile defense operations and development. The Air Force bases a large section of its national missile defense operations here, with Peterson Air Force Base set to operate large sections of the program. Peterson AFB is currently the headquarters of the operations-half of Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Strategic Command.

Peterson is also headquarters for the United States Northern Command, one of the Unified Combatant Commands, which directs all branches of the U.S. military operations in their area of responsibility, which includes the continental United States, Alaska, Canada, and Mexico. In the event of national emergencies, the President or Secretary of Defense can call upon the command for any required military assistance. Service members from every branch of the US military are stationed at the command.

Schriever Space Force Base (formerly Schriever AFB and Falcon AFB)[]

Schriever Space Force Base is home to the 50th Space Wing, responsible for the operation and support of 175 Department of Defense satellites and installation support to 16 major tenant units, with a workforce of more than 7,700 personnel.[23] It is the location of the Global Positioning System (GPS) master control station and GPS Operations Center[24] and the US Naval Observatory Alternate Master Clock,[25] used to synchronize GPS satellite time. Schriever is also developing parts of national missile defense and runs parts of the annual wargames used by the nation's military. The base indirectly contributes an estimated $1 billion to the local Colorado Springs, CO area annually.[26]

Air Force Academy Oath of Office

Cadets in front of the Academy Chapel

United States Air Force Academy[]

Bordering the northwestern side of the city are the grounds of the United States Air Force Academy, where cadets train to become officers in the Air Force. The campus is famous for its unique chapel, and draws visitors year round. Most of the Air Force Academy's sports programs participate in the Mountain West Conference.[27]

NORAD and Cheyenne Mountain Air Station[]

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a component of America's missile defense system, is located in Cheyenne Mountain Air Station. When it was built at the height of the Cold War, NORAD caused some anxiety for the residents in and around Colorado Springs, who believed the installation would be a primary target during a nuclear attack. Although NORAD still operates today, it is primarily given the task of the tracking of ICBMs, and the military has recently decided to place Cheyenne Mountain's NORAD/NORTHCOM operations on warm standby and move operations to nearby Peterson Air Force Base.[28]

See also[]

Terrestrial globe Geography
North America 368x348 North America
Portal Colorado
Portal Mountains
  • Outline of Colorado
  • Index of Colorado-related articles
  • El Paso County, Jefferson Territory
  • Colorado census statistical areas
  • Front Range Urban Corridor
  • National Register of Historic Places listings in El Paso County, Colorado

Notes[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08/08041.html. 
  2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  3. ^ Breathes, William (November 23, 2012). "Marijuana: Amendment 64 passes in El Paso County by fewer than a dozen votes". http://www.westword.com/news/marijuana-amendment-64-passes-in-el-paso-county-by-fewer-than-a-dozen-votes-5837995. 
  4. ^ Gazette, Rachel Riley, The. "El Paso County declared '2nd Amendment preservation county' as legislature weighs red flag gun bill" (in en). https://www.coloradopolitics.com/news/el-paso-county-declared-nd-amendment-preservation-county-as-legislature/article_d74dfdfe-44f9-11e9-bfef-3fe3114cc26e.html. 
  5. ^ "An Act to provide a temporary Government for the Territory of Colorado" (PDF). Thirty-sixth United States Congress. February 28, 1861. http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/territory.pdf. 
  6. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html. 
  7. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  8. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  9. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/co190090.txt. 
  10. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  11. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov. 
  12. ^ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:El_Paso_County_Colorado_Population_Pyramid.png
  13. ^ "Contacts." Colorado Department of Corrections. Retrieved on December 7, 2009.
  14. ^ "Council District Map." City of Colorado Springs. Retrieved on December 7, 2009.
  15. ^ "City of Colorado Springs CAFR" (PDF). https://coloradosprings.gov/sites/default/files/finance/Accounting/cafrs/final_2014_cafr_updated.pdf. 
  16. ^ "About PPLD | PPLD.org". https://ppld.org/about-ppld. 
  17. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1982&off=5&elect=0&fips=8&f=0. 
  18. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1990&fips=8&off=5&elect=0&f=0. 
  19. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1974&off=3&class=undefined&elect=0&fips=8&f=0. 
  20. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/. 
  21. ^ Schriever Air Force Base
  22. ^ "Fort Carson". http://www.carson.army.mil/. 
  23. ^ "Schriever Air Force Base 50th Space Wing". http://www.schriever.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3909. 
  24. ^ "GPS Operations Center". Air Force Space Command. http://gps.afspc.af.mil/. 
  25. ^ Staff Sgt. Don Branum (June 15, 2006). "23:59:60...Atomic clock takes quantum leap". Air Force Space Command. http://www.afspc.af.mil/news/story_media.asp?storyID=123021871. 
  26. ^ "Schriever Air Force Base". http://www.schriever.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=3908. 
  27. ^ themwc.com
  28. ^ Finley, Bruce (July 27, 2006). "Military to put Cheyenne Mountain on standby – The Denver Post". The Denver Post. http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_4103478. 

External links[]

Coordinates: 38°50′N 104°31′W / 38.84, -104.52

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