Colorado counties
Main article: Geography of Colorado
See also: State of Colorado and History of Colorado
This is a list of the 64 counties of the U.S. State of Colorado. The counties of Colorado are important components of government since the state has no secondary civil subdivisions such as townships. Two counties, the City and County of Denver and the City and County of Broomfield, have consolidated city and county governments.
Colorado counties[]
The FIPS county code is the five-digit Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code which uniquely identifies counties and county equivalents in the United States. The three-digit number is unique to each individual county within a state, but to be unique within the entire United States, it must be prefixed by the state code. This means that, for example, while Adams County, Colorado is 001, Belknap County, New Hampshire and Alachua County, Florida are also 001. To uniquely identify Adams County, Colorado, one must use the state code of 08 plus the county code of 001; therefore, the unique nationwide identifier for Adams County, Colorado is 08001. The links in the column FIPS County Code are to the Census Bureau Info page for that county.[1]
| County |
FIPS Code [1] |
County Seat [2] |
Created [3] |
Formed from [4] |
Origin of name |
Population [3][5] |
Area [6] |
Map [3] |
| Adams County | 001 | Brighton | 1902-11-15 | Split from Arapahoe County. | Named in honor of Alva Adams, the fifth Governor of the State of Colorado. | 414,338 | 3,062.12 sq mi (7,931 km2) |
|
| Alamosa County | 003 | Alamosa | 1913-03-08 | Split from Costilla County and Conejos County counties. | Named for the cottonwood trees which grow along the river and streams of the area. Alamosa is a Spanish word for a cottonwood grove. | 15,225 | 1,873.10 sq mi (4,851 km2) |
|
| Arapahoe County | 005 | Littleton | 1861-11-01 | Created as one of the 17 original counties of the Territory of Colorado. Renamed South Arapahoe County for five months from 1902-11-15, to 1903-04-11. | Named for predecessor Arapahoe County, which in turn was named for the Arapaho Native American tribe. | 537,197 | 2,083.40 sq mi (5,396 km2) |
|
| Archuleta County | 007 | Pagosa Springs | 1885-04-14 | Split from Conejos County. | Named in honor of Colorado State Senator Antonio D. Archuleta. | 12,386 | 3,508.22 sq mi (9,086 km2) |
|
| Baca County | 009 | Springfield | 1889-04-16 | Split from Las Animas County. | Named in honor of the prominent Baca family of Trinidad, members of which had settled early in the area. | 4,017 | 6,626.43 sq mi (17,162 km2) |
|
| Bent County | 011 | Las Animas | 1870-02-11 | Split from Huerfano County and former Cheyenne and Arapaho tribal land. | Named in honor of frontier trader William Bent. | 5,551 | 3,991.36 sq mi (10,338 km2) |
|
| Boulder County | 013 | Boulder | 1861-11-01 | Created as one of the 17 original counties of the Territory of Colorado. | Named for the abundance of granite boulders in the area. | 282,304 | 1,917.83 sq mi (4,967 km2) |
|
| Broomfield County | 014 | Broomfield | 2001-11-15 | Split from Boulder, Adams, Jefferson, and Weld counties and reorganized as a consolidated city and county. | Named for the broom corn that was formerly grown in the area. | 45,116 | 86.93 sq mi (225 km2) |
|
| Chaffee County | 015 | Salida | 1879-02-10 | Split from Carbonate County. | Named in honor of Jerome Bunty Chaffee, a U.S. Senator from Colorado. | 16,918 | 2,626.55 sq mi (6,803 km2) |
|
| Cheyenne County | 017 | Cheyenne Wells | 1889-03-25 | Split from Elbert and Bent counties. | Named for the Cheyenne Native American tribe. | 1,906 | 4,615.09 sq mi (11,953 km2) |
|
| Clear Creek County | 019 | Georgetown | 1861-11-01 | Created as one of the 17 original counties of the Territory of Colorado. | Named for Clear Creek which runs through the county. | 9,130 | 1,027.00 sq mi (2,660 km2) |
|
| Conejos County | 021 | Conejos | 1861-11-01 | Guadalupe County, one of the 17 original counties of the Territory of Colorado, was renamed Conejos County after six days on 1861-11-07. | Named for the cottontail rabbits in the area. Conejos is a Spanish word for rabbits. | 8,406 | 3,341.66 sq mi (8,655 km2) |
|
| Costilla County | 023 | San Luis | 1861-11-01 | Created as one of the 17 original counties of the Territory of Colorado. | Named for the Costilla River. Costilla is a Spanish word meaning either little rib or furring timber. | 3,378 | 3,184.07 sq mi (8,247 km2) |
|
| Crowley County | 025 | Ordway | 1911-05-29 | Split from Otero County. | Named in honor of Colorado State Senator John H. Crowley. | 5,386 | 2,072.68 sq mi (5,368 km2) |
|
| Custer County | 027 | Westcliffe | 1877-03-09 | Split from Fremont County. | Named in honor of George Armstrong Custer, the U.S. Army colonel defeated at the Battle of Little Bighorn. | 3,926 | 1,914.62 sq mi (4,959 km2) |
|
| Delta County | 029 | Delta | 1883-02-11 | Split from Gunnison County. | Named for the town of Delta located at the delta of the Uncompahgre River. | 30,401 | 2,977.05 sq mi (7,711 km2) |
|
| Denver County | 031 | Denver | 1902-11-15 | The original Arapahoe County Seat was split from Arapahoe County and reorganized as a consolidated city and county. | Named in honor of James William Denver, a Governor of the Territory of Kansas. | 566,974 | 403.15 sq mi (1,044 km2) |
|
| Dolores County | 033 | Dove Creek | 1881-03-04 | Split from Ouray County. | Named for the Dolores River, which was originally named el Rio de Nuestra Senora de los Dolores, which is Spanish for the River of our Lady of Sorrows. | 1,911 | 2,789.22 sq mi (7,224 km2) |
|
| Douglas County | 035 | Castle Rock | 1861-11-01 | Created as one of the 17 original counties of the Territory of Colorado. | Named in honor of U.S. Senator Stephen Arnold Douglas of Illinois. | 263,621 | 2,181.55 sq mi (5,650 km2) |
|
| Eagle County | 037 | Eagle | 1883-02-11 | Split from Summit County. | Named for the Eagle River, which in turn was named for the abundance of eagles in the area. | 4,985 | 4,404.94 sq mi (11,409 km2) |
|
| El Paso County | 039 | Colorado Springs | 1861-11-01 | Created as one of the 17 original counties of the Territory of Colorado. | Named for Ute Pass. El paso is a Spanish exression for the pass. | 576,884 | 5,513.05 sq mi (14,279 km2) |
|
| Elbert County | 041 | Kiowa | 1874-02-02 | Split from Douglas County. | Named in honor of Samuel Hitt Elbert, the sixth Governor of the Territory of Colorado. | 23,181 | 4,789.09 sq mi (12,404 km2) |
|
| Fremont County | 043 | Canon City | 1861-11-01 | Created as one of the 17 original counties of the Territory of Colorado. | Named in honor of John Charles Frémont, the explorer, U.S. Army general, and U.S. Senator from California. | 48,010 | 3,970.67 sq mi (10,284 km2) |
|
| Garfield County | 045 | Glenwood Springs | 1883-02-10 | Split from Summit County. | Named in honor of James Abram Garfield, the twentieth President of the United States. | 51,908 | 7,661.78 sq mi (19,844 km2) |
|
| Gilpin County | 047 | Central City | 1861-11-01 | Created as one of the 17 original counties of the Territory of Colorado. | Named in honor of William Gilpin, the first Governor of the Territory of Colorado. | 5,042 | 388.88 sq mi (1,007 km2) |
|
| Grand County | 049 | Hot Sulphur Springs | 1874-02-02 | Split from Summit County. | Named for the Grand River which was renamed the Colorado River in 1921. | 13,406 | 4,839.46 sq mi (12,534 km2) |
|
| Gunnison County | 051 | Gunnison | 1877-03-09 | Split from Lake County. | Named in honor of John Williams Gunnison, the U.S. Army captain who explored the region. | 14,331 | 8,441.34 sq mi (21,863 km2) |
|
| Hinsdale County | 053 | Lake City | 1874-02-10 | Split from Lake, Conejos, and Costilla counties. | Named in honor of George Aaron Hinsdale, a Lieutenant Governor of the Territory of Colorado. | 819 | 2,909.47 sq mi (7,535 km2) |
|
| Huerfano County | 055 | Walsenburg | 1861-11-01 | Created as one of the 17 original counties of the Territory of Colorado. | Named for the Huerfano River. Huerfano is a Spanish word meaning orphan. | 7,808 | 4,124.22 sq mi (10,682 km2) |
|
| Jackson County | 057 | Walden | 1909-05-05 | Split from Larimer County. | Named in honor of Andrew Jackson, the seventh President of the United States. | 1,406 | 4,195.13 sq mi (10,865 km2) |
|
| Jefferson County | 059 | Golden | 1861-11-01 | Created as one of the 17 original counties of the Territory of Colorado. | Named for its extralegal predecessor county, Jefferson County, which in turn was named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States. | 526,994 | 2,001.67 sq mi (5,184 km2) |
|
| Kiowa County | 061 | Eads | 1889-04-11 | Split from Bent County. | Named for the Kiowa Native American tribe. | 1,413 | 4,625.46 sq mi (11,980 km2) |
|
| Kit Carson County | 063 | Burlington | 1889-04-11 | Split from Elbert County. | Named in honor of Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson, the famous frontier scout and soldier. | 7,590 | 5,600.67 sq mi (14,506 km2) |
|
| La Plata County | 065 | Durango | 1874-02-10 | Split from Lake and Conejos counties. | Named for the many silver deposits in the area. La plata is a Spanish expression for the silver. | 47,936 | 4,404.13 sq mi (11,407 km2) |
|
| Lake County | 067 | Leadville | 1861-11-01 | Created as one of the 17 original counties of the Territory of Colorado. Renamed Carbonate County for two days from 1879-02-08, to 1879-02-10. | Named for the Twin Lakes. | 7,814 | 993.40 sq mi (2,573 km2) |
|
| Larimer County | 069 | Fort Collins | 1861-11-01 | Created as one of the 17 original counties of the Territory of Colorado. | Named in honor of William Larimer, a pioneer entrepreneur. | 276,253 | 6,816.20 sq mi (17,654 km2) |
|
| Las Animas County | 071 | Trinidad | 1866-02-09 | Split from Huerfano County. | Named for the Animas River, which was originally named el Rio de las Animas Perdidas, which is Spanish for the River of the Souls in Purgatory. | 15,564 | 12,362.71 sq mi (32,019 km2) |
|
| Lincoln County | 073 | Hugo | 1889-04-11 | Split from Elbert and Bent counties. | Named in honor of Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth President of the United States. | 5,458 | 6,695.65 sq mi (17,342 km2) |
|
| Logan County | 075 | Sterling | 1887-02-25 | Split from Weld County. | Named in honor of John Alexander Logan, a U.S. Army general and U.S. Senator from Illinois. | 20,780 | 4,779.33 sq mi (12,378 km2) |
|
| Mesa County | 077 | Grand Junction | 1883-02-14 | Split from Gunnison County. | Named for the mesa formations which are widespread through the area. | 134,189 | 8,665.29 sq mi (22,443 km2) |
|
| Mineral County | 079 | Creede | 1893-03-27 | Split from Hinsdale, Rio Grande, and Saguache counties. | Named from the plentiful mineral deposits found in the area. | 929 | 2,274.42 sq mi (5,891 km2) |
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| Moffat County | 081 | Craig | 1911-02-27 | Split from Routt County. | Named in honor of railroad pioneer David H. Moffat. | 13,680 | 12,317.62 sq mi (31,902 km2) |
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| Montezuma County | 083 | Cortez | 1889-04-16 | Split from La Plata County. | Named in honor of Aztec leader Moctezuma II. Ruins in the area were originally thought to have been of Aztec origin. | 25,217 | 5,272.70 sq mi (13,656 km2) |
|
| Montrose County | 085 | Montrose | 1883-02-11 | Split from Gunnison County. | Named for the town of Montrose, which in turn was probably named from the novel A Legend of Montrose, published in 1819 by Walter Scott. | 38,559 | 5,818.21 sq mi (15,069 km2) |
|
| Morgan County | 087 | Fort Morgan | 1889-02-19 | Split from Weld County. | Named for old Fort Morgan, which in turn was named in honor of U.S. Army Colonel Christopher A. Morgan. | 28,109 | 3,350.99 sq mi (8,679 km2) |
|
| Otero County | 089 | La Junta | 1889-03-25 | Split from Bent County. | Named in honor of Miguel A. Otero of the prominent Otero family of the Southwest. | 19,452 | 3,283.23 sq mi (8,504 km2) |
|
| Ouray County | 091 | Ouray | 1877-01-18 | Split from Hinsdale and Lake counties. Renamed Uncompaghre County for four days from 1883-02-27, to 1883-03-02. | Named in honor of Ouray, a Ute Native American leader. | 4,307 | 1,404.56 sq mi (3,638 km2) |
|
| Park County | 093 | Fairplay | 1861-11-01 | Created as one of the 17 original counties of the Territory of Colorado. | Named for South Park which occupies most of the county. | 17,157 | 5,722.21 sq mi (14,820 km2) |
|
| Phillips County | 095 | Holyoke | 1889-03-27 | Split from Logan County. | Named in honor of R.O. Phillips, secretary of the Lincoln Land Company. | 4,601 | 1,782.71 sq mi (4,617 km2) |
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| Pitkin County | 097 | Aspen | 1881-02-23 | Split from Gunnison County. | Named in honor of Frederick Walker Pitkin, the second Governor of the State of Colorado. | 14,798 | 2,513.24 sq mi (6,509 km2) |
|
| Prowers County | 099 | Lamar | 1889-04-11 | Split from Bent County. | Named in honor of John W. Prowers, a pioneer of the Arkansas River valley. | 13,776 | 4,261.49 sq mi (11,037 km2) |
|
| Pueblo County | 101 | Pueblo | 1861-11-01 | Created as one of the 17 original counties of the Territory of Colorado. | Named for historic town of Pueblo. Pueblo is a Spanish word meaning village or people. | 152,912 | 6,207.60 sq mi (16,078 km2) |
|
| Rio Blanco County | 103 | Meeker | 1889-03-25 | Split from Garfield County. | Named for the White River, which was originally named el Rio Blanco in Spanish. | 6,180 | 8,355.91 sq mi (21,642 km2) |
|
| Rio Grande County | 105 | Del Norte | 1874-02-10 | Split from Costilla County and Conejos County counties. | Named for the Rio Grande, which flows through the area. | 12,006 | 2,364.91 sq mi (6,125 km2) |
|
| Routt County | 107 | Steamboat Springs | 1877-01-29 | Spilt from Grand County. | Named in honor of John Long Routt, the first Governor of the State of Colorado. | 21,580 | 6,117.84 sq mi (15,845 km2) |
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| Saguache County | 109 | Saguache | 1966-12-29 | Split from Lake and Costilla counties. | Name comes from a Ute language word meaning "blue earth" or "water at blue earth". | 7,006 | 8,205.91 sq mi (21,253 km2) |
|
| San Juan County | 111 | Silverton | 1876-01-31 | Split from Lake County. | Named for the San Juan River and San Juan Mountains, which in turn were named for Saint John the Evangelist. | 578 | 1,007.48 sq mi (2,609 km2) |
|
| San Miguel County | 113 | Telluride | 1883-03-02 | Split from San Juan County. | Named for the San Miguel River and San Miguel Mountains, which in turn were named for Saint Michael the Archangel. | 7,143 | 3,343.05 sq mi (8,658 km2) |
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| Sedgwick County | 115 | Julesburg | 1889-04-09 | Split from Logan County. | Named for Fort Sedgwick, which, in turn, was named for U.S. Army General John Sedgwick. | 2,467 | 1,421.47 sq mi (3,682 km2) |
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| Summit County | 117 | Breckenridge | 1861-11-01 | Created as one of the 17 original counties of the Territory of Colorado. | Named for the many high mountain summits in the area. | 25,399 | 1,602.98 sq mi (4,152 km2) |
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| Teller County | 119 | Cripple Creek | 1899-03-23 | Split from El Paso and Fremont counties. | Named in honor of Henry Moore Teller, a U.S. Senator from Colorado and United States Secretary of the Interior. | 22,243 | 1,446.71 sq mi (3,747 km2) |
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| Washington County | 121 | Akron | 1887-02-09 | Split from Weld County. | Named in honor of George Washington, the first President of the United States. | 4,630 | 6,534.28 sq mi (16,924 km2) |
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| Weld County | 123 | Greeley | 1861-11-01 | Created as one of the 17 original counties of the Territory of Colorado. | Named in honor of Lewis Ledyard Weld, the first Secretary of the Territory of Colorado. | 236,857 | 10,395.79 sq mi (26,925 km2) |
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| Yuma County | 125 | Wray | 1889-03-15 | Split from Washington County. | Named for the Yuma Native American tribe. | 9,829 | 6,137.26 sq mi (15,895 km2) |
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Historic counties[]
The sortable table below lists all the historic counties of the Territory of New Mexico, the Territory of Utah, the Territory of Kansas, and the extralegal Territory of Jefferson that previously existed within the boundaries of the present State of Colorado, as well as the three defunct counties of the Territory of Colorado and the three defunct counties of the State of Colorado. The table includes the following information:
- The official name of the county,
- The territory or state,
- The date the county was created,
- The date the county was abolished or excluded from the Territory of Colorado, and
- Historical notes.
No organized counties of the District of Louisiana, the Territory of Missouri, or the Territory of Nebraska existed within the present boundaries of the State of Colorado.
Colorado county minutiae[]
- Larimer County is the home of the most ancient known archaeological site in the Rocky Mountain region. The Lindenmeier Site includes artifacts more than 13,000 years old.
- Costilla County was the first area within the present State of Colorado to be settled by Europeans in 1851.
- Taos County, created by the Territory of New Mexico in 1852, was the first organized county to extend into the area of the present State of Colorado.
- Arapahoe County, created by the Territory of Kansas in 1855, was the first county created exclusively within the area of the present State of Colorado.
- Of the 17 original counties created by the Territory of Colorado in 1861, only Gilpin County and Clear Creek County have retained their original boundaries.
- Guadalupe County was the first Colorado county to be renamed in 1861.
- Las Animas County was the first Colorado county to be created (in 1866) after the original 17 counties.
- Greenwood County was the longest lived former Colorado county, existing four years from 1870 to 1874.
- Carbonate County was the shortest lived former Colorado county, existing only two days in 1879 before being dissolved.
- The City and County of Broomfield is the most recently created Colorado county.
- Las Animas County is the most extensive Colorado county.
- The City and County of Broomfield is the least extensive Colorado county.
- El Paso County is the most populous Colorado county.
- San Juan County is the least populous Colorado county.
- The City and County of Denver is the most densely populated Colorado county.
- Hinsdale County is the least densely populated Colorado county.
- Lake County has the highest point in Colorado at the summit of Mount Elbert at 4,401.2 meters (14,440 ft) elevation (the highest point in the entire Rocky Mountains.)
- Yuma County has the lowest point in Colorado where the Arikaree River flows into Kansas at 1,010 meters (3,314 ft) elevation (the highest low point of any U.S. state.)
- The following twelve Colorado counties have a county seat with the same name as the county:
- Of all 64 Colorado counties, only Conejos County has a county seat that is not an incorporated municipality.
- The name of each of the following two Colorado counties forms one part of the name of its county seat:
| County | County Seat |
|---|---|
| Cheyenne County | Town of Cheyenne Wells |
| Morgan County | City of Fort Morgan |
- Weld County has the most incorporated municipalities of any Colorado county with 31.
- The following nine Colorado counties have no incorporated municipalities other than the county seat:
- The City and County of Denver and the City and County of Broomfield are the only two Colorado counties with enclaves.
- Arapahoe County, Boulder County, and Jefferson County are the only three dismembered Colorado counties with exclaves.
- Delta County and the City and County of Denver each border only three counties.
- Jefferson County borders ten counties.
See also[]
- Colorado census statistical areas
- Colorado metropolitan areas
- Colorado municipalities
- Geography of Colorado
- History of Colorado
- List of Colorado county name etymologies
- State of Colorado
References[]
- ^ a b "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". EPA. http://www.epa.gov/enviro/html/codes/co.html. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ^ {{cite web | url = http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/hs/cntyseat.html | title = Colorado County Seats | format = [[2007-01-30|]]
- ^ a b c Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedNACO - ^ {{cite web | url = http://www.stanwyck.com/cogenweb/cocounties.html | title = Colorado County Evolution | format = [[HTML|]]
- ^ {{cite web | url = http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/files/CO-EST2006-ALLDATA.csv | title = Annual County Population Estimates and Estimated Components of Change: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 (CO-EST2006-alldata) | format = [[2007-03-22|]]
- ^ {{cite web | url = http://www.dola.state.co.us/dlg/demog/population/landarea.pdf | title = Colorado Counties Land and Population Density | format = [[2006-10-31|]]
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