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Douglas County, Colorado

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Douglas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 357,978. The county is named in honor of U.S. Senator Stephen A. Douglas.[2] The county seat is Castle Rock.[3]

Douglas County
County
One of two county buildings for Douglas County in Castle Rock
One of two county buildings for Douglas County in Castle Rock
Flag of Douglas County
Flag
Official seal of Douglas County
Seal
Official logo of Douglas County
Logo
Map of Colorado highlighting Douglas County
Location within the U.S. state of Colorado
Map of the United States highlighting Colorado
Colorado's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°21′N 104°56′W / 39.35°N 104.93°W / 39.35; -104.93
Country United States
State Colorado
FoundedNovember 1, 1861
Named forStephen A. Douglas
SeatCastle Rock
Largest communityHighlands Ranch
Area
 • Total
843 sq mi (2,180 km2)
 • Land840 sq mi (2,200 km2)
 • Water2.6 sq mi (7 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
357,978
 • Estimate 
(2023)[1]
383,906
 • Density426/sq mi (164/km2)
Time zoneUTC−7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional districts4th, 6th
Websitewww.douglas.co.us
Second Douglas County office building in Castle Rock
Douglas County Events Center and Fairgrounds in Castle Rock
The "rock castle" of Castle Rock, Colorado

Douglas County is part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood metropolitan statistical area. It is located midway between Colorado's two largest cities, Denver and Colorado Springs, and contains a portion of Aurora, the state's third-largest city. Douglas County has the highest median household income of any Colorado county or statistical equivalent. It is ranked seventh nationally in that category.

Overview

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Douglas County is lightly wooded, mostly with ponderosa pine, with broken terrain characterized by mesas, foothills, and small streams. Cherry Creek and Plum Creek rise in Douglas County and flow north toward Denver and into the South Platte River. Both were subject to flash flooding in the past, Plum Creek being partially responsible for the Denver flood of 1965. Cherry Creek and Plum Creek are now dammed.

Most residents commute to workplaces elsewhere in the metropolitan area outside of the county. Suburban development is supplementing the traditional ranching economy of the county.

History

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Douglas County was one of the original 17 counties created in the Colorado Territory by the Colorado Territorial Legislature on November 1, 1861. The county was named in honor of U.S. Senator Stephen A. Douglas[4] of Illinois, who died five months before the county was created. The county seat was originally Franktown, but was moved to California Ranch in 1863, and then to Castle Rock in 1874. Although the county's boundaries originally extended eastward to the Kansas state border, in 1874, most of the eastern portion of the county became part of Elbert County.

Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 844 square miles (2,190 km2), of which 841 square miles (2,180 km2) are land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2) (0.3%) are covered by water.[5]

Adjacent counties

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Major highways

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Parks and recreational areas

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Three state parks fall within Douglas County: Castlewood Canyon State Park, Chatfield State Park and Roxborough State Park. Parts of the county lie within the Pike National Forest and were crossed by the historic South Platte Trail.

Recreation trails in the county include:

The Rueter–Hess Reservoir, when filled, may provide significant recreation, including fishing, hiking, and nonmotorized boating. If filled to capacity, surface size would be 1,140 acres, making this a fairly significant reservoir in Colorado and Douglas County's largest body of water.

Cherokee Ranch and Castle is a 3,400-acre privately owned property which forms a 12,000-acre open space with the Highlands Ranch Backcountry and Daniels Park. The area is host to a variety of animals and the Cherokee Ranch petrified forest.[6][7]

The Prairie Canyon Ranch, at 4620 CO-83, about 10 miles (16 km) south of Franktown, is a Douglas County Open Space. It is a working cattle ranch on 978 acres (3.96 km2), open to the public on special events.[8][9]

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18701,388—
18802,48679.1%
18903,00620.9%
19003,1203.8%
19103,1922.3%
19203,51710.2%
19303,498−0.5%
19403,496−0.1%
19503,5070.3%
19604,81637.3%
19708,40774.6%
198025,153199.2%
199060,391140.1%
2000175,766191.0%
2010285,46562.4%
2020357,97825.4%
2023 (est.)383,906[10]7.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[11]
1790–1960[12] 1900–1990[13]
1990–2000[14] 2010–2020[2]

As of the census[15] of 2000, 175,766 people, 60,924 households, and 49,835 families were residing in the county. The population density was 209 people per square mile (81 people/km2). The 63,333 housing units averaged 75 units per square mile (29 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 92.77% White, 2.51% Asian, 0.95% African American, 0.41% Native American, 1.49% from other races, and 1.88% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race made up 5.06% of the population.

Of the 60,924 households, 47.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.8% were married couples living together, 5.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% were not families. About 13.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88, and the average family size was 3.19.

In the county, the population distribution was 31.6% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 37.9% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 4.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $82,929, and for a family was $88,482 (these figures had risen to $93,819 and $102,767, respectively, as of a 2007 estimate[16]). Males had a median income of $60,729 versus $38,965 for females. The per capita income for the county was $34,848. About 1.6% of families and 2.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.9% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

Douglas County had the highest median household income of any Colorado county or statistical equivalent in 2000. In 2008, it ranked eighth in the United States in that category; it was one of two in the top 15 not in the vicinity of New York or Washington.

Health and longevity

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In 2021, Douglas County was judged by the U.S. News & World Report to be the second healthiest of 3,143 counties and county-equivalents of the United States based on 84 different factors. Residents of the county lived 84.0 years on the average compared to the U.S. average of 77.5 years.[17]

Politics

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As a primarily exurban county, Douglas County has long been known as a Republican stronghold. In the 2012 election, Mitt Romney won 62% of the vote. However, Douglas County has become more competitive in recent years, with Donald Trump winning 55% of the county's vote in 2016 and only 52% of the vote in 2020 and 2024. In 2020, Joe Biden achieved the highest vote share for a Democratic presidential nominee in the county since 1964.[18] In 2022, incumbent Democratic governor Jared Polis lost the county by a razor-thin margin, winning nearly 49% of the vote.[19] However, Democratic strength is mostly limited to northern Douglas County, including Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, and Meridian, while the rest of the county is still strongly Republican.[20]

United States presidential election results for Douglas County, Colorado[21]
Year Republican Democratic Third party(ies)
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2024 127,451 52.29% 110,408 45.29% 5,899 2.42%
2020 121,270 52.36% 104,653 45.19% 5,682 2.45%
2016 102,573 54.71% 68,657 36.62% 16,270 8.68%
2012 104,397 62.11% 61,094 36.35% 2,593 1.54%
2008 88,108 58.03% 61,960 40.81% 1,751 1.15%
2004 80,651 66.54% 39,661 32.72% 889 0.73%
2000 56,007 64.95% 27,076 31.40% 3,142 3.64%
1996 32,120 61.80% 16,232 31.23% 3,623 6.97%
1992 18,592 46.41% 9,991 24.94% 11,477 28.65%
1988 17,035 69.96% 6,931 28.46% 384 1.58%
1984 12,249 79.33% 3,011 19.50% 181 1.17%
1980 8,126 70.08% 2,108 18.18% 1,362 11.75%
1976 5,078 65.54% 2,459 31.74% 211 2.72%
1972 3,625 75.52% 1,048 21.83% 127 2.65%
1968 1,910 61.53% 857 27.61% 337 10.86%
1964 1,336 47.87% 1,442 51.67% 13 0.47%
1960 1,490 64.42% 823 35.58% 0 0.00%
1956 1,508 68.08% 697 31.47% 10 0.45%
1952 1,427 69.00% 637 30.80% 4 0.19%
1948 979 55.75% 767 43.68% 10 0.57%
1944 1,214 65.37% 638 34.36% 5 0.27%
1940 1,298 61.57% 801 38.00% 9 0.43%
1936 895 45.48% 1,044 53.05% 29 1.47%
1932 836 42.96% 1,061 54.52% 49 2.52%
1928 1,107 64.25% 603 35.00% 13 0.75%
1924 870 55.34% 383 24.36% 319 20.29%
1920 948 61.40% 561 36.33% 35 2.27%
1916 612 42.18% 820 56.51% 19 1.31%
1912 373 28.21% 619 46.82% 330 24.96%
1908 779 54.78% 629 44.23% 14 0.98%
1904 792 59.28% 524 39.22% 20 1.50%
1900 642 49.01% 650 49.62% 18 1.37%
1896 172 13.95% 1,051 85.24% 10 0.81%
1892 360 57.60% 0 0.00% 265 42.40%
1888 385 52.67% 307 42.00% 39 5.34%
1884 288 53.33% 246 45.56% 6 1.11%
1880 331 53.82% 282 45.85% 2 0.33%

Education

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Douglas County is served by Douglas County School District RE-1, which covers the entire county.[22] It is the third-largest school district in Colorado. In addition to traditional neighborhood schools, the district includes sixteen charter schools,[23] four option schools, and an online school . Schools are rated generally high in the area.

The University Center at Chaparral in Parker offers courses through Arapahoe Community College, the University of Colorado Denver, University College of the University of Denver, and the Douglas County School District. The University of Phoenix has a campus in Lone Tree.

The county was home to its own university, the University of Colorado South Denver in Lone Tree, but it permanently closed in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and financial concerns.

Libraries

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The Douglas County Libraries system has seven branches throughout the county. The library also houses the Douglas County History Research Center, which collects and preserves the history of Douglas County, the High Plains, the Divide area of the Front Range and the State of Colorado, to provide historical research resources to the public.[24]

Economy

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Top employers

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Douglas County School District office in Castle Rock

According to the county's 2015 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[25] the top employers in the county are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Douglas County School District RE-1 5,563
2 Charles Schwab Corporation 2,400
3 EchoStar 2,010
4 CH2M Hill 1,660
5 HealthONE: Sky Ridge Medical Center 1,220
6 Western Union 1,210
7 Douglas County Government 1,146
8 Centura Health: Parker Adventist Hospital 1,110
9 Information Handling Services 980
10 Specialized Loan Servicing 940

Recognition

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Douglas County has been recognized by a number of national periodicals:

  • Money magazine ranked Douglas County number five in the United States for “Job Growth over the Last Eight Years”, August 18, 2009 [26]
  • American City Business Journals (ACBJ) ranked Douglas County fourth in the nation for “Quality of Life”, May 2004 [27]
  • SchoolDigger.com ranked Douglas County School District at number one in the Denver metropolitan area and number 12 in Colorado based on 2009 test scores. (School district rankings were determined by averaging the rankings of individual schools within each of the 122 districts evaluated.)[28]

Communities

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Cities

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Towns

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Census-designated places

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Other unincorporated communities

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Former census-designated places

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 108.
  5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  6. ^ "Cherokee Ranch and Castle". Colorado Encyclopedia. History Colorado. 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  7. ^ Wheeler, Elisabeth A.; Brown, Peter K.; Koch, Allan J. (May 1, 2019). "Late Paleocene woods from Cherokee Ranch, Colorado, U.S.A." Rocky Mountain Geology. 54 (1). University of Wyoming: 33. Bibcode:2019RMGeo..54...33W. doi:10.24872/rmgjournal.54.1.33. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
  8. ^ Clayton Woullard (December 9, 2014). "Prairie Canyon Ranch in Franktown part of 20 year open space legacy". Denver Post.
  9. ^ "Prairie Canyon Ranch Open Space".
  10. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  11. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  12. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  13. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  14. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  15. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  16. ^ "Douglas County, Colorado – Fact Sheet – American FactFinder". Factfinder.census.gov. Archived from the original on February 11, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  17. ^ "Healthiest communities ranking 2021". Us News and World Report. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  18. ^ "Douglas County, Colorado, 2016 Election Results: Elections: The Denver Post". Denver Post Election Data. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  19. ^ "Colorado Governor Election Results". The New York Times. November 8, 2022. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  20. ^ Park, Alice; Smart, Charlie; Taylor, Rumsey; Watkins, Miles (February 2, 2021). "2020 Elections Map". New York Times. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  21. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  22. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Douglas County, CO" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 1, 2024. - Text list
  23. ^ "Charter Schools".
  24. ^ "Douglas County History Research Center". douglascountyhistory.org. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  25. ^ "2015 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report" (PDF). Douglas County Government. Retrieved February 4, 2017.
  26. ^ "Best Places to Live 2009 – Top 25: Fastest job growth – from MONEY Magazine". Money.cnn.com. Archived from the original on March 28, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  27. ^ "Go west for top quality of life". bizjournals. May 24, 2004. Archived from the original on June 17, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
  28. ^ "Colorado State Districts – CO School District Rankings". Schooldigger.com. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
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39°21′N 104°56′W / 39.35°N 104.93°W / 39.35; -104.93

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