Summit County, Colorado

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Summit County, Colorado
Map
Map of Colorado highlighting Summit County
Location in the state of Colorado
Map of the U.S. highlighting Colorado
Colorado's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded November 1, 1861
Seat Breckenridge
Largest town Silverthorne
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water
608.2 sq mi (1,733.4 km²)
597.1 sq mi (1,701.7 km²)
11.1 sq mi (31.6 km²), 1.82%
Population
 - (2005)
 - Density
25,399
41.76/sq mi (14.65/km²)
Time zone Mountain: UTC-7/-6
Website: www.co.summit.co.us
19th most populous Colorado county

Summit County is the 19th most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 25,399 at U.S. Census 2000.[1] The county seat is Breckenridge. The Silverthorne Micropolitan Statistical Area comprises Summit County.

Contents

[edit] History

Summit County was organized as one of the seventeen original Colorado counties by the First Territorial Legislature on November 1, 1861. It was named for the many mountain summits in the county. Until February 2, 1874, its boundaries included the area now comprising Summit County, Grand County, Routt County, Moffat County, Garfield County, Eagle County, and Rio Blanco County.

In 1874, the northern half of the original Summitt County was split off to form Grand County; with the creation of Garfield and Eagle counties in 1883, Summitt County arrived at its present boundaries.

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 619 square miles (1,604 km²), of which, 608 square miles (1,575 km²) of it is land and 11 square miles (29 km²) of it (1.79%) is water.

[edit] Adjacent counties

[edit] Demographics

Snowmelt runoff fills Lake Dillon in Summit County, Colorado.
Snowmelt runoff fills Lake Dillon in Summit County, Colorado.
Masonic Temple in Kokomo ghost town, Summit County
Masonic Temple in Kokomo ghost town, Summit County

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 23,548 people, 9,120 households, and 4,769 families residing in the county. The population density was 39 people per square mile (15/km²). There were 24,201 housing units at an average density of 40 per square mile (15/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.84% White, 0.68% Black or African American, 0.48% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 3.96% from other races, and 2.10% from two or more races. 9.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 9,120 households out of which 24.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.00% were married couples living together, 4.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.70% were non-families. 21.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the county the population was spread out with 17.40% under the age of 18, 15.70% from 18 to 24, 44.30% from 25 to 44, 19.40% from 45 to 64, and 3.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 139.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 144.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $56,587, and the median income for a family was $66,914. Males had a median income of $33,741 versus $27,017 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,676. About 3.10% of families and 9.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.30% of those under age 18 and 3.40% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Cities and towns

[edit] National forest and wilderness

[edit] Trails

[edit] Bicycle routes

[edit] National scenic byway

[edit] Additional info

Summit County is located high in the Colorado Rockies. It is known as Colorado's playground because of the numerous outdoor actives that the area provides. The county is home to 4 major ski areas: Keystone, Copper Mountain, Breckenridge, and Arapahoe Basin. The county also has two reservoirs, namely Dillon and Green Mountain that are also popular. The easiest way to get to Summit County is by Interstate 70, which connects it with Denver 70 miles to the east. The ski areas in Summit County are on the western side of the Continental Divide, and are reached from Denver via the Eisenhower Tunnel.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Annual County Population Estimates and Estimated Components of Change: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 (CO-EST2006-alldata) (CSV). 2006 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division (2007-03-22). Retrieved on 2007-05-10.
  2. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links

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Municipalities and communities of
Summit County, Colorado
County seat: Breckenridge
Towns
Map of Colorado highlighting Summit County
CDP
Unincorporated
communities
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