Park County, Colorado

Infobox U.S. County
county = Park County
state = Colorado


founded year = 1861
founded date = November 1
seat wl = Fairplay
largest city wl = Fairplay
city type = town
area_total_sq_mi = 2211
area_total_km2 = 5726
area_land_sq_mi = 2201
area_land_km2 = 5700
area_water_sq_mi = 10
area_water_km2 = 26
area percentage = 0.14%
census yr = 2000
pop = 14523
density_sq_mi = 5
density_km2 = 2
time zone = Mountain
UTC offset = -7
DST offset = -6
footnotes =
Home of South Park

web = www.parkco.us
named for =

Park County is the 17th most extensive of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county was named after the large geographic region known as South Park, which was named by early fur traders and trappers in the area. The geographic center of the State of Colorado is located in Park County. The county population was 14,523 at U.S. Census 2000.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 = CSV | work = 2006 Population Estimates | publisher = United States Census Bureau, Population Division | date = 2007-03-22 | accessdate = 2007-05-10] The county seat is Fairplay. Despite its location in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, Park County is part of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,211 square miles (5,726 km²), of which, 2,201 square miles (5,700 km²) of it is land and 10 square miles (26 km²) of it (0.45%) is water.

Adjacent counties

*Clear Creek County, Colorado - north
*Jefferson County, Colorado - northeast
*Teller County, Colorado - east
*Fremont County, Colorado - southeast
*Chaffee County, Colorado - southwest
*Lake County, Colorado - west
*Summit County, Colorado - northwest

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 14,523 people, 5,894 households, and 4,220 families residing in the county. The population density was 7 people per square mile (3/km²). There were 10,697 housing units at an average density of 5 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 95.07% White, 0.50% Black or African American, 0.92% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.23% from other races, and 1.84% from two or more races. 4.32% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,894 households out of which 30.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.10% were married couples living together, 4.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.40% were non-families. 21.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.50% under the age of 18, 5.10% from 18 to 24, 33.40% from 25 to 44, 30.60% from 45 to 64, and 7.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 107.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $51,899, and the median income for a family was $57,025. Males had a median income of $41,480 versus $27,807 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,019. About 3.40% of families and 5.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.60% of those under age 18 and 5.70% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

*Alma
*Bailey
*Como
*Fairplay
*Grant
*Guffey
*Hartsel
*Jefferson
*Lake George
*Shawnee
*Tarryall

tate parks

*Eleven Mile State Park
*Spinney Mountain State Park

National forests and wilderness

*Pike National Forest
*Roosevelt National Forest
*San Isabel National Forest
*Buffalo Peaks Wilderness
*Lost Creek Wilderness

Trails

*American Discovery Trail
*Colorado Trail
*Continental Divide National Scenic Trail

Bicycle routes

*Great Parks Bicycle Route
*TransAmerica Trail Bicycle Route

cenic byway

*Guanella Pass Scenic Byway

Trivia

In the animated television series "South Park", the fictional town of the same name is situated in Park County, Colorado. The police on the show are almost always referred to as "Park County Police" as opposed to "South Park". "South Park" is partially based on Fairplay as well as the Denver suburb of Littleton.

ee also

*Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory
*Park County, Jefferson Territory
*Colorado census statistical areas
*Colorado counties
*Colorado metropolitan areas
*Colorado municipalities
*Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area
*Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area
*Front Range Urban Corridor
*South Park (Colorado basin)

References

External links

* [http://www.parkco.us Park County Government website]
* [http://www.stanwyck.com/cogenweb/cocounties.html Colorado County Evolution by Don Stanwyck]
* [http://www.coloradohistory.org/ Colorado Historical Society]