Delta County, Colorado

Delta County, Colorado
Location in the state of Colorado
Colorado's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 11, 1883
Named for	City of Delta, Colorado
Seat	Delta
Largest city	Delta
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	1,148.52 sq mi (2,975 km²) 1,142.11 sq mi (2,958 km²) 6.42 sq mi (17 km²), 0.56%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	27,834 24/sq mi (9/km²)
Time zone	Mountain: UTC-7/-6
Website	www.deltacounty.com
Footnotes: 17th most populous Colorado county

Hay stack and automobiles of peach pickers, Delta County, 1940.

Pioneer Town in Cedaredge, 2008

Delta County is the 17th most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 27,834 in the 2000 U.S. Census.^[1] The county seat is the City of Delta. There are two other Delta Counties in the United States: Delta County, Texas, and Delta County, Michigan.

History

Delta County was created by the Colorado legislature on February 11, 1883, out of portions of central Gunnison County. The county was named for the City of Delta.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 1,148.52 square miles (2,974.7 km²), of which 1,142.11 square miles (2,958.1 km²) (or 99.44%) is land and 6.42 square miles (16.6 km²) (or 0.56%) is water.^[2]

Adjacent counties

Delta County borders only three adjacent counties (only the City and County of Denver borders so few):

• Gunnison County, Colorado - east
• Montrose County, Colorado - south
• Mesa County, Colorado - northwest

National protected area

• Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area (part)

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 27,834 people, 11,058 households, and 7,939 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 12,374 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.29% White, 0.52% Black or African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.25% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. 11.39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 11,058 households out of which 29.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.30% were married couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 24.80% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 6.30% from 18 to 24, 23.60% from 25 to 44, 26.50% from 45 to 64, and 19.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 100.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.60 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,785, and the median income for a family was $37,748. Males had a median income of $31,348 versus $19,916 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,152. About 8.50% of families and 12.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.00% of those under age 18 and 9.60% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Cedaredge
• Cory
• Crawford
• Delta
• Hotchkiss
• Orchard City
• Paonia

State parks

• Crawford State Park
• Sweitzer Lake State Park

National forest and wilderness

• Dominguez Canyon Wilderness
• Grand Mesa National Forest
• Gunnison Gorge Wilderness

Trails and byways

• American Discovery Trail
• Crag Crest National Recreation Trail
• Old Spanish National Historic Trail
• Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway
• West Elk Loop Scenic Byway

Media

The local papers are the Delta County Independent and the Mountain Valley News.

See also

• Colorado census statistical areas
• Colorado counties
• Colorado municipalities
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Delta County, Colorado

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. http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/files/CO-EST2006-ALLDATA.csv. Retrieved 2007-05-10. 
2. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Delta County Government website
• Colorado County Evolution by Don Stanwyck
• Colorado Historical Society
• Delta Real Time Weather

Coordinates: 38°52′N 107°52′W / 38.86°N 107.86°W / 38.86; -107.86