Douglas County, Colorado

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.

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{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ|title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States|publisher=Govt. Print. Off.|author=Gannett, Henry|year=1905|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n102 108]}} 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.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of {{convert|844|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|841|sqmi}} are land and {{convert|2.6|sqmi}} (0.3%) are covered by water.{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}

• Jefferson County, Colorado – west
• Arapahoe County, Colorado – north
• Elbert County, Colorado – east
• El Paso County, Colorado – south
• Teller County, Colorado – southwest

• 20px Interstate 25
• 20px U.S. Highway 85
• 20px U.S. Highway 87
• 20px State Highway 67
• 20px State Highway 83
• 20px State Highway 86
• 20px State Highway 105
• 20px State Highway 121
• 20px State Highway 470
• 20px E-470 tollway

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:

• American Discovery Trail
• Colorado Trail
• Devils Head National Recreation Trail
• Highline Canal National Recreation Trail
• Platte River Greenway National Recreation Trail
• Ridgeline Open Space Trail
• Bluffs Regional Park Trail

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.{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/cherokee-ranch-and-castle|title=Cherokee Ranch and Castle|encyclopedia=Colorado Encyclopedia|publisher=History Colorado|date=2019|access-date=July 25, 2023}}{{cite journal|title=Late Paleocene woods from Cherokee Ranch, Colorado, U.S.A.|first1=Elisabeth A.|last1=Wheeler|first2=Peter K.|last2=Brown|first3=Allan J.|last3=Koch|journal=Rocky Mountain Geology|publisher=University of Wyoming|date=May 1, 2019|url=https://pubs.geoscienceworld.org/uwyo/rmg/article/54/1/33/570837/Late-Paleocene-woods-from-Cherokee-Ranch-Colorado|access-date=July 25, 2023|volume=54|number=1|page=33 |doi=10.24872/rmgjournal.54.1.33 |bibcode=2019RMGeo..54...33W |doi-access=free}}

{{anchor|Prairie Canyon Ranch}}

The Prairie Canyon Ranch, at 4620 CO-83, about {{convert|10|mi|km}} south of Franktown, is a Douglas County Open Space. It is a working cattle ranch on {{convert|978|acre|km2}}, open to the public on special events.{{cite news|url=https://www.denverpost.com/2014/12/09/prairie-canyon-ranch-in-franktown-part-of-20-year-open-space-legacy/ |author=Clayton Woullard |date=December 9, 2014 |title=Prairie Canyon Ranch in Franktown part of 20 year open space legacy |publisher=Denver Post }}{{cite web|url=https://www.douglas.co.us/open-space-natural-resources/properties/prairie-canyon-ranch-open-space/ |title=Prairie Canyon Ranch Open Space}}

{{US Census population

|1870= 1388

|1880= 2486

|1890= 3006

|1900= 3120

|1910= 3192

|1920= 3517

|1930= 3498

|1940= 3496

|1950= 3507

|1960= 4816

|1970= 8407

|1980= 25153

|1990= 60391

|2000= 175766

|2010= 285465

|2020= 357978

|estyear=2024

|estimate=393995

|estref={{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2024|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=March 13, 2025}}

|align-fn=center

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 7, 2014}}
1790–1960{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|access-date=June 7, 2014}} 1900–1990{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/co190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 7, 2014}}
1990–2000{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=June 7, 2014}} 2010–2020

}}

As of the census{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 14, 2011 |title=U.S. Census website }} of 2000, 175,766 people, 60,924 households, and 49,835 families were residing in the county. The population density was {{convert|209|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people |people}}. The 63,333 housing units averaged {{convert|75|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units |units|}}. 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{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=douglas&_cityTown=douglas&_state=04000US08&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010 |title=Douglas County, Colorado – Fact Sheet – American FactFinder |publisher=Factfinder.census.gov |access-date=July 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200211180643/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=douglas&_cityTown=douglas&_state=04000US08&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010 |archive-date=February 11, 2020 |url-status=dead }}). 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.

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.{{cite web |title=Healthiest communities ranking 2021 |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/colorado/douglas-county |website=Us News and World Report |access-date=July 11, 2021}}

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 2024, Kamala Harris achieved the highest vote share for a Democratic presidential nominee in the county since 1964.{{cite web|url=http://data.denverpost.com/election/results/county/douglas/2016/|title=Douglas County, Colorado, 2016 Election Results: Elections: The Denver Post|website=Denver Post Election Data|access-date=March 16, 2018}} In 2022, incumbent Democratic governor Jared Polis lost the county by a razor-thin margin, winning nearly 49% of the vote.{{Cite news |date=November 8, 2022 |title=Colorado Governor Election Results |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/11/08/us/elections/results-colorado-governor.html |access-date=August 23, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}} 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.{{cite news |title=2020 Elections Map |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/upshot/2020-election-map.html |work=New York Times |date=February 2, 2021 |access-date=February 21, 2021|last1=Park |first1=Alice |last2=Smart |first2=Charlie |last3=Taylor |first3=Rumsey |last4=Watkins |first4=Miles }}

{{PresHead|place=Douglas County, Colorado|source={{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|first=David|last=Leip|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=May 26, 2017}}}}

{{PresRow|2024|Republican|127,451|110,408|6,033|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|2020|Republican|121,270|104,653|5,682|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|2016|Republican|102,573|68,657|16,270|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|2012|Republican|104,397|61,094|2,593|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|2008|Republican|88,108|61,960|1,751|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|2004|Republican|80,651|39,661|889|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|2000|Republican|56,007|27,076|3,142|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1996|Republican|32,120|16,232|3,623|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1992|Republican|18,592|9,991|11,477|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1988|Republican|17,035|6,931|384|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1984|Republican|12,249|3,011|181|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1980|Republican|8,126|2,108|1,362|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1976|Republican|5,078|2,459|211|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1972|Republican|3,625|1,048|127|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1968|Republican|1,910|857|337|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|1,336|1,442|13|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1960|Republican|1,490|823|0|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1956|Republican|1,508|697|10|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1952|Republican|1,427|637|4|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1948|Republican|979|767|10|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1944|Republican|1,214|638|5|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1940|Republican|1,298|801|9|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|895|1,044|29|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|836|1,061|49|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1928|Republican|1,107|603|13|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1924|Republican|870|383|319|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1920|Republican|948|561|35|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|612|820|19|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|373|619|330|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1908|Republican|779|629|14|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1904|Republican|792|524|20|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|642|650|18|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1896|Democratic|172|1,051|10|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1892|Republican|360|0|265|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1888|Republican|385|307|39|Colorado}}

{{PresRow|1884|Republican|288|246|6|Colorado}}

{{PresFoot|1880|Republican|331|282|2|Colorado}}

Douglas County is served by Douglas County School District RE-1, which covers the entire county.{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st08_co/schooldistrict_maps/c08035_douglas/DC20SD_C08035.pdf|title=2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Douglas County, CO|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|access-date=2024-11-01}} - [https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st08_co/schooldistrict_maps/c08035_douglas/DC20SD_C08035_SD2MS.txt Text list] It is the third-largest school district in Colorado. In addition to traditional neighborhood schools, the district includes sixteen charter schools,{{cite web | url=https://www.dcsdk12.org/schools_academics/schools/charter_schools | title=Charter Schools }} four option schools, and an [http://edcsd.org online school] . Schools are rated generally high in the area.

[https://web.archive.org/web/20100503035727/http://www.the-university-center.org/ 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.

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.{{cite web|url=http://douglascountyhistory.org/|title=Douglas County History Research Center|website=douglascountyhistory.org|access-date=March 16, 2018}}

Image:Douglas County, CO, School District office IMG 5629.JPG

According to the county's 2015 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,{{cite web|url=http://www.douglas.co.us/documents/2015-cafr.pdf|title=2015 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report|publisher=Douglas County Government|access-date=February 4, 2017}} the top employers in the county are:

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 {{cite web|url=https://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2009/top25s/financial/jobgrowth.html |title=Best Places to Live 2009 – Top 25: Fastest job growth – from MONEY Magazine |publisher=Money.cnn.com |access-date=July 22, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328080635/https://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2009/top25s/financial/jobgrowth.html |archive-date=March 28, 2014 }}
• American City Business Journals (ACBJ) ranked Douglas County fourth in the nation for “Quality of Life”, May 2004 {{cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/edit_special/13.html |title=Go west for top quality of life |publisher=bizjournals |date=May 24, 2004 |access-date=July 22, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617055647/http://www.bizjournals.com/edit_special/13.html |archive-date=June 17, 2010 }}
• [http://www.schooldigger.com/ 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.){{cite web|url=http://www.schooldigger.com/go/CO/districtrank.aspx |title=Colorado State Districts – CO School District Rankings |publisher=Schooldigger.com |access-date=July 22, 2010}}

• Aurora (part)
• Castle Pines
• Littleton (part)
• Lone Tree

• Castle Rock
• Larkspur
• Parker

{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}

• Acres Green
• Castle Pines Village
• Franktown
• Grand View Estates
• Highlands Ranch
• Louviers
• Meridian
• Meridian Village
• Perry Park
• Roxborough Park
• Sedalia
• Sierra Ridge
• Stepping Stone
• Sterling Ranch
• Stonegate
• The Pinery
• Westcreek

{{div col end}}

• Dakan
• Deckers
• Greenland

• Carriage Club (now part of Lone Tree)
• Cottonwood (now part of Parker)
• Heritage Hills (now part of Lone Tree)

{{portal|Government|History|Mountains|United States|Colorado}}

• Bibliography of Colorado
• Geography of Colorado
• History of Colorado
• Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Douglas County, Colorado
• Index of Colorado-related articles
• List of Colorado-related lists
• List of counties in Colorado
• List of statistical areas in Colorado
• Outline of Colorado
• Douglas County search and rescue
• Front Range Urban Corridor

{{clear}}

{{reflist|30em}}

• [https://www.douglas.co.us/ Douglas County website] Douglas County Website
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20131222011552/https://www.dcsdk12.org/portal/page/portal/DCSD/ Douglas County School Information] Douglas County Schools
• [https://www.dcsheriff.net/ Douglas County Sheriff Department website] DCSO
• [https://joindcso.com/ DCSO Recruiting website] Join DCSO
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070114145358/http://denver.yourhub.com/CASTLEROCK YourHub.com/DouglasCounty] Web Archived Website
• [https://www.historycolorado.org/ Colorado Historical Society] Colorado Historical Society
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070205102713/http://www.stanwyck.com/cogenweb/cocounties.html Colorado County Evolution by Don Stanwyck]
• [https://www.dcl.org/ Douglas County Libraries] Douglas County Libraries
• [https://archives.dcl.org/ DCL Archives & Local History] DCL Archives & Local History
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110925015548/http://www.ourdccolorado.com/ Our Douglas County Colorado] News and Events - Web Archived Website

{{Geographic Location

|Centre = Douglas County, Colorado

|North = Arapahoe County

|Northeast =

|East = Elbert County

|Southeast = El Paso County

|South = Teller County

|Southwest =

|West = Jefferson County

|Northwest =

}}

{{Douglas County, Colorado}}

{{Colorado}}

{{authority control}}

{{Coord|39.35|-104.93|display=title|type:adm2nd_region:US-CO_source:UScensus1990}}

Category:Colorado counties

Category:1861 establishments in Colorado Territory

Category:Populated places established in 1861