Sheridan, Colorado

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sheridan is a city in Arapahoe County, Colorado, USA. As of 2005, the city is estimated to have a total population of 5,483.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Brief History
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Sheridan is located at 39°38′56″N, 105°1′4″W (39.648920, -105.017681)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.8 km² (2.2 mi²). 5.7 km² (2.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (1.79%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 5,600 people, 2,236 households, and 1,372 families residing in the city. The population density was 982.8/km² (2,543.4/mi²). There were 2,395 housing units at an average density of 420.3/km² (1,087.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.00% White, 1.88% African American, 2.20% Native American, 1.68% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 12.54% from other races, and 4.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 32.52% of the population.

There were 2,236 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples living together, 15.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.6% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 103.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,984, and the median income for a family was $38,500. Males had a median income of $29,655 versus $22,500 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,635. About 9.0% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.3% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Brief History

Sheridan, Colorado, then called Petersburg, has always been a small close knit community that gets along well with its neighbors. The first white settler was of what would become Sheridan was John McBroom in the spring of 1859 (Hulse, D. F. 2004). He homesteaded 160 acres. He build his first log cabin near Bear Creek which he later abandoned in 1866 when he got married to Emma J. Bennett. He prospered as a farmer and found a viable market in Denver for his goods. He was joined by his brother, Issac McBroom, in June 1860 who also homesteaded a little over 160 acres. The laying out of the town of Sheridan is credited to Issac. He was also responsible for the name change from Petersburg to Sheridan. Issac McBroom’s cabin can be toured at the Littleton Historical Museum However the McBroom brothers were not the only influential people in Sheridan. Another predominate figure in the history was Peter Magnes. Originally from Sweden, Magnes was a hard working farmer. When he was 26 he immigrated to the United States and in 1859 his first daughter was born on the banks of the Cherry Creek. He also purchased 160 acres of land and built a small log cabin. In 1865 Peter laid out the town of Petersburg and encouraged Swedish families to immigrate to his town. The town had a railroad, hotel, blacksmith, a church, newspaper, a post office, and, of course, taverns (Dorward, R 2004). Incorporation of Sheridan, Colorado began n January 1890. However there was some dispute among the petitioners about boundaries and the final results were filed in February 1890. On April 14, 1890 the town of Sheridan was incorporated (Hutchenson, B. 2002). Sheridan gets its name from General of the Army, Philip H. Sheridan (Sheridan Historical Society 2001). General Sheridan established Fort Logan which was originally known as the “Camp close to Denver,” which was the site known as the" Johnson Tract," south of the city because of its water supply, the proximity of the railroad, “available space for a parade ground, artesian well possibilities, the beautiful view and the distance from Denver and its saloons” Hutchenson, B. 2002). Because of the military post Sheridan continued to flourish. However, eventually the post was shut down and it is now a mental health facility that borders Sheridan. Sheridan has remained a close knit community that continues to influence the surrounding areas, most recently with current redevelopment projects.

[edit] References

Dorward, R. (2004). City of Littleton. Littleton History: Biographies, Peter Magnes. Retrieved from http://www.littletongov.org/history/biographies/magnes.asp on February 25, 2007

Hulse, D. F. (2004). City of Littleton. Littleton History: Biographies, McBroom Family. Retrieved from http://www.littletongov.org/history/biographies/mcbroom.asp on February 25, 2007.

Hutchenson, B. (2002). A History of Sheridan, Colorado. Retrieved from http://www.rootsweb.com/~coshs/ha_morehistory.htm on February 25, 2007

Sheridan Historical Society. (2001). General Philip Henry Sheridan. Retrieved from http://www.rootsweb.com/~coshs/ha_sheridan.htm on February 25, 2007.