Wheat Ridge, Colorado

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

City of Wheat Ridge, Colorado
Location in Jefferson County and the state of Colorado
Location in Jefferson County and the state of Colorado
Coordinates: 39°46′17″N 105°5′46″W / 39.77139, -105.09611
Country Flag of the United States United States
State Flag of Colorado State of Colorado
County[1] Jefferson County
Founded 1859
Incorporated August 20, 1969[2]
Government
 - Type Home Rule Municipality[1]
Area
 - Total 9.1 sq mi (23.5 km²)
 - Land 9.1 sq mi (23.5 km²)
 - Water 0 sq mi (0 km²)
Elevation [3] 5,459 ft (1,664 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 32,913
 - Density 3,616.8/sq mi (1,400.6/km²)
Time zone MST (UTC-7)
 - Summer (DST) MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP codes[4] 80033-80034, 80212, 80214-80215
Area code(s) Both 303 and 720
FIPS code 08-84440
GNIS feature ID 0202840
Highways I-70, I-76, SH 58, SH 72, SH 95, SH 121, SH 391
Website: City of Wheat Ridge

The City of Wheat Ridge is a Home Rule Municipality located in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Wheat Ridge is a western suburb of Denver. The Wheat Ridge Municipal Center is only 5 miles (8 km) west-northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 31,242 on 2006-07-01.[5]

Contents

[edit] Geography

Wheat Ridge is located at 39°46′17″N, 105°5′46″W (39.771317, -105.096117)[6].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.1 square miles (23.6 km²), of which, 9.1 square miles (23.5 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.22%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 32,913 people, 14,559 households, and 8,313 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,621.0 people per square mile (1,398.0/km²). There were 14,931 housing units at an average density of 1,642.7/sq mi (634.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.21% White, 0.84% African American, 0.94% Native American, 1.37% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 4.99% from other races, and 2.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.47% of the population.

There were 14,559 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.4% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.9% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,983, and the median income for a family was $47,512. Males had a median income of $36,711 versus $28,370 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,636. About 5.9% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

Wheat Ridge was founded as a community in 1859. It was a farming community that supported Denver and nearby mining communities, and became the largest producer of carnations worldwide until the mid-20th century. Wheat Ridge did not incorporate until August of 1969, when it was faced with annexation by surrounding cities. It currently has three National Historical Sites and one Colorado State Historical Site. The Wheat Ridge Historical Society, in cooperation with the Colorado Historical Society and the City of Wheat Ridge, is in the process of restoring one of the first log cabins still on the same site. The building, which is known as the Baugh Cabin, is anticipated to have restoration completed before 2008.

[edit] Notable residents

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Active Colorado Municipalities (HTML). State of Colorado, Department of Local Affairs. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.
  2. ^ Colorado Municipal Incorporations (HTML). State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives (2004-12-01). Retrieved on 2007-09-02.
  3. ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  4. ^ ZIP Code Lookup (JavaScript/HTML). United States Postal Service. Retrieved on 2008-01-08.
  5. ^ Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Colorado (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division (June 21, 2006). Retrieved on November 16, 2006.
  6. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  7. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links