Garfield County, Colorado

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Garfield County
County
The Garfield County Courthouse and county office building in Glenwood Springs, Colorado LCCN2015633571.tif
Garfield County Courthouse in Glenwood Springs
Garfield County (Colorado).png
Flag
Map of Colorado highlighting Garfield County.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Colorado
Colorado in United States.svg
Colorado's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°36′N107°54′W / 39.6°N 107.9°W / 39.6; -107.9
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Colorado.svg  Colorado
FoundedFebruary 10, 1883
Named for James A. Garfield
Seat Glenwood Springs
Largest city Rifle
Area
 • Total2,956 sq mi (7,660 km2)
 • Land2,948 sq mi (7,640 km2)
 • Water8.3 sq mi (21 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total61,685
 • Density21/sq mi (8/km2)
Time zone UTC−7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district 3rd
Website www.garfield-county.com

Garfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 61,685. [1] The county seat is Glenwood Springs. [2] The county is named in honor of United States President James A. Garfield. [3] Garfield County is included in the Glenwood Springs, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Edwards-Glenwood Springs, CO Combined Statistical Area.

Contents

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,956 square miles (7,660 km2), of which 2,948 square miles (7,640 km2) is land and 8.3 square miles (21 km2) (0.3%) is water. [4]

Adjacent counties

Major highways

Protected areas

Scenic byways

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1890 4,478—
1900 5,83530.3%
1910 10,14473.8%
1920 9,304−8.3%
1930 9,9757.2%
1940 10,5605.9%
1950 11,62510.1%
1960 12,0173.4%
1970 14,82123.3%
1980 22,51451.9%
1990 29,97433.1%
2000 43,79146.1%
2010 56,38928.8%
2020 61,6859.4%
2023 (est.)62,707 [5] 1.7%
U.S. Decennial Census [6]
1790-1960 [7] 1900-1990 [8]
1990-2000 [9] 2010-2020 [1]

The 2019 Census population estimate for Garfield County is 60,061, [10] a 6.5% increase from the 2010 Census.

Education

Garfield County is served by 3 public school districts:

The county is also home to private schools, including Colorado Rocky Mountain School in Carbondale, St. Stephen Catholic School in Glenwood Springs, and Liberty Classical Academy in New Castle.

Higher Education

The county is home to multiple campuses of Colorado Mountain College, a community college serving much of western Colorado. CMC's administrative offices are located in Glenwood Springs, as are both the Spring Valley residential campus and a commuter campus. The college operates additional commuter campuses in Rifle and Carbondale.

Politics

Voting participation rates in Garfield County are above the U.S. national average. [11] [12] In the 2018 general election, 65% of eligible voters participated. In the 2020 presidential election, 84.47% eligible voters participated. The county leans slightly Republican based on vote totals in elections from 2008 to 2018, with an estimated range of 2 to 1,000 votes often determining candidate outcomes for the county.

Garfield County has primarily voted for Republican Party candidates in presidential elections throughout its history, with the county only failing to back the Republican candidate ten times from 1884 to 2020. Although the county includes the relatively liberal cities of Carbondale and Glenwood Springs, this is somewhat outweighed by the nearby towns of Rifle, Silt, Parachute, and Battlement Mesa. Until 2020, the most recent Democratic win was by Bill Clinton in 1992, but Republicans were held to a plurality of the county's votes in half of the six following presidential elections prior to 2020. Notably, Barack Obama lost the county to John McCain by two votes in 2008.

In 2020, Joe Biden became the first Democratic presidential candidate to win the county since Clinton in 1992, with about 50% of the vote. No Democratic presidential candidate has won a majority of the vote in the county since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, although in 2020, Biden was just 26 votes shy of having the majority of the vote in the county. The county's leftward trend continued significantly in 2022, during which it backed the Democratic candidates and eventual winners in every statewide race.

The county lies in Colorado's 3rd congressional district, represented by local Rifle resident Lauren Boebert.

United States presidential election results for Garfield County, Colorado [13]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No. %No. %No. %
2020 14,71747.62%15,42749.92%7602.46%
2016 13,13249.61%11,27142.58%2,0677.81%
2012 12,53551.36%11,30546.32%5682.33%
2008 11,35949.21%11,35749.20%3661.59%
2004 11,12353.87%9,22844.69%2961.43%
2000 9,10353.22%6,08735.59%1,91411.19%
1996 6,28144.43%5,72240.47%2,13515.10%
1992 4,40431.51%5,08236.36%4,49032.13%
1988 6,35857.21%4,62041.57%1361.22%
1984 7,11169.14%3,07629.91%980.95%
1980 5,41658.08%2,63928.30%1,27013.62%
1976 4,69959.74%2,85236.26%3154.00%
1972 4,45266.27%2,08831.08%1782.65%
1968 3,15752.24%2,27337.61%61310.14%
1964 2,28241.58%3,19658.24%100.18%
1960 3,21558.04%2,31341.76%110.20%
1956 3,33262.90%1,95336.87%120.23%
1952 3,91468.44%1,77731.07%280.49%
1948 2,41650.10%2,36449.03%420.87%
1944 2,58857.97%1,86541.78%110.25%
1940 2,89457.18%2,14142.30%260.51%
1936 1,94542.95%2,40653.14%1773.91%
1932 1,73436.05%2,94661.25%1302.70%
1928 2,43560.03%1,56238.51%591.45%
1924 1,93451.27%91724.31%92124.42%
1920 1,91254.32%1,48942.30%1193.38%
1916 1,13929.86%2,47964.98%1975.16%
1912 82421.10%1,80646.25%1,27532.65%
1908 1,50441.99%1,89852.99%1805.03%
1904 1,63953.09%1,28641.66%1625.25%
1900 82632.29%1,70066.46%321.25%
1896 1737.61%2,06590.81%361.58%
1892 63447.00%00.00%71553.00%
1888 1,11056.63%82041.84%301.53%
1884 24563.80%13936.20%00.00%

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

  1. ↑ Despite having no permanent population since the 1890 US Census, the town's property owners voted to reactivate the local government in 2014.

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battlement Mesa, Colorado</span> Ceneus-designated place in Garfield County, Colorado, United States

Battlement Mesa is a census-designated place (CDP) and post office in and governed by Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Glenwood Springs, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. The Battlement Mesa post office has the ZIP Codes 81635 and 81636. At the United States Census 2020, the population of the Battlement Mesa CDP was 5,438. The Battlement Mesa Metropolitan District provides services.

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Rifle is a home rule municipality in and the most populous community of Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The population was 10,437 at the 2020 census. Rifle is a regional center of the cattle ranching industry located along Interstate 70 and the Colorado River just east of the Roan Plateau, which dominates the western skyline of the town. The town was founded in 1882 by Abram Maxfield, and was incorporated in 1905 along Rifle Creek, near its mouth on the Colorado. The community takes its name from the creek.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silt, Colorado</span> Town in Colorado, United States

Silt is a statutory town in Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The population was 3,536 at the 2020 census, up from 2,930 at the 2010 census. The town is part of the Glenwood Springs Micropolitan Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catherine, Colorado</span> Census-designated place in Garfield County, Colorado, United States

Catherine is a census-designated place (CDP) in and governed by Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Glenwood Springs, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the Catherine CDP was 235 at the United States Census 2020. The Glenwood Springs post office serves the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cattle Creek, Colorado</span> Census-designated place in Garfield County, Colorado, United States

Cattle Creek is a census-designated place (CDP) in and governed by Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Glenwood Springs, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the Cattle Creek CDP was 662 at the United States Census 2020. The Glenwood Springs post office serves the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mulford, Colorado</span> Census-designated place in Garfield County, Colorado, United States

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References

  1. 1 2 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp.  134.
  4. ↑ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  6. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved June 8, 2014.
  10. ↑ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Garfield County, Colorado". www.census.gov. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Election archives – Clerk and Recorder". www.garfield-county.com. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Voter turnout in the United States presidential elections", Wikipedia, October 8, 2020, retrieved October 11, 2020
  13. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved November 27, 2020.

39°36′N107°54′W / 39.60°N 107.90°W / 39.60; -107.90

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