Arapahoe County, Colorado facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Arapahoe County
U.S. county
Little Dry Creek in Englewood
Flag Logo
Location within the U.S. state of Colorado
Colorado's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Colorado
Founded	November 1, 1861
Named for	The Arapaho Nation
Seat	Littleton
Largest city	Aurora
Area
• Total	805 sq mi (2,080 km2)
• Land	798 sq mi (2,070 km2)
• Water	7.3 sq mi (19 km2)  0.9%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	655,070 (3rd)
• Density	821/sq mi (317/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional districts	1st, 4th, 6th

Arapahoe County is a county in the state of Colorado. A county is like a smaller region within a state, often with its own local government. In 2020, about 655,070 people lived here, making it the third most populated county in Colorado.

The main government center, called the county seat, is Littleton. The biggest city in the county is Aurora. The county got its name from the Arapaho Native American tribe. They used to live in this area a long time ago. Arapahoe County is known as "Colorado's First County" because it existed even before the big gold rush.

History of Arapahoe County

Early Beginnings and Gold Rush

On August 25, 1855, the Kansas Territory created a very large Arapahoe County. This county covered the entire western part of the Kansas Territory. It was named after the Arapaho Nation, who were the original inhabitants of the land.

In July 1858, people found gold along the South Platte River. This discovery started the famous Pike's Peak Gold Rush. Many miners felt far away from the Kansas and Nebraska governments. So, they decided to create their own area called the Territory of Jefferson in October 1859.

Forming Colorado Territory

The Jefferson Territory was never officially recognized by the U.S. government. When Kansas became a state in 1861, the mining areas were left without a clear government.

Then, on February 28, 1861, the U.S. Congress created the Territory of Colorado. On November 1, 1861, the Colorado leaders set up 17 original counties. Arapahoe County was one of them. It was much larger back then, stretching far to the east and north. Denver City was the county seat until 1902.

Changes and New Boundaries

In 1901, the Colorado government decided to divide Arapahoe County into three parts. These new parts were the City and County of Denver, Adams County, and a smaller part that was first called South Arapahoe County.

This change officially happened on November 15, 1902. Littleton became the temporary county seat for South Arapahoe County. A few months later, in April 1903, the name South Arapahoe County was changed back to Arapahoe County. In November 1904, voters chose Littleton to be the permanent county seat.

Geography of Arapahoe County

The Arapahoe County Courthouse is in Dove Valley.

Arapahoe County covers about 805 square miles. Most of this area is land, with a small amount of water. The county is about 72 miles wide from east to west. It is between 4 and 12 miles tall from north to south.

There are two small parts of Arapahoe County that are completely surrounded by the City and County of Denver. These are the City of Glendale and the Holly Hills neighborhood. These are called "exclaves."

Neighboring Counties

Arapahoe County shares borders with these other counties:

• City and County of Denver – to the northwest and also surrounds the exclaves
• Adams County – to the north
• Washington County – to the east
• Lincoln County – to the southeast
• Elbert County – to the south
• Douglas County – to the southwest
• Jefferson County – to the west

Main Roads and Highways

Many important roads run through Arapahoe County:

• Interstate 25
• Interstate 70
• Interstate 225
• I-70 Bus.
• I-70 Bus.
• I-70 Bus.
• I-70 Bus.
• U.S. Highway 85
• U.S. Highway 285
• State Highway 30
• State Highway 36
• State Highway 40
• State Highway 75
• State Highway 79
• State Highway 83
• State Highway 88
• State Highway 177
• State Highway 470
• E-470 (a road where you pay a fee to drive)

Parks and Trails

• Cherry Creek State Park is a popular state park.

You can also find historic and recreation trails here:

• Smoky Hill Trail
• South Platte Trail
• Highline Canal National Recreation Trail
• Platte River Greenway National Recreation Trail

Population and People

Arapahoe County has grown a lot over the years. In 2000, there were almost 488,000 people living there. The population is quite diverse. About 80% of the people were White, and there were also many African American, Asian, and Native American residents. About 12% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.

Education in Arapahoe County

Schools for Kids (K-12)

Arapahoe County has nine public school districts. These include Aurora, Cherry Creek, and Littleton.

In the 2023-2024 school year, Cherry Creek and Littleton were ranked among the top school districts in Colorado. Also, Cherry Creek High School and Grandview High School were ranked as some of the best public high schools in the state.

There are also several private schools. These include St. Mary's Academy and Regis Jesuit High School. Kent Denver School was even ranked as Colorado's number one high school.

Colleges and Universities

Arapahoe County is home to two large community colleges. These are Arapahoe Community College in Littleton and the Community College of Aurora.

You can also find the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus here. This campus is in Aurora and focuses on medical studies.

Cities and Towns

Arapahoe County has many different communities.

Cities

Towns

Other Communities (Census-Designated Places)

These are areas that are not officially cities or towns, but have a recognized population.

Former Communities

Some communities that used to be separate are now part of larger cities:

• Castlewood (now part of Centennial)
• Southglenn (now part of Centennial)

Images for kids

• 

  Little Dry Creek in Englewood

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Arapahoe para niños