Centennial, Colorado Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Centennial, Colorado

Home rule municipality

Centennial Civic Center located on East Arapahoe Road

Flag

Motto(s):

Spirit of the Past

Centennial in Arapahoe County, Colorado

Centennial, Colorado

Location in Colorado

Centennial, Colorado

Location in the United States

Incorporated

February 7, 2001

Government

• Type

Home rule municipality

Area

• Home rule municipality

77.355 km² (29.867 sq mi)

• Land

76.976 km² (29.721 sq mi)

• Water

0.379 km² (0.146 sq mi)

Elevation

1,744 m (5,722 ft)

Population

(2020)

• Home rule municipality

108,418

• Rank

11th in Colorado

• Density

1,409/km² (3,648/sq mi)

• Metro

2,963,821 (19th)

• CSA

3,623,560 (17th)

• Front Range

5,055,344

• Summer (DST)

80015-80016, 80111-80112, 80121-80122,
80161 (PO Box)

Area code(s)

303/720/983

FIPS code

08-12815

GNIS feature ID

2408300

11th most populous Colorado city

Centennial is a home rule municipality located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,418 at the 2020 United States Census, making Centennial the 11th most populous municipality in Colorado. Centennial is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor.

History
Geography
Demographics
Economy
Schools
Points of interest
Notable people
Surrounding municipalities
See also

History

Centennial was formed on February 7, 2001, from portions of unincorporated Arapahoe County, including the former Castlewood and Southglenn census-designated places (CDPs). The citizens of the area had voted to incorporate on September 12, 2000, choosing Centennial as the official name during the vote. The name reflects Colorado's admission to the Union as the 38th state in 1876, the centennial year of the United States Declaration of Independence. The state of Colorado is nicknamed the "Centennial State".

Incorporation was approved by 77% of the voters, and the population of the area at over 100,000 made it the largest incorporation in U.S. history as of its creation. The city was incorporated in large part to prevent further annexations of unincorporated areas by the city of Greenwood Village in an attempt to improve its tax base. The taxes generated from businesses in unincorporated portions of Arapahoe County funded the majority of the county's services, including road work. A number of court cases eventually established the right of incorporation to take precedence over the right of annexation.

The city was incorporated on a promise to keep city taxes at 1%. (One of the campaigns against incorporation appealed to voters to maintain the 3.8% sales tax of the unincorporated county.) According to the Centennial website, the current sales tax rate is two-and-a-half times the promised rate, at 2.5%.

In 2008, Centennial voters approved a referendum by approximately a 2-to-1 margin making Centennial a home rule city.

Centennial Airport, formerly Arapahoe County Airport, lies adjacent to Centennial, but is located in unincorporated Arapahoe County. The airport is not named after the city, as it predates the city by over 30 years.

Geography

Centennial is roughly divided in half by Interstate 25, with most of its business and entertainment centers lying west of the highway. The city's boundaries are highly irregular and evocative of a gerrymander, particularly the overwhelmingly residential eastern portions of the city, which appear with Foxfield, portions of Aurora, and unincorporated areas as a distorted checkerboard on the city's map.

Centennial has many hills, gullies and ravines, and its open spaces are usually accompanied by recreational trails and parks, including Dry Creek Dam, DeKoevend Park, the High line Canal Trail, Willow Creek Trail, as well as Big Dry Creek and Little Dry Creek Trails. Centennial hosts most native wildlife and is a good reflection of Colorado's front range ecosystem. Centennial has seen a boost in coyote populations in recent years, leading to resident education on how to deter coyotes from eating family pets.

Centennial is located at 39°35'47" North, 104°50'38" West (39.5963, −104.8439).

At the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total area of 19,115 acres (77.355 km²) including 94 acres (0.379 km²) of water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1980	54,200	—
1990	67,479	24.5%
2000	69,087	2.4%
2010	100,377	45.3%
2020	108,418	8.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

Map of racial distribution in Centennial, 2020 U.S. census. Each dot is one person: ⬤ White ⬤ Black ⬤ Asian ⬤ Hispanic ⬤ Multiracial ⬤ Native American/Other

**Centennial, Colorado – Racial and ethnic composition**
*Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.*
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)	Pop 2010	Pop 2020	% 2010	% 2020
White alone (NH)	82,664	81,391	82.35%	75.07%
Black or African American alone (NH)	3,146	3,545	3.13%	3.27%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)	284	266	0.28%	0.25%
Asian alone (NH)	4,340	6,794	4.32%	6.27%
Pacific Islander alone (NH)	94	109	0.09%	0.10%
Some Other Race alone (NH)	131	508	0.13%	0.47%
Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH)	2,261	5,387	2.25%	4.97%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	7,457	10,418	7.43%	9.61%
Total	100,377	108,418	100.00%	100.00%

The city is approximately composed of 87.4% White, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 3.6% Asian, 2.4% African American, 0.4% Native American, and 0.3% from other races.

The median age is 37.2 years, in comparison to the 35.3-year national average. For every 100 females, there are 98 males.

Economy

National CineMedia and United Launch Alliance are among the companies based in Centennial. According to Centennial's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

#	Employer
1	Comcast
2	United Healthcare
3	Arrow Electronics
4	United Launch Alliance
5	CommonSpirit Health
6	Sierra Nevada Corporation
7	The Travelers Indemnity Company
8	Ring Central
9	Standard & Poor's
10	MasTec Advanced Technologies

Schools

Most of Centennial is within the territory of the Cherry Creek Public Schools while the western portion of the city in the territory of Littleton Public Schools. Centennial is also served by a few private schools.

Private Elementary and Middle Schools

St. Thomas More Parish School
Highlands Baptist Academy
Shepherd of the Hills Christian School
Centennial Christian Academy
C.A.R.E. Middle School

Seminary

Gateway Seminary

Points of interest

International Headquarters for Gamma Phi Beta sorority are located in Centennial. Gamma Phi Beta was the first women's organization to use the term "sorority".
Centennial was chosen in 2008 as the site of the first IKEA store in Colorado. The IKEA Centennial location opened on July 27, 2011. It is the second-largest IKEA store in the United States. IKEA Centennial was awarded the Project of the Year in 2011 by city of Centennial.
Centennial is home to the headquarters of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA). NCBA also maintains an office in Washington, D.C.
Centennial is home to the headquarters of Arrow Electronics and is the largest company headquartered in Colorado.