Arvada, Colorado

History

The first documented discovery of gold in the Rocky Mountain region occurred on June 22, 1850, when Lewis Ralston, a Georgia prospector traveling with a party headed for the California gold fields, dipped his sluice pan into a small stream near its confluence with Clear Creek. He found about ¼ troy ounce (8 g) of gold, then worth about five dollars (about $ USD today.) While Ralston was elated, the rest of the party was unimpressed and continued on to California the next morning. Ralston continued panning for gold, but after a few days gave up and caught up with his party. The site of Lewis Ralston's gold discovery now lies along Ralston Creek in the City of Arvada's Gold Strike Park.

In 1858, Ralston brought another group of prospectors back to the site of his first discovery. Ralston and most of the miners gave up after a few days, but several miners found gold upstream along the South Platte River. The placer gold in the area soon played out, but hard rock deposits of gold were found in the mountains to the west. In 1860, Benjamin F. Wadsworth claimed a homestead of 160 acre along Clear Creek, and the following year began digging an irrigation ditch, that would later take his name, to water his crops. Some of the miners abandoned their search for gold and returned to farm the rich bottom land along Ralston Creek and Clear Creek. They found an eager market for their crops among other gold seekers. The Territory of Colorado was formed on February 28, 1861, and the farms in the valley expanded to feed the growing population of the region.

In the summer of 1870, the Colorado Central Railroad laid tracks through the area from the junction of Kansas Pacific Railroad and the Denver Pacific Railroad at Jersey Junction, 3 mi north of Denver City, to connect to Golden at the mouth of Clear Creek Canyon. On December 1, 1870, Benjamin Wadsworth and Louis A. Reno platted the Ralston Point townsite along the railroad. To avoid confusion with other communities along Ralston Creek, Ralston Point was soon renamed Arvada in honor of Hiram Arvada Haskin, brother-in-law of settler Mary Wadsworth. The Arvada, Colorado, post office opened on February 16, 1871, with Benjamin Wadsworth as the first postmaster. Colorado was granted statehood on August 1, 1876, and the Town of Arvada was incorporated on August 14, 1904. Eventually 42 irrigation ditches would serve the vibrant agricultural community.

As the region's population grew, Arvada became a major supplier of produce and dairy products. In the first half of the twentieth century, Arvada gained renown for its Pascal celery, with special shipments made to the White House. Arvada staked a claim as the "Celery Capital of the World." With the labor shortages of World War II, celery production declined.

Following the war, Arvada grew rapidly as a suburb of nearby Denver, the state capital. In 1947, Lloyd J. King opened Colorado's first supermarket at the corner of West 57th Avenue and Webster Street in downtown Arvada. Arvada became a Statutory City on October 31, 1951, and a Home Rule Municipality on July 23, 1963. By the end of the millennium, the population of Arvada exceeded 100,000.

Missionary shooting

Main article: 2007 Colorado YWAM and New Life shootings

On December 9, 2007, Matthew J. Murray walked into the Youth With a Mission Center in Arvada and, after he was refused his request to stay overnight in the dormitories, opened fire and killed two people, injuring two more.

A memorial was held the following Wednesday, December 12, in which Youth With a Mission leaders forgave Murray's family for what happened.

Geography

Arvada is located at coordinates and elevation 5348 ft.

At the 2020 United States census, the city had a total area of 102.485 km2, including 1.709 km2 of water.

Climate

Arvada has a humid continental Köppen climate classification, abbreviated as Dfb.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 106,433 people, 42,701 households, and 28,927 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,028.1 PD/sqmi. There were 44,427 housing units at an average density of 1,216.7 /mi2 with a median value of $240,000. The racial makeup of the city was 89.08% White, 0.9% African American, 0.8% Native American, 2.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 3.5% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.7% of the population.

There were 44,427 households, out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the city the population's ages were spread out, with 23.4% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 20 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 29.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.5 years. There were 51,984 males and 54,539 Females.

The median income for a household in the city was $66,125 and the median income for a family was $78,591. Males had a median income of $42,126 versus $30,802 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,679. About 4.6% of families and 6.4% of the population were below the poverty line.

Government

The City of Arvada is a Home Rule Municipality with a council–manager form of government. The Arvada City Council has seven members: an elected mayor, two councilmembers elected at large, and four councilmembers elected from council districts.

The city council selects the city manager. The Arvada City Manager is Don Wick

Economy

Arvada is predominately a residential community with light industry and professional offices. Olde Town Arvada is the historic heart of the city with shops, restaurants, and the Olde Town Arvada Transit Hub. The primary restaurant and retail corridors are along Wadsworth Boulevard, Ralston Road, and Kipling Street.

Industry

The Rocky Flats Plant operated from 1952 to 1992, as a manufacturing complex that produced nuclear triggers.

Education

The portion of Arvada in Jefferson County is served by the Jefferson County School District R-1. The portion of Arvada in Adams County is served by the Westminster Public Schools.

Tourism and recreation

Attractions include:

• Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities
• Cussler Museum rare automobile collection
• Olde Town Arvada historic district
• Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge
• Two Ponds National Wildlife Refuge

Transportation

Highways

Arvada is the western terminus of Interstate 76, which begins at the intersection of Interstate 70 and State Highway 121. Other state highways in Arvada include SH 72, SH 93, and SH 95. Major highways near Arvada include Interstate 25, Interstate 270, U.S. Highway 36 and U.S. Highway 287.

Mass transit

The Amtrak California Zephyr passes through Arvada westbound each morning and eastbound each evening and stops at the nearby Denver Union Station. This route passes through the Rocky Mountains en route from Chicago to Emeryville, California, near Oakland.

Arvada is served by the Regional Transportation District (RTD) commuter rail G line with stops at three stations, , , and service to in Downtown Denver. RTD bus routes 28, 32, 51, 52, 72, 76, and 100 also serve the Arvada area.

Airports

Arvada is served by Denver International Airport and nearby Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport.

Bicycling

In 2014 the League of American Bicyclists designated Arvada as a Silver Level Bicycle Friendly Community.

Notable people

Main article: List of people from Arvada, Colorado

Notable individuals who were born in, or have lived in, Arvada include novelist Clive Cussler, baseball pitcher Roy Halladay, Joe King and Isaac Slade of the rock band The Fray, actor Nicholas Alexander Chavez, politician Karl Rove, and professional golfer and U.S. Olympic track and field gold medalist Babe Didrikson Zaharias.

Sister cities

Arvada's sister cities are:

• CHN Jinzhou, China
• KAZ Kyzylorda, Kazakhstan

Notes

References

References

1. "Active Colorado Municipalities". [[Colorado Department of Local Affairs]].
2. {{cite gnis
3. "Colorado Counties". [[Colorado Department of Local Affairs]].
4. (December 1, 2004). "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". [[Colorado.
5. (August 12, 2021). "Decennial Census P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data". [[United States Census Bureau]], [[United States Department of Commerce]].
6. (August 18, 2007). "ZIP Code Lookup". [[United States Postal Service]].
7. "Arvada History". City of Arvada, Colorado.
8. Kennedy, Lois Cunniff Lindstrom. (2011). "Ralston's Gold". Coloradream Publishing.
9. (February 9, 2022). "The curious case of Lewis Ralston". Arvada Press.
10. "Profile for Arvada, Colorado". [[ePodunk]].
11. (1990). "Colorado Post Offices 1859–1989". [[Colorado Railroad Museum.
12. "Fun Facts About Arvada - City of Arvada".
13. "Lloyd King". Colorado Business Hall of Fame.
14. Holusha, John. (December 9, 2007). "Gunman Kills 2 at Missionary Center Near Denver". [[The New York Times]].
15. [http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=755250&cityname=Arvada%2C+Colorado%2C+United+States+of+America&units= Climate Summary for Arvada, Colorado]
16. "PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University".
17. "US Census Bureau City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
18. "P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Arvada city, Colorado".
19. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Arvada city, Colorado".
20. "P2 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Arvada city, Colorado".
21. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
22. "Lauren Simpson, Mayor". City of Arvada, Colorado.
23. "Randy Moorman, Mayor Pro Tem, District 1 Councilmember". City of Arvada, Colorado.
24. "Shawna Ambrose, District 2 Councilmember". City of Arvada, Colorado.
25. "John Marriott, District 3 Councilmember". City of Arvada, Colorado.
26. "Bob Fifer, District 4 Councilmember". City of Arvada, Colorado.
27. "Brad Rupert, Councilmember at-Large". City of Arvada, Colorado.
28. "Sharon Davis, Councilmember At-Large". City of Arvada, Colorado.
29. Dunn, Rylee. (April 23, 2025). "Deputy City Manager Don Wick named next Arvada City Manager". [[Arvada Press]].
30. "The Top 10 Things to Do in Arvada 2017 - Must See Attractions in Arvada, CO {{!}} TripAdvisor".
31. (Spring 2014). "Arvado, CO".
32. "Clive Cussler - Biography". IMDb.
33. (December 9, 2013). "Former Arvada West star Roy Halladay might have right stuff for Cooperstown". The Denver Post.
34. Cohen, Jenn. (April 13, 2013). "April 13 Feature - Joe King".
35. Baca, Ricardo. (February 3, 2012). "The Fray's Isaac Slade is proud of his scars". The Denver Post.
36. "Fun Facts About Arvada". City of Arvada.
37. "Welcome". Arvada Sister Cities International.