Clear Creek County, Colorado

History

Clear Creek County was one of the original 17 counties created by the Colorado legislature on November 1, 1861, and is one of only two counties (along with Gilpin) to have persisted with its original boundaries unchanged. It was named after Clear Creek, which runs down from the continental divide through the county. Idaho Springs was originally designated the county seat, but the county government was moved to Georgetown in 1867.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 396 sqmi, of which 395 sqmi is land and 1.3 sqmi (0.3%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Jefferson - east
• Gilpin - northeast
• Park - south
• Summit - west
• Grand - northwest

Major highways

• [[File:I-70 (CO).svg|20px]] Interstate 70
• [[File:US 6.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 6
• [[File:US 40.svg|20px]] U.S. Highway 40
• [[File:Colorado 5.svg|20px]] State Highway 5
• [[File:Colorado 103.svg|20px]] State Highway 103
• Central City Parkway

National protected areas

• Pike National Forest
• Roosevelt National Forest
• James Peak Wilderness
• Mount Evans Wilderness

Scenic trails and byways

• American Discovery Trail
• Continental Divide National Scenic Trail
• Grays Peak National Recreation Trail
• Mount Evans National Recreation Trail
• Guanella Pass Scenic Byway
• Mount Blue Sky Scenic Byway

Demographics

| align-fn = center 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 9,397. Of the residents, 14.7% were under the age of 18 and 21.2% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 48.3 years. For every 100 females there were 113.5 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 113.0 males. 0.0% of residents lived in urban areas and 100.0% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 88.6% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 1.7% from some other race, and 7.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 6.9% of the population.

There were 4,391 households in the county, of which 20.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 19.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 5,672 housing units, of which 22.6% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 75.2% were owner-occupied and 24.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.5% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.6%.

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 9,322 people, 4,019 households, and 2,608 families living in the county. The population density was 24 /mi2. There were 5,128 housing units at an average density of 13 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 96.37% White, 0.28% Black or African American, 0.73% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.02% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. 3.87% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 4,019 households 28.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.60% were married couples living together, 6.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.10% were non-families. 27.20% of households were one person and 4.30% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.81.

The age distribution was 22.60% under the age of 18, 5.60% from 18 to 24, 32.60% from 25 to 44, 32.20% from 45 to 64, and 7.10% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 110.20 males.

The median household income was $50,997 and the median family income was $61,400. Males had a median income of $41,667 versus $30,757 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,160. About 3.00% of families and 5.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.80% of those under age 18 and 5.60% of those age 65 or over

Communities

City

• Central City (partially)
• Idaho Springs

Towns

• Empire
• Georgetown
• Silver Plume

Census-designated places

• Blue Valley
• Brook Forest (partially)
• Downieville-Lawson-Dumont
• Echo Hills
• Floyd Hill
• Pine Valley
• St. Mary's
• Upper Bear Creek
• Upper Witter Gulch

Ghost towns

• Bakerville
• Silver Creek

Politics

Throughout its history, Clear Creek County tended to be somewhat divided between Republicans and Democrats, but has reliably voted Democratic in recent elections, with George W. Bush having been the most recent Republican to win the county, in 2000, while his father, George H. W. Bush, was the last Republican to win the narrow majority of the county's votes, in 1988. In 2008, Barack Obama won the county with the best performance by a Democrat since 1964. During the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton became the first Democrat since her husband in 1996 to not win the majority of the county's vote, while still winning the county by a plurality. Since then, the county has decisively swung further into the Democratic column, and in 2024 it saw a continued leftward shift, opposite of the national average.

Education

The county is served by Clear Creek School District RE-1.

Elementary Schools

• Carlson Elementary School (Idaho Springs)
• King-Murphy Mountain School (Evergreen)

Middle School

• Clear Creek Middle School (Idaho Springs)

High School

• Clear Creek High School (Evergreen)

Charter School

• Georgetown Community School (Georgetown)

Historic areas

• Georgetown Loop Historic Mining & Railroad Park
• Georgetown–Silver Plume National Historic District

Ski areas

• Echo Mountain
• Loveland
• Otter Mountain

References

References

1. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
3. [http://www.mindat.org/loc-133349.html Lamartine Mining District] at [[Mindat.org]]
4. "Clear Creek County {{!}} Colorado Encyclopedia".
5. (February 12, 2011). "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". [[United States Census Bureau]].
6. "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2024". United States Census Bureau.
7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
9. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
11. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
12. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
13. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
14. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
15. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".