Broomfield, Colorado

History

The municipality of Broomfield was incorporated in 1961 in the southeastern corner of Boulder County. While it is unsure how it received its name, most researchers guess it's from the broomcorn grown in the area. Over the next three decades, the city grew through annexations, many of which crossed the county line into three adjacent counties: Adams, Jefferson and Weld. In the 1990s, city leaders began to push for the creation of a separate county to avoid the inefficiencies of dealing with four separate court districts, four different county seats, and four separate county sales tax bases. It also had longstanding political differences with Boulder County, which impelled it to separate. Broomfield reasoned that it could provide services more responsively under its own county government, and sought an amendment to the Colorado State Constitution to create a new county. The amendment was passed in 1998, after which a three-year transition period followed. On November 15, 2001, Broomfield County became the 64th, newest, and smallest county of Colorado. It is also the newest county in the United States (if not including county equivalents).

Geography and climate

Broomfield is located at 39°55′55″N 105°3′57″W (39.931817, -105.065919).

The elevation in Broomfield ranges from 5,096 up to 5,856 feet. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 34 square miles (88 km²), of which 33 square miles (85 km²) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) (1.7%) is water. It is the smallest county by area in Colorado and the 5th smallest in the United States. Broomfield is the second most densely populated county in Colorado behind Denver.

Broomfield has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk). The city seems to have a unique microclimate within the metro area. Of the 54 days each year that Broomfield reaches 90 °F (32 °C) or higher, approximately 8 of those days are 100 °F (38 °C) or warmer. In comparison, Denver sees just 31 days of 90 °F (32 °C) temperatures. Broomfield also experiences 8 fewer days of weather below 32 °F (0 °C) than Denver each year. The USDA lists Broomfield as a city within the 6a plant hardiness zone.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

The 2015 census estimates there were 65,065 people residing in the city. The population density was 2,193 per square mile as of the 2010 census. The racial makeup of the city was 86.1 percent White, 11.1 percent Hispanic or Latino, 6.1 percent Asian, 2.1 percent from two or more races, 1.1 percent African American, 0.6 percent Native American, and 0.1 percent Pacific Islander.

There were 22,016 households of which 41.2 percent had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.8 percent were married couples living together, 8.2 percent had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8 percent were non-families. 19.3 percent of all households were made up of individuals and 4.2 percent had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 people, and the average family size was 3.19 people.

Age distribution figures show 26.2 percent of residents under the age of 18 and 9.9 percent age 65 years or older. The median age was 36.4 years. Females made up 50.2% of the population.

The median household income was $79,034 and the median family income was $96,206 in 2013. The per capita income for the city was $38,792. 48.1 percent of the population over age 25 held a bachelor's degree or higher.

Politics

Since the county was formed in 2001, it has been a swing county, and the city itself had voted for the winning candidate in each presidential election from 2000 to 2012. In the 2012 election, incumbent president and Democrat Barack Obama defeated Republican Mitt Romney by roughly five percentage points.

Of the registered voters in the county, 13,474 were Republicans, 12,218 were Democrats, and 15,887 were not affiliated with any party.

Economy

In the 1990s, Broomfield and other area suburbs experienced tremendous economic growth, much of it focused in technology.

The Flatiron Crossing Mall is a large shopping and entertainment center, anchored by Nordstrom, Dick's Sporting Goods, Macy's, and Best Buy.

The Broomfield Enterprise is the local newspaper.

Level 3 Communications, Ball, Vail Resorts, MWH Global, Webroot, Noodles & Company, WhiteWave Foods and Mrs. Fields are headquartered in Broomfield.

Top employers

According to Broomfield's 2011 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Outdoors

Broomfield has an extensive trail system that connects the various lakes and parks. A scenic trail connects the Stearns Lake and the Josh's Pond on the west side of town. Broomfield also has a 9/11 memorial containing a piece of a steel beam from one of the towers.

Broomfield also has a skate park with many different features such as bowls, a large half pipe and several "street" obstacles.

Government

Council members

Education

Since Broomfield used to be divided among four counties, students living in the city were served by the separate school districts for their county. While the city is now united within one county, the city is still separated among multiple school districts.

The main school districts in Broomfield are Adams Twelve Five Star Schools and Boulder Valley School District.

Broomfield features two large public high schools (Broomfield High School, which underwent significant renovations from 2009 to 2010, and Legacy High), two public middle schools and eight public elementary schools. There are three private schools: Broomfield Academy, with an academic preschool, an elementary school and a middle school; Holy Family, a Catholic high school; and Nativity of Our Lord Parish, a Catholic elementary school. Broomfield also contains a K-12 charter school, Front Range Academy, which has two Broomfield campuses.

Notable people

Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Broomfield include:

Sister cities/twin towns