Country United States Population 110,945 (2013) Unemployment rate 4.7% (Feb 2015) Area 32.9 sq mi | State Colorado Mayor Herb Atchison | |
Colleges and Universities Front Range Community College Points of interest Westin Westminster, Butterfly Pavilion, Bowles House | ||
Westminster is a Home Rule Municipality in Adams and Jefferson counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. Westminster is a northwest suburb of Denver. The Westminster Municipal Center is located 9 miles (14 km) north-northwest of the Colorado State Capitol. The United States Census Bureau that the city population was 106,114 on April 1, 2010 Census. Westminster is the seventh most populous city in the state of Colorado and the 237th most populous city in the United States. Westminster is a part of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area. In July 2006, it was ranked as the 24th best place to live in the USA by Money magazine.
Contents
- Map of Westminster Colorado
- City of Westminster Colorado
- Learn about Westminster Colorado
- History
- Geography
- Economy
- References
Map of Westminster, Colorado
City of Westminster, Colorado
Learn about Westminster, Colorado
History
Gold discovered in the South Platte River Valley in 1858 brought national attention to the area that would become Westminster, Colorado. The promise of fortune and the Land Act of 1862 encouraged many settlers from the east to make Colorado their home instead of heading on to California. Before the settlements came, wildlife like antelope and buffalo made their homes in this area. There is also evidence of Arapaho Indians near the Crown Point (Gregory Hill) area.
After the first permanent white settler, Pleasant DeSpain, built his home in 1870 on 160 acres (near what is now West 76th Avenue and Lowell Street), the area became known as DeSpain Junction and began attracting other settlers including horse breeder Edward Bruce Bowles who was instrumental in constructing the towns train depot in 1881. In 1885, Connecticut real estate developer C.J.Harris arrived in DeSpain Junction and began buying up land. Soon the town was renamed Harris, but was also known as Darell Park.
In 1891, construction began on the Westminster Castle, which can still be seen today at West 83rd Avenue and Federal Boulevard. By 1911, the town had incorporated and was renamed one final time to Westminster, in honor of Westminster University).
Geography
Westminster is located at 39°52?N 105°03?W (39.862, -105.048). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 32.9 square miles (85 km2), of which, 31.5 square miles (82 km2) of it is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2) of it (4.14%) is water.
Economy
Companies based in Westminster include Western Fuels Association.