El Paso County, Colorado

El Paso County is one of the 64 counties of the U.S. state of Colorado. The 2010 Census recorded its population of 622,263 for El Paso County.[1] The Census Bureau's 2018 estimate indicates it is the second-most populous county in Colorado, after the City and County of Denver. The county seat is Colorado Springs,[2] the second most populous city in Colorado. El Paso County is included in the Colorado Springs, Colorado, Metropolitan Statistical Area.

El Paso County
U.S. county
El Paso County Justice Center
Location within the U.S. state of Colorado
Colorado's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 38°50′N 104°31′W
Country United States
State Colorado
FoundedNovember 1, 1861
Named forSpanish name for Ute Pass
SeatColorado Springs
Largest cityColorado Springs
Area
 • Total2,130 sq mi (5,500 km2)
 • Land2,127 sq mi (5,510 km2)
 • Water2.7 sq mi (7 km2)  0.1%%
Population
 • Estimate 
(2019)
720,403
 • Density329/sq mi (127/km2)
Time zoneUTC−7 (Mountain)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−6 (MDT)
Congressional district5th
Websitewww.elpasoco.com
An isolated rural house next to a mountain in northern El Paso County.
Summer greenery of El Paso County

El Paso County is located in Colorado's 5th congressional district. Since its creation in 1871, El Paso County has typically voted for the Republican presidential candidate in presidential elections; the last Democratic nominee to win the county was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. The Democratic Party won El Paso County four additional times prior, and the Populist Party won in 1892, with General James B. Weaver.

In 2004, the voters of Colorado Springs and El Paso County established the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority (PPRTA) and adopted a 1% sales tax dedicated to improving the region's transportation infrastructure. Together with state funding for COSMIX (2007 completion) and the I-25 interchange with Highway 16 (2008 completion), significant progress has been made since 2003 in addressing the transportation needs of the area. In 2012, the county voted to legalize marijuana.[3] On March 12, 2019, the county commissioners unanimously passed a resolution to become a Second Amendment sanctuary.[4]

History

In July 1858, gold was discovered along the South Platte River in Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory. This discovery precipitated the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. Many residents of the mining region felt disconnected from the remote territorial governments of Kansas and Nebraska, so they voted to form their own Territory of Jefferson on October 24, 1859. The following month, the Jefferson Territorial Legislature organized 12 counties for the new territory including El Paso County. El Paso County was named for the Spanish language name for Ute Pass north of Pikes Peak. Colorado City served as the county seat of El Paso County.

The Jefferson Territory never received federal sanction, but on February 28, 1861, U.S. President James Buchanan signed an act organizing the Territory of Colorado.[5] El Paso County was one of the original 17 counties created by the Colorado legislature on November 1, 1861. Part of its western territory was broken off to create Teller County in 1899. Originally based in Old Colorado City (now part of Colorado Springs, not today's Colorado City between Pueblo and Walsenburg), El Paso County's county seat was moved to Colorado Springs in 1873.

Geography
El Paso County Fairgrounds in Calhan, Colorado

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,130 square miles (5,500 km2), of which 2,127 square miles (5,510 km2) are land and 2.7 square miles (7.0 km2) (0.1%) are covered by water.[6]

Adjacent counties

Major highways

National protected area
Pikes Peak dominates the county's skyline.

State protected area

Historic sites

Trails

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1870987—
18807,949705.4%
189021,239167.2%
190031,60248.8%
191043,32137.1%
192044,0271.6%
193049,57012.6%
194054,0259.0%
195074,52337.9%
1960143,74292.9%
1970235,97264.2%
1980309,42431.1%
1990397,01428.3%
2000516,92930.2%
2010622,26320.4%
2019 (est.)720,403[7]15.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10]
1990-2000[11] 2010-2015[1]

As of the census[12] of 2000, 516,929 people, 192,409 households, and 133,916 families resided in the county. The population density was 243 people per square mile (94/km2). The 202,428 housing units at averaged 95 per square mile (37/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 81.19% White, 6.51% Black or African American, 0.91% Native American, 2.53% Asian, 0.24% Pacific Islander, 4.70% from other races, and 3.91% from two or more races. About 11.30% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 192,409 households, 36.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.60% were married couples living together, 10.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.40% were not families. Around 23.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.11.

In El Paso county, the population pyramid was distributed as there being a slight surplus of males ages 0 to 45 and there after a slight surplus of females which is typical of most US populations. The greater than normal surplus of males between 18 and 35 are mainly due to the presence of five military installations located within the county.[13]

El Paso County Colorado Population Pyramid

Communities

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places
Peyton, Colorado.

Other unincorporated communities

Government
El Paso County Justice Center in Colorado Springs

El Paso County is governed by a board of county commissioners. Its current members are Holly Williams in district 1, Mark Waller in district 2, Stan VanderWerf in district 3, Longinos Gonzales Jr in district 4, and Cami Bremer in district 5.

The Colorado Department of Corrections has its headquarters in an unincorporated area in the county.[14][15]

Elected Officials
Position Elected Official
County Commissioner District 1 Holly Williams
County Commissioner District 2 Carrie Geitner
County Commissioner District 3 Stan VanderWerf
County Commissioner District 4 Longinos Gonzalez, Jr.
County Commissioner District 5 Cami Bremer
County Assessor Steve Schleiker
County Clerk and Recorder Chuck Broerman
County Coroner Dr. Leon Kelly
District Attorney Michael Allen
County Sherriff Sheriff Bill Elder
County Surveyor Richard Mariotti
County Treasurer Mark Lowderman

Top employers

According to the city's 2014 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[16] the top employers in the city are:

# Employer % of County Employment (increase/decrease/flat)
1 Fort Carson 10.38% (+)
2 Peterson Air Force Base 3.89% (−)
3 Schriever Air Force Base 2.50% (−)
4 United States Air Force Academy 2.48% (−)
5 Colorado Springs School District 11 1.30% (−)
6 Academy School District 20 1.05% (+)
7 Memorial Health Services 1.03% (−)
8 Penrose-St. Francis Health Services 0.93% (=)
9 City of Colorado Springs 0.75% (−)
10 El Paso County 0.69% (−)

Libraries

The Pikes Peak Library District provides library services through its 15 branches and bookmobiles to the residents of El Paso County, with the exception of Widefield School District 3. The mission of the District is "Providing resources and opportunities that impact individual lives and build community. Seek. Engage. Transform."[17]

Politics

El Paso is politically conservative for a large urban county, and is by far the most populous reliably Republican county in Colorado. This trend predates the evangelical Christian influence in the area. It has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1920, except for the Democratic landslides of 1936 and 1964. In 2020, Joe Biden became the first Democrat to garner 40 percent of the county's vote since Lyndon Johnson's landslide of 1964, and only the third to do so since Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Dick Lamm in 1982 remains the last Democrat to win the county in a gubernatorial election. Eight years later, the county was one of only four in the state to back governor Roy Romer's opponent John Andrews.[18][19] The last Democrat to win the county in a Senate election was Gary Hart in 1974.[20]

Presidential election results
El Paso County vote
by party in presidential elections[21]
Year Republican Democratic Others
2020 53.5% 202,828 42.8% 161,941 3.7% 14,082
2016 56.2% 179,228 33.9% 108,010 10.0% 31,730
2012 58.9% 170,952 38.5% 111,819 2.6% 7,404
2008 58.7% 160,318 39.9% 108,899 1.5% 3,958
2004 66.7% 161,361 32.1% 77,648 1.2% 2,779
2000 63.9% 128,294 30.8% 61,799 5.3% 10,664
1996 59.0% 102,403 32.2% 55,822 8.8% 15,216
1992 51.5% 86,044 27.4% 45,827 21.1% 35,298
1988 70.0% 96,965 28.9% 39,995 1.1% 1,506
1984 75.0% 88,377 23.9% 28,185 1.0% 1,210
1980 63.7% 66,199 26.4% 27,463 9.9% 10,328
1976 59.1% 50,929 38.2% 32,911 2.7% 2,290
1972 69.1% 53,892 27.2% 21,234 3.7% 2,859
1968 53.8% 32,066 35.6% 21,232 10.7% 6,357
1964 46.0% 23,822 53.8% 27,844 0.3% 141
1960 64.9% 31,625 34.9% 17,018 0.1% 61
1956 58.5% 27,282 40.5% 18,879 1.1% 505
1952 68.7% 25,272 30.5% 11,203 0.8% 303
1948 55.3% 15,705 43.3% 12,291 1.5% 423
1944 58.2% 16,392 41.4% 11,679 0.4% 115
1940 55.3% 16,766 43.9% 13,320 0.8% 229
1936 39.8% 10,965 56.8% 15,652 3.3% 920
1932 49.4% 12,017 46.6% 11,353 4.0% 980
1928 75.3% 16,243 23.5% 5,069 1.2% 266
1924 55.7% 10,215 22.6% 4,140 21.8% 3,989
1920 62.8% 9,535 33.4% 5,073 3.8% 581
1916 43.6% 7,159 51.0% 8,381 5.5% 897
1912 18.7% 2,816 37.0% 5,559 44.3% 6,671[lower-alpha 1]
1908 53.2% 8,022 39.7% 5,995 6.9% 1,048
1904 62.0% 9,589 34.1% 5,281 3.7% 579
1900 53.7% 7,755 43.1% 6,230 3.0% 439
1896 25.7% 6,248 72.8% 17,672 1.4% 340
1892 47.3% 2,657 52.6% 2,950
1888 60.5% 2,164 35.8% 1,281 3.5% 127
1884 65.7% 1,209 29.0% 534 5.2% 97
1880 65.3% 1,151 32.9% 580 1.7% 30

Military installations

El Paso County is home to both Army and Air Force bases. These military installations border the city, to the north, south, and east, aside from Schriever Air Force Base, which is located about 10 miles east of Peterson AFB.[22]

Fort Carson
Main article: Fort Carson

Fort Carson, "The Mountain Post", is located just south of Colorado Springs at the base of the Rocky Mountains. It was established in 1942, following Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. The city of Colorado Springs purchased land south of the city and donated it to the War Department. Construction began immediately and the first building, the camp headquarters, was completed January 31, 1942. Camp Carson was named in honor of the legendary Army scout, Gen. Christopher "Kit" Carson, who explored much of the West in the 1800s. Camp Carson became Fort Carson in 1954. An additional training area was purchased in September 1983 and is called Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site (PCMS).

Currently, Fort Carson is the home of 4th Infantry Division and several other units, including 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), the Colorado National Guard Regional Training Institute and PCMS, which is a maneuver training site for Fort Carson located near Trinidad, Colorado. The installation totals about 137,000 acres and PCMS is roughly 236,000 acres. Fort Carson has around 3,000 family housing units and 66 soldier barracks with 8,132 rooms. Services on the installation include four elementary schools, one middle school, a commissary, an exchange, and Evans Army Community Hospital, as well as Army Community Service facilities to include child development centers and youth centers and family morale, welfare, and recreation facilities to include a bowling alley, golf course, and numerous parks.

Fort Carson's economic impact on Colorado Springs and the surrounding communities was approximately $2.3 billion during fiscal year 2014. Fort Carson has about 24,300 soldiers on the installation, with 44,700 family members. The installation also has around 8,000 veterans and 3,300 civilians.[23]

AFSPC Headquarters, Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs.

Peterson Air Force Base
Main article: Peterson Air Force Base

The Air Force has critical aspects of their service based at Colorado Springs, which carry on missile defense operations and development. The Air Force bases a large section of its national missile defense operations here, with Peterson Air Force Base set to operate large sections of the program. Peterson AFB is currently the headquarters of the majority of the Air Force Space Command and the operations-half of Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Strategic Command.

Peterson is also headquarters for the United States Northern Command, one of the Unified Combatant Commands, which directs all branches of the U.S. military operations in their area of responsibility, which includes the continental United States, Alaska, Canada, and Mexico. In the event of national emergencies, the President or Secretary of Defense can call upon the command for any required military assistance. Service members from every branch of the US military are stationed at the command.

Schriever Air Force Base (formerly Falcon AFB)
Main article: Schriever Air Force Base

Schriever Air Force Base is home to the 50th Space Wing, responsible for the operation and support of 175 Department of Defense satellites and installation support to 16 major tenant units, with a workforce of more than 7,700 personnel.[24] It is the location of the Global Positioning System (GPS) master control station and GPS Operations Center[25] and the US Naval Observatory Alternate Master Clock,[26] used to synchronize GPS satellite time. Schriever is also developing parts of national missile defense and runs parts of the annual wargames used by the nation's military. The base indirectly contributes an estimated $1 billion to the local Colorado Springs, CO area annually.[27]

Cadets in front of the Academy Chapel

United States Air Force Academy
Main article: United States Air Force Academy

Bordering the northwestern side of the city are the grounds of the United States Air Force Academy, where cadets train to become officers in the Air Force. The campus is famous for its unique chapel, and draws visitors year round. Most of the Air Force Academy's sports programs participate in the Mountain West Conference.[28]

NORAD and Cheyenne Mountain Air Station
Main article: North American Aerospace Defense Command

The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), a component of America's missile defense system, is located in Cheyenne Mountain Air Station. When it was built at the height of the Cold War, NORAD caused some anxiety for the residents in and around Colorado Springs, who believed the installation would be a primary target during a nuclear attack. Although NORAD still operates today, it is primarily given the task of the tracking of ICBMs, and the military has recently decided to place Cheyenne Mountain's NORAD/NORTHCOM operations on warm standby and move operations to nearby Peterson Air Force Base.[29]

See also

Notes
  1. The leading "other" candidate, Progressive Theodore Roosevelt, received 5,332 votes, while Socialist candidate Eugene Debs received 928 votes, Prohibition candidate Eugene Chafin received 394 votes, and Socialist Labor candidate Arthur Reimer received 17 votes.

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 25, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
  2. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on July 4, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. Breathes, William (November 23, 2012). "Marijuana: Amendment 64 passes in El Paso County by fewer than a dozen votes". westword.com. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  4. Gazette, Rachel Riley, The. "El Paso County declared '2nd Amendment preservation county' as legislature weighs red flag gun bill". Colorado Politics. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  5. "An Act to provide a temporary Government for the Territory of Colorado" (PDF). Thirty-sixth United States Congress. February 28, 1861. Retrieved November 26, 2007.
  6. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. February 12, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  7. "U.S. Census website". Retrieved March 23, 2018.
  8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  10. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  11. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  13. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:El_Paso_County_Colorado_Population_Pyramid.png
  14. "Contacts." Colorado Department of Corrections. Retrieved on December 7, 2009.
  15. "Council District Map." City of Colorado Springs. Retrieved on December 7, 2009.
  16. "City of Colorado Springs CAFR" (PDF). Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  17. "About PPLD | PPLD.org". ppld.org. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  18. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  19. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  20. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  21. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  22. Schriever Air Force Base
  23. "Fort Carson". Fort Carson. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  24. "Schriever Air Force Base 50th Space Wing". Schriever Air Force Base. Schriever Air Force Base. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2016. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. "GPS Operations Center". Air Force Space Command. Archived from the original on August 23, 2006. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  26. Staff Sgt. Don Branum (June 15, 2006). "23:59:60...Atomic clock takes quantum leap". Air Force Space Command. Archived from the original on September 30, 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2010.
  27. "Schriever Air Force Base". Schriever Air Force Base. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  28. themwc.com
  29. Finley, Bruce (July 27, 2006). "Military to put Cheyenne Mountain on standby – The Denver Post". The Denver Post. Retrieved October 5, 2009.

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