Summit County, Colorado: Difference between revisions

{{short description|County in Colorado, USUnited States}}

| county = Summit County

| state = Colorado

| seal = Seal of Summit County, Colorado.png

| founded year = 1861

| founded date = November 1

| seat wl = Breckenridge

| largest city wl = Breckenridge

| city type = town

| area_total_sq_mi = 619

| area_land_sq_mi = 608

| area_water_sq_mi = 11

| area percentage = 1.8%

| census estimate yr = 20192020

| pop = 3101131055

| density_sq_mi = 4651

| time zone = Mountain

| footnotes =

| web = www.co.summit.cosummitcountyco.usgov/

| named for = [[Continental Divide of the Americas|Continental Divide]]

| ex image = Summit County court house in Colorado.jpg

| ex image cap = Summit County court house in [[Breckenridge, Colorado|Breckenridge]]

| district = 2nd

'''Summit County''' is one of thea [[Colorado counties|64 countiescounty]] located in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Colorado]]. As of the [[20102020 United States Census|20102020 census]], the population was 2731,994055.<ref name="QF2020Census">{{cite web|title=State & County QuickFacts|url=httphttps://quickfactswww.census.gov/qfdquickfacts/statesfact/08table/08117.htmlsummitcountycolorado/PST045219|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdateaccess-date=JuneSeptember 115, 20142021}}</ref> The [[county seat]] and largest town is [[Breckenridge, Colorado|Breckenridge]].<ref name="GR6">{{cite web|url=http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx|accessdateaccess-date=June 7, 2011-06-07|title=Find a County|publisher=National Association of Counties}}</ref>

Summit County comprises the Breckenridge, CO [[Micropolitan statistical area|Micropolitan Statistical Area]].<ref name=OMB_10-02>{{cite web|url=httphttps://wwwobamawhitehouse.whitehousearchives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/bulletins/b10-02.pdf|title=OMB Bulletin No. 10-02: Update of Statistical Area Definitions and Guidance on Their Uses|publisher=[[United States Office of Management and Budget]]|date=December 1, 2009|access-date=April 19, 2012|url-status=deadlive|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/2012031612360820170121004722/httphttps://wwwobamawhitehouse.whitehousearchives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/bulletins/b10-02.pdf|via=[[NARA|National Archives]]|work=[[Office of Management and Budget]]|archive-date=MarchJanuary 1621, 2012|df=2017}}</ref><ref>See the [[Colorado census statistical areas]].</ref>

Summit County was organized as one of the seventeen original Colorado counties by the First Territorial Legislature on November 1, 1861. It was named for the many mountain summits in the county. Until February 2, 1874, its boundaries included the area now comprising Summit County, [[Grand County, Colorado|Grand County]], [[Routt County, Colorado|Routt County]], [[Moffat County, Colorado|Moffat County]], [[Garfield County, Colorado|Garfield County]], [[Eagle County, Colorado|Eagle County]], and [[Rio Blanco County, Colorado|Rio Blanco County]].

In 1874, the northern half of the original Summit County was split off to form [[Grand County, Colorado|Grand County]]; with the creation of [[Garfield County, Colorado|Garfield]] and [[Eagle County, Colorado|Eagle]] counties in 1883, Summit County arrived at its present boundaries. In addition, Summit County has seen two major boom eras.

According to the [[U.S. Census Bureau]], the county has a total area of {{convert|619|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|608|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|11|sqmi}} (1.8%) is water.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdateaccess-date=April 23, 2011-04-23|date=February 12, 2011-02-12|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

The terrain of the county is mountainous with elevations ranging from {{convert|7957|ft|m}} at [[Green Mountain Reservoir]] to {{convert|14270|ft|m}} at [[Grays Peak]]. The elevation of the county seat of Breckenridge is {{convert|9602|ft|m}}, making it one of the highest cities in the state of Colorado and the United States.<ref>"Elevation distribution for all U.S. cities," http://www.city-data.com/top13.html, accessed August 2 Aug, 2017</ref> Much of the county has an [[Alpine climate|Alpine]] (ET in the [[Köppen climate classification|Köppen Classification]]) characterized by [[tundra]] vegetation. Breckenridge and other similar elevations in the county have a [[Subarctic climate]] (Dfc) characterized by cool summers and abundant snowfall in winter.

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=U.S. Decennial Census|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdateaccess-date=June 11, 2014}}</ref><br />1790-1960<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu|title=Historical Census Browser|publisher=University of Virginia Library|accessdateaccess-date=June 11, 2014}}</ref> 1900–1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/co190090.txt|title=Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdateaccess-date=June 11, 2014}}</ref><br />1990-2000<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327165705/http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf |archive-date=March 27, 2010 |url-status=live|title=Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdateaccess-date=June 11, 2014}}</ref> 2010-20152020<ref name="QF2020Census" />

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR8">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2011-05access-date=May 14, 2011|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 23,548 people, 9,120 households, and 4,769 families residing in the county. The [[population density]] was {{convert|39 people per square mile (15|/km<sup>2<mi2|/sup>)km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people}}. There were 24,201 housing units at an average density of {{convert|40 per square&nbsp;mile (15|/km<sup>2<mi2|/sup>)km2}}. The racial makeup of the county was 91.84% [[Race (United States Census)|White]], 0.68% [[Race (United States Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.48% [[Race (United States Census)|Native American]], 0.87% [[Race (United States Census)|Asian]], 0.07% [[Race (United States Census)|Pacific Islander]], 3.96% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 2.10% from two or more races. 9.79% of the population were [[Race (United States Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Race (United States Census)|Latino]] of any race.

There were 9,120 households, out of which 24.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.00% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 4.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.70% were non-families. 21.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 1.60% 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 2.86.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 17.40% under the age of 18, 15.70% from 18 to 24, 44.30% from 25 to 44, 19.40% from 45 to 64, and 3.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. As of 2014, the life expectancy in Summit County was 86.83 years, the longest average life expectancy of any county in the United States.<ref name="IHME">{{cite web|url=https://vizhub.healthdata.org/subnational/usa|publisher=[[Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation]]|author=University of Washington|accessdateaccess-date=May 8, 2017-05-08|title=US Health Map}}</ref> For every 100 females there were 139.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 144.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $56,587, and the median income for a family was $66,914 (these figures had risen to $65,281 and $80,441 respectively as of a 2007 estimate). Males had a median income of $33,741 versus $27,017 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the county was $28,676. About 3.10% of families and 9.00% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 4.30% of those under age 18 and 3.40% of those age 65 or over.

| authorlink =|author2=Ben Brewer

| date = March 6, 2020-03-06

According to a report in the [[Journal of the American Medical Association]], residents of Summit County had a 2014 life expectancy from birth of 86.83 years in 2014, the longest in the United States.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Dwyer-Lindgren|first=Laura|date=May 8 May, 2017|title=Inequalities in Life Expectancy Among US Counties, 1980 to 2014|url=http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2626194 |journal=JAMA Internal Medicine|doi=10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.0918|access-date=9 May 2017|pmc=5543324|pmid=28492829|volume=177|issue=7|pages=1003–1011}}</ref> Both men and women live longer in Summit County than in any other county in the United States: 85.5 years for men and 88.0 years for women is the life expectancy at birth.<ref>"County Profile: Summit County Colorado," http://www.healthdata.org/sites/default/files/files/county_profiles/US/2015/County_Report_Summit_County_Colorado.pdf, accessed 2 Aug 2017</ref> Two contiguous counties, [[Pitkin County|Pitkin]] and [[Eagle County, Colorado|Eagle]] counties, rank numbers two and three in the nation in life expectancy. Factors contributing to the high life expectancy in Summit County are "high education, high income, high access to medical care, the people are physically active, obesity is lower than anywhere else — so you’re doing it right.,” said Dr. Ali Mokdad, one of the study's co-authors.<ref>Achenbach, Joel, "U.S. life expectancy varies more than 20 years from county to county," ''Washington Post'', May 8, 2017</ref>

===Ghost towntowns===

The county has twothree reservoirs, [[Lake Dillon]], and [[Green Mountain Reservoir]], and [[Clinton Gulch Dam Reservoir]] that are also popular recreation sites.

{{Portalportal|GeographyGovernment|North AmericaHistory|<!--Northern America-->Mountains|United States|Colorado|Mountains}}

*[[OutlineBibliography of Colorado]]

*{{officialOfficial website|httphttps://www.cosummitcountyco.summit.co.usgov/}}