Wheat Ridge, Colorado
Encyclopedia
The City of Wheat Ridge is a Home Rule Municipality located in Jefferson County
, Colorado
, United States
. Wheat Ridge is a western suburb of Denver
. The Wheat Ridge Municipal Center is approximately 5 miles (8 km) west-northwest of the Colorado State Capitol
in Denver
. The United States Census Bureau
estimates that the city population was 31,242 on 2006-07-01.
to the north, Denver
to the east, Lakewood
to the south, and Golden
to the west.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 9.1 square miles (23.6 km²), of which, 9.1 square miles (23.6 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.22%) is water.
of 2000, there were 32,913 people, 14,559 households, and 8,313 families residing in the city. The population density
was 3,621.0 people per square mile (1,398.0/km²). There were 14,931 housing units at an average density of 1,642.7 per square mile (634.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.21% White, 0.84% African American, 0.94% Native American, 1.37% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 4.99% from other races
, and 2.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.47% of the population.
There were 14,559 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.4% were married couples
living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.9% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,983, and the median income for a family was $47,512. Males had a median income of $36,711 versus $28,370 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $22,636. About 5.9% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.
Jefferson County, Colorado
Jefferson County , whose slogan is the "Gateway to the Rocky Mountains", is the fourth most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. Located along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, Jefferson County is adjacent to the west side of the state capital, Denver....
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Wheat Ridge is a western suburb of Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. The Wheat Ridge Municipal Center is approximately 5 miles (8 km) west-northwest of the Colorado State Capitol
Colorado State Capitol
The Colorado State Capitol Building, located at 200 East Colfax Avenue in Denver, Colorado, is the home of the Colorado General Assembly and the offices of the Governor of Colorado and Lieutenant Governor of Colorado. The building is intentionally reminiscent of the United States Capitol. Designed...
in Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. The United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
estimates that the city population was 31,242 on 2006-07-01.
Geography
Wheat Ridge is located at 39°46′17"N 105°5′46"W (39.771317, -105.096117) with ArvadaArvada, Colorado
The City of Arvada is a Home Rule Municipality located in Jefferson and Adams counties in the Denver metropolitan area of the U.S. State of Colorado. Olde Town Arvada is located northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver...
to the north, Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
to the east, Lakewood
Lakewood, Colorado
Lakewood is a Home Rule Municipality that is the most populous city in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Lakewood is the fifth most populous city in the State of Colorado and the 172nd most populous city in the United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that in April 1, 2010...
to the south, and Golden
Golden, Colorado
The City of Golden is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the edge of the foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush on 16 June 1859, the mining camp was...
to the west.
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 9.1 square miles (23.6 km²), of which, 9.1 square miles (23.6 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1035995244 km²) of it (0.22%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 32,913 people, 14,559 households, and 8,313 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 3,621.0 people per square mile (1,398.0/km²). There were 14,931 housing units at an average density of 1,642.7 per square mile (634.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.21% White, 0.84% African American, 0.94% Native American, 1.37% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 4.99% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 2.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.47% of the population.
There were 14,559 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.9% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,983, and the median income for a family was $47,512. Males had a median income of $36,711 versus $28,370 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $22,636. About 5.9% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.
History
Wheat Ridge was founded as a community in 1859. It was a farming community that supported Denver and nearby mining communities, and became the largest producer of carnations worldwide until the mid-20th century. Wheat Ridge did not incorporate until August 1969, when it was faced with annexation by surrounding cities. It currently has a Colorado State Historical Site. The Wheat Ridge Historical Society, in cooperation with the Colorado Historical Society and the City of Wheat Ridge, is in the process of restoring one of the first log cabins still on the same site. The building, which is known as the Baugh Cabin, is anticipated to have restoration completed before 2008.Notable residents
- Todd DunivantTodd DunivantTodd Dunivant is an American soccer player who currently plays for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer.-College and Amateur:...
(1980- ), defender for the MLSMajor League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
side Los Angeles GalaxyLos Angeles GalaxyThe Los Angeles Galaxy are an American professional soccer team, based in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, California, which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, and the league's second... - Tim GillTim GillTim Gill is an American computer software entrepreneur and LGBT rights activist.- Background :Gill was born in Hobart, Indiana...
(1953- ), co-founder of Quark, Inc.Quark, Inc.Quark, Inc. is a privately owned software company best known for QuarkXPress. It is called Quark because the company's goal is to "create software that would be the platform for publishing", just as quarks are the basis for all matter.As of August 2011, Quark's offerings include:* QuarkXPress -...
and LGBT rights activist - Bill HarmsenBill Harmsen-The Harmsens:Bill Harmsen was born on June 20, 1912 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and died on April 10, 2002 in Wheat Ridge, Colorado from prostate cancer. Dorothy Harmsen was born on September 13, 1914 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and died on August 29, 2006 of a heart attack At age 91 she died-Jolly...
(1912–2002), candy maker, art collector, and co-founder of the Jolly Rancher Candy Company. - Dorothy Harmsen (1914–2006), candy maker, art collector, and co-founder of the Jolly Rancher Candy Company.
- Mark JohnsonMark Johnson (catcher)Mark Landon Johnson is a former professional baseball player, a catcher who played with several major league teams, but primarily with the Chicago White Sox...
(1975- ), MLB catcher - Ron KiefelRon KiefelRonald Alexander Kiefel is a former professional road bicycle racer from the United States. Kiefel is a seven-time Tour de France racer, Olympic bronze medalist and member of the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame....
(1960- ), professional cyclist and Olympic medalist - Dave LoganDave Logan (American football)David Russell Logan is a former American football player. Logan played in nine National Football League seasons from 1976 to 1984, primarily for the Cleveland Browns...
(1954- ), NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player, footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach, radio and television host. - Dean ReedDean ReedDean Cyril Reed was an American actor, singer and songwriter who lived a great part of his adult life in South America and then in communist East Germany.-Life and career:...
(1938–1986), actor, director, singer, and songwriter. - Daniel SchaeferDaniel SchaeferDaniel "Dan" Schaefer was a Republican U.S. Representative from Colorado from 1983 to 1999. He represented a suburban district that stretched from Denver to the southwest....
(1936–2006), U.S. Representative
See also
- Colorado municipalitiesColorado municipalitiesThe U.S. state of Colorado currently has 271 active incorporated municipalities, including 196 towns, 73 cities, and two consolidated city and county governments.-Municipal government:...
- Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area
- Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical AreaDenver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Areathumb|300px|Map of the 12-county Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical AreaThe Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO Combined Statistical Area is a United States Census Bureau defined Combined Statistical Area located in the Denver region of the state of Colorado...
- Front Range Urban CorridorFront Range Urban CorridorThe Front Range Urban Corridor is an oblong region of urban population located along the eastern face of the Southern Rocky Mountains in the U.S. states of Colorado and Wyoming. The corridor derives its name from the Front Range, the mountain range that defines the west central boundary of the...
- Jefferson County, ColoradoJefferson County, ColoradoJefferson County , whose slogan is the "Gateway to the Rocky Mountains", is the fourth most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. Located along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, Jefferson County is adjacent to the west side of the state capital, Denver....
- State of Colorado