Douglas County, Colorado

Douglas County Education, Geography, and History

Douglas County is the seventh-most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 285,465. The county seat is Castle Rock. Douglas County was created on November 1, 1861 as one of the 17 original counties of the Territory of Colorado. The county is named in honor of Stephen Arnold Douglas, US Senator from Illinois from 1847 to 1861.

Douglas County is part of the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located midway between Colorado's two largest cities, Denver and Colorado Springs. Douglas County has the highest median household income of any Colorado county or statistical equivalent. It is ranked ninth nationally in that category, and has the highest of any county or equivalent not in the northeastern US.

Etymology - Origin of Douglas County Name

The county is named in honor of US Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois, who died five months before the county was created.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Douglas County History

The county, sometimes nicknamed Dougco, is located midway between Colorado's two largest cities: Denver and Colorado Springs. The county seat is Castle Rock, named after a small butte just north of the town. Castle Rock is located in the Interstate 25 corridor just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains

Douglas County was one of the original 17 counties created in the Colorado Territory by the Colorado Territorial Legislature on November 1,1861. The county was named in honor of US Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois, who died five months before the county was created. The county seat was originally Franktown, but was moved to California Ranch in 1863, and then to Castle Rock in 1874. The county's boundaries originally extended eastward to the Kansas state border, in 1874 most of the eastern portion of the county became part of Elbert County.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 843 square miles (2,180 km2), of which 840 square miles (2,200 km2) is land and 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2) (0.3%) is water.

Douglas county is located close to the center of Colorado. The county is located between Denver and Colorado Springs. Castle Rock is located just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Douglas County is lightly wooded, with ponderosa pine, with land marked by small streams and mesas. Cherry Creek and Plum Creek rise in Douglas County and flow north toward Denver and into the South Platte River.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Northeast: Arapahoe County
• East: Elbert County
• Southeast: El Paso County
• Southwest: Teller County; Park County
• Northwest: Jefferson County
  

Education

Douglas County is served by Douglas County School District RE-1, the third-largest school district in Colorado. In addition to traditional neighborhood schools, the district includes six charter schools, four option schools and an online school . Schools are rated generally high in the area.

The University Center at Chaparral in Parker offers courses through Arapahoe Community College, University of Colorado Denver, University College of the University of Denver, and the Douglas County School District. The University of Phoenix has a campus in Lone Tree.

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