El Paso

Formed November 1, 1861 (6^th county)

El Paso County (730,402), Colorado Springs (479,016)

The concrete and steel courthouse of El Paso County was built in 2006.  The 1903 courthouse is located nearby and the 1960 courthouse serves as the County Administration.  The current structure is located on Vermijo and Tejon.  Anderson Mason Dale is the architect.  The site is one block west of United States Highways 85/87 coming through town.  El Paso County was created on November 1, 1861 as one of the original counties with Colorado Springs as the only county seat.  It is the 6^th county.  Teller County was separated from El Paso County in 1899.  El Paso County was named for Ute Pass.  El Paso is Spanish for “The Pass.”  The county seat gets its name from nearby mineral springs.  The Fountain River flows through the county.  The center of the county is 19.9 miles East of Colorado Springs nearer Ellicott. 

El Paso County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, manager, coroner, and treasurer (executive).  It has 5 Commissioners (legislative.)  Twenty-one District Court Judges serve El Paso and Teller counties and Nine Trial Court Judges, clerk, and county attorney serve El Paso County (judicial.)  The county is located in east central Colorado south of Denver, Colorado and north of Pueblo, Colorado.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Elbert, Lincoln, Crowley, Pueblo, Fremont, Teller, and Douglas counties.  

The area of the county is 2128.6 square miles.  The county is 19 out of 64 in the state.  It ranks 1 out of 64 in population in the state.  It has a density of 343.1 persons per square mile making it 8 out of 64 in the state.  El Paso County has 72.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 25 crosses north to south through the county, Douglas County to Pueblo County.  United States Highway 24 goes east to west from Elbert County to Teller County.  United States Highways 85/87 are joined with Interstate Highway 25 across the county from Douglas County to El Paso County.  The county is basically rectangular with Colorado Springs being located in the western quarter of the county.  Colorado Springs is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 65.6% of the county population.  The county is in the Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area.