Douglas

Formed November 1, 1861 (5^th county)

Douglas County (285,465), Castle Rock (48,231)

The 1982 courthouse for Douglas County is a Modern style red brick structure.  The facility is located on Castleton Court south of Justice Way.  Fisher/White provided the courthouse designs.  The building was expanded in 1998 and a Justice Center was added.  Interstate Highway 25 passes in front of the building.  There was a very classic 1889 courthouse in Castle Rock that burned.  Douglas County was established on November 1, 1861 as one of the original Colorado counties.  It is the 5^th county.  The county was named for American Statesman Stephen A. Douglas.  Castle Rock was named for a local rock formation.  The center of the county is 10.6 miles Southwest of Castle Rock nearer Sedalia. 

Douglas County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, manager, coroner, and treasurer (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Twenty-two District Court Judges serve Douglas, Arapahoe, Elbert, and Lincoln counties and Three Trial Court Judges, clerk, and county attorney serve Douglas County (judicial.)  The county is located just south of Denver, Colorado and north of Colorado Springs, Colorado.  The South Platte River forms its western border.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Arapahoe, Elbert, El Paso, Teller, and Jefferson counties. 

The area of the county is 843 square miles.  The county is 47 out of 64 in the state.  It ranks 8 out of 64 in population in the state.  It has a density of 339.44 persons per square mile making it 7 out of 64 in the state.  Douglas County has 40.1% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 25 crosses north to south through the county, Arapahoe County to El Paso County.  United States Highway 85 enters the county from Arapahoe County to the north, joins Interstate Highway 25, and exits south into El Paso County.  United States Highway 87 is joined with Interstate Highway 25 across the county from Arapahoe County to El Paso County.  The county is shaped like a plow with Castle Rock located just east of center.  Castle Rock is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 16.9% of the county population.  The county is in the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Littleton