Jefferson

Formed November 1, 1861 (10^th county)

Jefferson County (582,902), Golden (20,409), Lakewood (155,975)

A very Modern style tan brick and concrete building was constructed in 1993.  The structure is located on Jefferson County Parkway off Johnson Street.  United States Highway 6 is one block south of the site.  Golden has been the only site of two previous courthouses, 1877 and 1953.  C. W. Fentress, J. H. Bradburn, and Associates are the building architects.  Jefferson County is one of the original Colorado counties established on November 1, 1861.  It is the 10^th county.  The county gave territory to Park County and Denver City-County and Bloomfield City-County.  United States President Thomas Jefferson provided the inspiration for the county’s name.  The county seat was named for a local miner, Thomas L. Golden.  The center of the county is 18.7 miles South-Southwest of Golden nearer Indian Hills. 

Jefferson County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, manager, coroner, and treasurer (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Thirteen District Court Judges serve Jefferson and Gilpin counties and Nine Trial Court Judges, clerk, and county attorney serve Jefferson County (judicial.)  The county is located in north central Colorado just to the west of Denver, Colorado.  The South Platte River makes up the southeast border of the county.  Jefferson County was the birthplace of 1 Colorado Governor, John C. Vivian.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Boulder, Broomfield, Adams, Denver, Arapahoe, Douglas, Teller, Park, Clear Creek, and Gilpin counties.  The county is shaped like a knife blade pointing south.  Golden is in the northern quarter of the county.  Lakewood is located in the northeast part of the county on the border.  Golden is the county seat and Lakewood is the largest city.  Golden is 3.5% of the county population while Lakewood is 26.8% of the county population.  

The area of the county is 772.9 square miles.  The county is 50 out of 64 in the state.  It ranks 4 out of 64 in population in the state.  It has a density of 754.2 persons per square mile making it 4 out of 64 in the state.  Jefferson County has 65.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 70 crosses the county from east to west Denver County to Clear Creek County.  Interstate Highway 76 enters from Adams County, east and terminates in the county.  United States Highway 6 enters from Denver County, east, and exits into Clear Creek County, west.  United States Highway 40 enters from Denver County on the east, joins Interstate Highway 70, and exits into Clear Creek County on the west.  United States Highway 285 crosses the southern part of the county east to west from Arapahoe County to Park County.  The county is in the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield Metropolitan Statistical Area.