Larimer

Formed November 1, 1861 (12^th county)

Larimer County (359,066), Fort Collins (169,827)

A Modern style red brick and glass courthouse serves this county.  It was constructed in 2003 using the designs of Fentress Bradburn Architects.  The structure is located on Oak Street between Howes and Mason streets.  United States Highway 287 is one block east of the facility.  There were 1887 and 1957 versions of the courthouse.  A Justice Center was built in 1998 and an auxiliary courthouse in Loveland in 2000.  Laporte was the original county seat with the switch to Fort Collins in 1870.  Created on November 1, 1861, Larimer was one of the original Colorado counties.  It is the 12^th county.  Jackson County was created from Larimer County.  William Larimer, Jr. founded Denver, Colorado and was the inspiration for this county.  The county seat took its name from the fort which was named for Colonel William O. Collins, commander of Fort Laramie.  The center of the county is 42.6 miles West-Northwest of Fort Collins nearer Rustic. 

Larimer County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, manager, coroner, and treasurer (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Eight District Court Judges serve Larimer and Jackson counties and Five Trial Court Judges, clerk, and county attorney serve Larimer County (judicial.)  The county is located in north central Colorado on the border with Wyoming.  A large portion of Rocky Mountain National Park sits in the southwest corner of the county.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Wyoming and Weld, Boulder, Grand, and Jackson counties.  

The area of the county is 2631.8 square miles.  The county is 9 out of 64 in the state.  It ranks 6 out of 64 in population in the state.  It has a density of 136.4 persons per square mile making it 9 out of 64 in the state.  Larimer County has 81.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 25 crosses the extreme eastern part of the county north to south from Weld County and back into Weld County.  United States Highway 34 crosses the south east to west from Weld County to Grand County.  United States Highway 36 enters from the south, Boulder County, and terminates in the county.  United States Highway 87 is joined with Interstate Highway 25 from Weld County to Weld County.  United States Highway 287 goes north to south from Wyoming into Boulder County.  The county shape is an upside down plow.  Fort Collins is in the eastern quarter of the county.  Fort Collins is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 47.3% of the county population.  The county is pronounced LAR-I-MUR.  The county is in the Fort Collins-Loveland Metropolitan Statistical Area.