Summit

Formed November 1, 1861 (15^th county)

Summit County (31,052), Breckenridge (5,077)                 

The Classical Revival brick courthouse sits on Lincoln and French streets.  Colorado State Highway 9 Business is four blocks west of the building.  John James Huddart designed this 1910 courthouse.  A Justice Center was built in 1987.  It is on Airport at Park Street.  Park is Colorado State Highway 9.  It is red brick and designed by Peter Witter Architects.  Summit County was an original county established on November 1, 1861 with Breckenridge as the only county seat.  It is the 15^th county.  It provided territory for Grand, Routt, Moffat, Rio Blanco, Garfield, and Eagle counties.  The county seat was named for United States Vice President John C. Breckinridge (later re-spelled).  The county is named for its mountainous location. 

Summit County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, manager, coroner, and treasurer (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Six Court Judges serve Summit, Clear Creek, Eagle, and Lake counties and a Trial Court Judge, clerk, and county attorney serve Summit County (judicial.)  The Continental Divide forms the eastern and southern borders of the county.  The center of the county is 10.4 miles North-Northwest of Breckenridge nearer Frisco.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Grand, Clear Creek, Park, Lake, and Eagle counties.  

The area of the county is 618.9 square miles.  The county is 55 out of 64 in the state.  It ranks 19 out of 64 in population in the state.  It has a density of 50.2 persons per square mile making it 12 out of 64 in the state.  Summit County has 46.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 70 crosses the county east to west from Clear Creek County to Eagle County.  United States Highway 6 parallels Interstate Highway 70 from Clear Creek County to Eagle County.  The county is shaped like a space ship flying northwest.  Breckenridge is in the southern third of the county.  Breckenridge is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 16.4% of the county population.  The county is located in the center of the state.  The county is in the Silverthorne Micropolitan Statistical Area.