The City of Wheat Ridge is a Home Rule Municipality located in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Wheat Ridge is a western suburb of Denver. The Wheat Ridge Municipal Center is only west-northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 31,242 on 2006-07-01.

Geography

Wheat Ridge is located at (39.771317, -105.096117) .

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.1 square miles (23.6 km²), of which, 9.1 square miles (23.5 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.22%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 32,913 people, 14,559 households, and 8,313 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,621.0 people per square mile (1,398.0/km²). There were 14,931 housing units at an average density of 1,642.7/sq mi (634.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.21% White, 0.84% African American, 0.94% Native American, 1.37% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 4.99% from other races, and 2.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.47% of the population.

There were 14,559 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.4% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.9% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the city the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,983, and the median income for a family was $47,512. Males had a median income of $36,711 versus $28,370 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,636. About 5.9% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

History

Wheat Ridge was founded as a community in 1859. It was a farming community that supported Denver and nearby mining communities, and became the largest producer of carnations worldwide until the mid-20th century. Wheat Ridge did not incorporate until August 1969, when it was faced with annexation by surrounding cities. It currently has a Colorado State Historical Site. The Wheat Ridge Historical Society, in cooperation with the Colorado Historical Society and the City of Wheat Ridge, is in the process of restoring one of the first log cabins still on the same site. The building, which is known as the Baugh Cabin, is anticipated to have restoration completed before 2008.

Notable residents

• Todd Dunivant (1980- ), defenseman for the MLS side Toronto FC
• Tim Gill (1953- ), co-founder of Quark, Inc. and LGBT rights activist
• Bill Harmsen (1912-2002), candy maker, art collector, and co-founder of the Jolly Rancher Candy Company.
• Dorothy Harmsen (1914-2006), candy maker, art collector, and co-founder of the Jolly Rancher Candy Company.
• Mark Johnson (1975- ), MLB catcher
• Ron Kiefel (1960- ), professional cyclist and Olympic medalist
• Dave Logan (1954- ), NFL player, football coach, radio and television host.
• Dean Reed (1938-1986), actor, director, singer, and songwriter.
• Daniel Schaefer (1936-2006), U.S. Representative
• Fred Steinmark (1949-1971), American football player and author

See also

• Colorado municipalities
• Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area
• Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area
• Front Range Urban Corridor
• Jefferson County, Colorado
• State of Colorado

References

External links

• City of Wheat Ridge website
  • CDOT map of the City of Wheat Ridge
• Wheat Ridge Historical Society