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The U.S. State of Colorado has 273 active municipalities, comprising 198 towns, 73 cities, and two consolidated city and county governments.[1][2] The City and County of Denver, the state capital,[3] is the oldest municipality in Colorado. On December 3, 1859, the extralegal Territory of Jefferson granted a charter to the consolidated City of Denver, Auraria, and Highland.[4] The Town of Keystone, incorporated on February 8, 2024, is the newest Colorado municipality.
Colorado municipalities range in population from the City and County of Denver with a 2020 population of 715,522, to the Town of Carbonate, which has had no year-round population since the 1890 Census due to its severe winter weather and difficult access.[a][5][6] The City of Black Hawk with a 2020 population of 127 is the least populous Colorado city, while the Town of Castle Rock with a 2020 population of 73,158 is the most populous Colorado town.[1][5]
At the 2020 United States Census, 4,299,942 of the 5,773,714 Colorado residents (74.47%) lived in one of the 271 municipalities active at the time.[b][5] Another 714,417 residents (12.37%) lived in one of the 210 census-designated places, while the remaining 759,355 residents (13.15%) lived in the many rural and mountainous areas of the state.[5]
In 2020, only 1,968 square miles (5,097 km2) of Colorado's 103,642 square miles (268,431 km2) of land area (1.90%) were incorporated in the 271 active municipalities. The City of Colorado Springs with 195 square miles (506 km2) of land area was the most extensive municipality, while the Town of Sawpit with 19 acres (0.078 km2) of land area was the least extensive.[7] The City of Glendale with a 2020 population density of 8,117 residents per square mile (3,134/km2) was the most densely populated municipality, while the Town of Bonanza with a 2020 population density of 38 residents per square mile (15/km2) was the least densely populated municipality after Carbonate.
Municipal government
Colorado municipalities operate under one of five types of municipal governing authority – consolidated city and county, home rule municipality (which may be either a city or a town), statutory city, statutory town, and territorial charter municipality.[1] State law makes relatively few distinctions between a city and a town. The charter of a home rule municipality may designate either a city or town municipal title. In general, cities are more populous than towns, although long-term population changes may skew this considerably, as illustrated by the City of Black Hawk and the Town of Castle Rock.
Neither village nor civil township is a type of civil division in the State of Colorado. The cities of Cherry Hills Village and Greenwood Village and the towns of Log Lane Village, Mountain Village, and Snowmass Village have the word "village" at the end of their names.[1]
Nineteen Colorado municipalities extend into two counties, while two cities – Aurora and Littleton – extend into three counties.[1]
Consolidated city and county
In the State of Colorado, only Denver and Broomfield have consolidated city and county governments. The City and County of Denver operates under Article XX, Section 4 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado; and Title 30, Article 11, Section 101 of the Colorado Revised Statutes. Denver has an elected mayor and a city council of 13 members with 11 members elected from council districts and two members elected at large. The City and County of Broomfield operates under Article XX, Sections 10–13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. Broomfield has an appointed city and county manager, an elected mayor, and a city council of 11 members composed of the mayor and two members elected from each of five wards.
Home rule municipality
Colorado has 62 cities and 38 towns that are home rule municipalities, which are self-governing under Article 20 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado; Title 31, Article 1, Section 202 of the Colorado Revised Statutes; and the home rule charter of each municipality. The state-authorized home rule charter determines the form of government. Home rule gives local municipalities the power to make legislation relevant to their areas, exercising control over issues of local concern while minimizing state intervention in municipal affairs.[8]
Statutory city
Colorado has 11 statutory cities that operate under Title 31, Article 1, Section 203 and Article 4, Section 100 or Section 200 of the Colorado Revised Statutes.[9] A statutory city must have a population of at least 2,000 at the time of incorporation or reorganization, although three have lost population since.[10] Statutory cities have an elected mayor and a city council composed of the mayor and two members elected from each ward. A statutory city may petition to reorganize as a Section 200 statutory city with an appointed city manager and a city council with two members elected from each ward and one member elected at large. The mayor may be the city council member elected at large or the city council may appoint a mayor.
Statutory town
Colorado has 159 statutory towns that operate under Title 31, Article 1, Section 203 and Article 4, Part 3 of the Colorado Revised Statutes. The statutory town of Creede uses the official title "City of Creede".[1] Garden City, Lake City, Orchard City, and Sugar City are statutory towns but use city at the end of their names.[1]
Statutory towns have an elected mayor and a board of trustees composed of the mayor and four or six additional members elected at large. Colorado statutory cities and towns are limited to exercising powers that are granted by the state and are subject to provisions and limitations imposed by the state[8] and are similar to villages in other states such as the villages of the State of New York.
Territorial charter municipality
The Town of Georgetown is the only municipality that still operates under a charter granted by the Territory of Colorado. The town operates under Article 14, Section 13 of the Charter & Constitution of the Colorado Territory enacted on January 28, 1868. The town mayor is called the police judge and the town council is called the board of selectmen.[11]
Municipalities
Select the OpenStreetMap link at the right to view the location of these 273 municipalities.
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| ‡ | State capital |