Parker, Colorado

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Town of Parker, Colorado
Location in Douglas County and the state of Colorado
Coordinates: 39°31′10″N 104°45′57″W / 39.51944°N 104.76583°W / 39.51944; -104.76583
Country  United States
State  State of Colorado
County Douglas County[1]
Incorporated May 1981[2]
Government
 - Type Home Rule Municipality[1]
 - Mayor David Casiano
Area
 - Total 14.6 sq mi (37.8 km2)
 - Land 14.6 sq mi (37.8 km2)
 - Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)
Elevation [3] 5,869 ft (1,789 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 23,558
 - Density 1,613.6/sq mi (623.2/km2)
Time zone MST (UTC-7)
 - Summer (DST) MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP codes[4] 80134, 80138
Area code(s) Both 303 and 720
FIPS code 08-57630
GNIS feature ID 0185051
The most populous Colorado town
Website www.parkeronline.org

The Town of Parker is a Home Rule Municipality in Douglas County, Colorado, United States. As a self-declared "Town" under the Home Rule Statutes, Parker is the most populous town in the county. In recent years, Parker has become a commuter town at the southeasternmost corner of the Denver Metropolitan Area. As of the U.S. Census 2000, the town population was 23,558. Its population as of 2006 is estimated at 41,406,[5] over 145 times its population of 285 when Parker incorporated in 1981.[6] Parker is now the 17th most populous municipality in the State of Colorado.

The town's rapid growth in recent decades is often credited to Jim Nicholson, whose fourteen years spent developing the area earned him the town's first "Cornerstone Award".[7]

Contents

[edit] Geography

Parker is located at 39°31′10″N 104°45′57″W / 39.51944°N 104.76583°W / 39.51944; -104.76583 (39.519488, -104.765833).[8]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 14.6 square miles (37.8 km²). 14.6 square miles (37.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 sq mi or 0.14%) of it is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 23,558 people, 7,929 households, and 6,525 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,615.2 people per square mile (623.4/km²). There were 8,352 housing units at an average density of 572.6/sq mi (221.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.60% White, 1.71% Asian, 1.01% African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.88% from other races, and 2.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.80% of the population.

There were 7,929 households out of which 52.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.8% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.7% were non-families. 13.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the town the population was spread out with 34.0% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 43.4% from 25 to 44, 15.0% from 45 to 64, and 2.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $74,116, and the median income for a family was $77,384 (these figures had risen to $80,679 and $89,154 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[10]). Males had a median income of $52,070 versus $35,700 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,479. About 1.7% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 2.1% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Local Media

Parker currently has two local papers, The Parker Chronicle, The Douglas County News/Press, and also receives The Denver Post. Parker also receives the county-wide channel, Douglas County 8, which broadcasts school sports events and assorted programs run by residents. The channel is sponsored by Comcast.

[edit] Education

Parker is served by Douglas County School District RE-1. The Douglas County School District has the highest level of students in Colorado. Additionally, the Douglas County School District is rated second in education in the entire U.S. One of the best elementary schools in Parker is Pine Lane Primary and Intermediate. The Pine Lane Elementary Schools had the largest student enrollment in Parker until Mammoth Heights Elementary opened in January 2007 and took the overload. The two principal high schools in the area, Ponderosa and Chaparral, have a cross-town rivalry and compete annually for The Pride of Parker trophy. Legend High School opened in 2008, as Douglas County's ninth High School. Private schools in Parker include:

For other Parker and Douglas County school information:

Parker also has two public charter schools:

Information on other Douglas County Schools:

[edit] Additional resources

  • A Folk History of Parker and Hilltop, by Sandy Whelchel, Parker Distributing\Paintbrush Press
  • Parker, Colorado: An historical narrative, by Ruth Miller, Parker Area Historical Society

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "Active Colorado Municipalities" (HTML). State of Colorado, Department of Local Affairs. http://www.dola.state.co.us/dlg/local_governments/municipalities.html. Retrieved on 2007-09-01. 
  2. ^ "Colorado Municipal Incorporations" (HTML). State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. 2004-12-01. http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/muninc.html. Retrieved on 2007-09-02. 
  3. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  4. ^ "ZIP Code Lookup" (JavaScript/HTML). United States Postal Service. http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/citytown.jsp. Retrieved on December 2 2007. 
  5. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Colorado" (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. June 21, 2006. http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2005-04-08.csv. Retrieved on November 16 2006. 
  6. ^ Parker History from the town's official website
  7. ^ The Party Line, a January 1998 column from Westword
  8. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  9. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  10. ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=16000US0816110&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US08%7C16000US0816110&_street=&_county=parker&_cityTown=parker&_state=04000US08&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=

[edit] External links


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Municipalities and communities of
Douglas County, Colorado
County seat: Castle Rock
Cities
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Towns

Castle Rock | Larkspur | Parker
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Unincorporated
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‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
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