The City of Thornton is a home rule municipality in Adams and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado, located in the northeast quadrant of the Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thornton is 10 miles (16 km) north/northeast of downtown Denver. The United States Census Bureau reported the city's growing population at 118,772 on April 1, 2010, a 44.2% increase from the 2000 Census population of 82,384. Thornton is the sixth-most populous city in the state of Colorado and the 213th-most populous city in the United States.
Video Thornton, Colorado
History
Thornton consisted solely of farmland until 1953 when Sam Hoffman purchased a lot off Washington Street about seven miles (11 km) north of Denver. The town he laid out was the first fully planned community in Adams County, and the first to offer full municipal services from a single tax levy, including recreation services and free trash pickup. Thornton was named in honor of Former Colorado Governor Dan Thornton.
The Thornton Community Association (TCA) was formed in 1954 to help guide the new community's development. By the end of 1955, Thornton had 5,500 residents in over 1,200 homes. The TCA was instrumental in Thornton's 1956 incorporation as a city. Oyer G. Leary was elected the first mayor.
Maps Thornton, Colorado
Geography
Thornton is located at 39°54?11?N 104°57?16?W (39.903043, -104.954406).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 27.2 square miles (70 km2), of which, 26.9 square miles (70 km2) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) (1.25%) is water.
Demographics
As of the 2010 census, there were 118,772 people, 41,359 households, and 30,254 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,409.1 people per square mile (1,316.8/km²). There were 43,230 housing units at an average density of 1,240.8 per square mile (479.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.4% White, 4.4% Asian, 1.8% African American, 1.1% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 11.4% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race were 31.7% of the population.
There were 41,359 households out of which 43.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a male householder with no wife present, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 20.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86, and the average family size was 3.32.
The distribution of the population by age was 29.5% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.0 years. The gender makeup of the city was 49.5% male and 50.5% female.
The median income for a household in the city was $65,578, and the median income for a family was $74,233. Males had a median income of $49,154 versus $39,596 for females. The city's per capita income was $26,100. About 7.8% of families and 9.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.1% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over.
Recreation
Thornton has 81 city parks and nearly 2,000 acres (8.1 km2) of parks and open space. There are over 80 miles (130 km) of trails throughout the city. Recreational facilities include the Margaret Carpenter Recreation Center and the Thornton Community Center. Golf courses include the Thorncreek Golf Course and Todd Creek Golf.
Transportation
Major highways in Thornton are I-25, I-76, SH 7, SH 44, SH 224, and E-470.
Thornton is served by the Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD), which provides bus service to Thornton and the rest of the Denver metropolitan area.
The major airport that serves Thornton is Denver International Airport.
Education
Thornton is served primarily by three school districts: Adams County School District 12, Mapleton Public Schools, and Brighton School District 27J. These include four high schools (Thornton High School, Vantage Point High School, Skyview High School, and Horizon High School), five middle schools and fourteen elementary schools. There are several charter schools in or near Thornton: the troubled Stargate School with its record number of Civil Rights complaints, Colorado Virtual Academy, New America School, Westgate Community Charter School.
Thornton has several libraries and is served by the Rangeview Library District.
Shopping
Thornton has several shopping areas, such as Larkridge Mall, Thornton Town Center, and Thorncreek Crossing Shopping Center. Larkridge is home to national anchor tenants, big box retailers, and restaurants, and has a pedestrian village. Larkridge is anchored by Colorado's first Sears Grand store, Dick's Sporting Goods, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and PetsMart.
Notable people
Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Thornton include:
- Tesho Akindele (1992- ), soccer forward
- Josh Bredl (1991- ), pro wrestler
- Edward Casso (1974- ), Colorado state legislator
- John Denney (1978- ), football long snapper
- Beth Martinez Humenik, Colorado state legislator
- Mike Manning (1987- ), actor
- Nikki Marshall (1988- ), soccer forward, defender
- Mike McCoy (1953-2016), football cornerback
- Adrian Mora (1978- ), welterweight boxer
- Joseph Salazar, Colorado state legislator
- Kyle Sleeth (1981- ), baseball starting pitcher
- Neal Ulevich (1946- ), photojournalist
See also
- Outline of Colorado
- Index of Colorado-related articles
- State of Colorado
- Colorado cities and towns
- Colorado municipalities
- Colorado counties
- Adams County, Colorado
- Adams County School District 12
- Weld County, Colorado
- Adams County, Colorado
- Colorado metropolitan areas
- Front Range Urban Corridor
- North Central Colorado Urban Area
- Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO Combined Statistical Area
- Denver-Aurora-Broomfield, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
- Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
- Colorado cities and towns
References
External links
- City of Thornton website
- CDOT map of the City of Thornton
Source of article : Wikipedia
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