The Library of Congress - Hay stack and automobile of peach pickers, Delta County, Colorado (LOC)

Delta County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the U.S. state of

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,196. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

is Delta.

History

Delta County was created by the Colorado legislature on February 11, 1883, out of portions of central Gunnison County. The county was named from a delta of arable land at the mouth of the

Uncompahgre River The Uncompahgre River is a tributary of the Gunnison River, approximately 75 mi (121 km) long, in southwestern Colorado in the United States. Lake Como at 12,215 ft (3723m) in northern San Juan County, in the Uncompahgre Nation ...

, where it flows into the

Gunnison River The Gunnison River is located in western Colorado, United States and is one of the largest tributaries of the Colorado River. Description The river flows east to west and has a drainage area of according to the USGS. The drainage basin of ...

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.6%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Mesa County – northwest * Gunnison County – east * Montrose County – south

Major Highways

U.S. Highway 50 * Colorado 65

State Highway 65 * Colorado 92

State Highway 92 * Colorado 133

State Highway 133 * Colorado 348

State Highway 348

National protected areas

* Dominguez Canyon Wilderness * Dominguez-Escalante National Conservation Area (part) * Grand Mesa National Forest * Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area (part) *

Gunnison Gorge Wilderness The Gunnison Gorge Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area located immediately northwest of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. The wilderness area established in 1999 includes of the Gunnison River The Gunnison River is located ...

Gunnison National Forest The Gunnison National Forest is a U.S. National Forest covering 1,672,136 acres (2,612.71 sq mi, or 6,766.89 km²) Crawford State Park * Sweitzer Lake State Park

Trails and byways

* American Discovery Trail * Crag Crest National Recreation Trail * Old Spanish National Historic Trail
Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway
* West Elk Loop Scenic Byway

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 27,834 people, 11,058 households, and 7,939 families living in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile (9/km²). There were 12,374 housing units at an average density of 11 per square mile (4/km²). The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the county was 92.29% White, 0.52% Black or African American, 0.76% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4.25% from other races, and 1.83% from two or more races. 11.39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 11,058 households 29.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.30% were married couples living together, 7.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.20% were non-families. 24.80% of households were one person and 12.40% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.89. The age distribution was 24.00% under the age of 18, 6.30% from 18 to 24, 23.60% from 25 to 44, 26.50% from 45 to 64, and 19.70% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 100.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.60 males. The median household income was $32,785 and the median family income was $37,748. Males had a median income of $31,348 versus $19,916 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,152. About 8.50% of families and 12.10% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 15.00% of those under age 18 and 9.60% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

City

* Delta

Towns

Cedaredge The Town of Cedaredge is a home rule municipality located in Delta County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 2,279 at the 2020 United States Census. Cedaredge sits in the Surface Creek Valley beneath the southern slopes of the Gra ...

* Crawford *

Hotchkiss Hotchkiss may refer to: Places Canada * Hotchkiss, Alberta * Hotchkiss, Calgary United States * Hotchkiss, Colorado * Hotchkiss, Virginia * Hotchkiss, West Virginia Business and industry * Hotchkiss (car), a French automobile manufacturer ...

* Orchard City *

Paonia Paonia is a statutory town in Delta County, Colorado, United States. The population was 1,451 at the 2010 census. History The area was first explored in 1853 by Captain John W. Gunnison of the United States Army. Gunnison was on an expediti ...

Census Designated Place

* Lazear

Unincorporated communities

* Austin * Cory * Eckert

Politics

Delta County votes predominantly Republican in national, state, and local elections. No Democratic presidential candidate has reached forty percent of Delta County's vote since Lyndon Johnson carried the county in 1964, and since 1920 Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 is the only other Democrat to gain a majority, although Roosevelt did win a plurality against Alf Landon in 1936.

Media

The local papers are the Delta County Independent and the Merchant Herald.

Notes

References

External links

Delta County Government websiteColorado Historical SocietyDelta Real Time Weather
{{authority control Colorado counties 1883 establishments in Colorado Populated places established in 1883