Commerce City, Colorado
Encyclopedia
The city of Commerce City is a Home Rule Municipality located in Adams County
, Colorado
, United States
. Commerce City is a northern suburb
of Denver
and now the 18th most populous municipality
in the state of Colorado. The United States Census Bureau
that the population of Commerce City was 45,913 in 2010 census, a population increase of 118.7% in the ten years since 2000 census.
Commerce City is a mixed residential and industrial community that is known for greyhound racing
at the Mile High Greyhound Park dog track and for an oil refinery
with a capacity of 90000 oilbbl/d, operated by Suncor. Dick's Sporting Goods Park, a new soccer
stadium in Commerce City, hosts the Colorado Rapids
of Major League Soccer
.
built a ranch, trading post, and hotel on Henderson Island in the South Platte River
in Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory
. Henderson sold meat and provisions to gold seekers on their way up the South Platte River Trail to the gold fields during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. Henderson Island was the first permanent settlement in the South Platte River Valley between Fort Saint Vrain
in the Nebraska Territory
and the Cherry Creek Diggings in the Kansas Territory
. Henderson Island is today the site of the Adams County Regional Park and Fairgrounds.
Among the first establishments in the modern Commerce City were cemeteries. Riverside Cemetery
, founded in 1876, is located in the city's southwest corner at East 52nd Avenue and Brighton Boulevard. Rose Hill Cemetery, in the heart of historic Commerce City, was established in 1892 on what at the time was an open plain by the United Hebrew Cemetery Association.
The first school in the area began in 1871 as a one-room schoolhouse, with other schools added in 1899 and later in 1907. This latter school is now part of the North Building at the former site of Adams City High School
, now Adams 14 School District Administration Buildings.
Several towns were founded in this part of Adams County in the 19th century. Derby, a Burlington Railroad
station in 1887, was laid out as a town in 1889, although it was largely vacated by 1891. Irondale was first settled in 1889, named after a foundry that was opened that year. It was incorporated as the town of Irondale in 1924, but unincorporated in the 1930s due to increasing vacancy. Meanwhile, Adams City was laid out in 1903, with developers hoping the county seat would be established there; however, Brighton
was elected county seat in 1904 and Adams City was vacated in 1922.
Until the late 1920s, the area was devoted to agriculture, including wheat fields, dairies, and pig farms. Industry moved in, with a refinery established in 1930 and grain elevators built in the late 1930s. Rocky Mountain Arsenal
was founded in 1942 due east of the growing community.
In 1946 and 1947, Adams County School District 14 was formed from surrounding schools, and Adams City was redeveloped about that time. In 1951, as Denver
was considering annexing the area, a plan to incorporate all of southern Adams County was developed. On 1952-07-08, area residents voted 251 to 24 to incorporate Commerce Town, comprising neighborhoods such as Rose Hill and southern Adams City. Commerce Town annexed part of Derby in 1962, increasing the population over fourfold, enough for the town to gain the status of a city. The city name was duly changed to Commerce City. On 2007-04-03, the citizens of Commerce City voted overwhelmingly to retain their city's name.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the city has a total area of 25.9 square miles (67.1 km²), all of it land.
of 2000, there were 20,991 people, 6,668 households, and 4,974 families residing in the city. The population density
was 812.2 people per square mile (313.6/km²) under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 3 females there were 109.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,680, and the median income for a family was $37,279. Males had a median income of $28,450 versus $22,877 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $23,445. About 15.3% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.
Suncor Energy
bought the west refinery from Conoco in 2003. A project to upgrade this facility began in August of that year.
Suncor purchased the east refinery from Valero in June 2005 with the eventual goal of combining the two operations. As a result of a lawsuit by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) and a number of states (including Colorado) alleging violations of the Clean Air Act
, Valero agreed in June 2005 to make pollution
-reducing changes to its refineries, including the Commerce City facility. Suncor's purchase agreement included an assumption of all liability from this suit.
The west refinery's upgrade project, named "Project Odyssey," was extended to the east refinery. The west plant was shut down in February 2006 to complete the upgrade, while the east plant continued to refine 34000 barrels (5,405.6 m³) of oil per day. The completion of the $445 million project was announced in June 2006 and allows Suncor to meet the EPA's mandate to reduce the sulfur
content of diesel fuel. It also gives the refinery the ability to process Suncor's Canadian sour crude oil sands
. The combined facility is the largest refinery in the Rocky Mountain region
.
recorded a song called Commerce City Sister.
Adams County, Colorado
Adams County is the fifth most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the county population was 441,603 in 2010 census, a 21.4% increase since 2000 census. Adams County is named for Alva Adams, Governor of the...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Commerce City is a northern suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
and now the 18th most populous municipality
Colorado municipalities
The U.S. state of Colorado currently has 271 active incorporated municipalities, including 196 towns, 73 cities, and two consolidated city and county governments.-Municipal government:...
in the state of Colorado. The United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
that the population of Commerce City was 45,913 in 2010 census, a population increase of 118.7% in the ten years since 2000 census.
Commerce City is a mixed residential and industrial community that is known for greyhound racing
Greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is the sport of racing greyhounds. The dogs chase a lure on a track until they arrive at the finish line. The one that arrives first is the winner....
at the Mile High Greyhound Park dog track and for an oil refinery
Oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas...
with a capacity of 90000 oilbbl/d, operated by Suncor. Dick's Sporting Goods Park, a new soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
stadium in Commerce City, hosts the Colorado Rapids
Colorado Rapids
The Colorado Rapids are an American professional soccer club based in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, Colorado which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league...
of Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
.
History
In 1859, John D. "Colonel Jack" HendersonJohn D. Henderson
John D. "Colonel Jack" Henderson was an American editor, rancher, businessman, and pro-slavery politician in the Kansas Territory.John D. Henderson was born in Pennsylvania....
built a ranch, trading post, and hotel on Henderson Island in the South Platte River
South Platte River
The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River and itself a major river of the American Midwest and the American Southwest/Mountain West, located in the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska...
in Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory
Arapahoe County, Kansas Territory
Arapahoe County was a county of the United States Territory of Kansas that existed from 1855-08-25, to 1861-01-29.-History:On 1855-08-25, the Kansas Territorial Legislature created Arapahoe County to govern the western portion of the Territory of Kansas...
. Henderson sold meat and provisions to gold seekers on their way up the South Platte River Trail to the gold fields during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. Henderson Island was the first permanent settlement in the South Platte River Valley between Fort Saint Vrain
Fort Saint Vrain
Fort Saint Vrain was an 1837 fur trading post built by the Bent, St. Vrain Company, and located at the confluence of Saint Vrain Creek and the South Platte River, about 20 miles east of the Rocky Mountains in the unorganized territory of the United States. This area later became part od the State...
in the Nebraska Territory
Nebraska Territory
The Territory of Nebraska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until March 1, 1867, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Nebraska. The Nebraska Territory was created by the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854...
and the Cherry Creek Diggings in the Kansas Territory
Kansas Territory
The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Kansas....
. Henderson Island is today the site of the Adams County Regional Park and Fairgrounds.
Among the first establishments in the modern Commerce City were cemeteries. Riverside Cemetery
Riverside Cemetery (Denver, Colorado)
Riverside Cemetery, established in 1876, is Denver, Colorado's oldest operating cemetery. More than 67,000 people are buried there, including 1,000 veterans.-Location and operation:...
, founded in 1876, is located in the city's southwest corner at East 52nd Avenue and Brighton Boulevard. Rose Hill Cemetery, in the heart of historic Commerce City, was established in 1892 on what at the time was an open plain by the United Hebrew Cemetery Association.
The first school in the area began in 1871 as a one-room schoolhouse, with other schools added in 1899 and later in 1907. This latter school is now part of the North Building at the former site of Adams City High School
Adams City High School (Commerce City)
Adams City High School is a high school located in Commerce City.-Demographics:* 2008-2009 Student Enrollment* 17.4% White* 77.2% Latino* 3.3% African American* 0.7% Asian* 1.2% Native American...
, now Adams 14 School District Administration Buildings.
Several towns were founded in this part of Adams County in the 19th century. Derby, a Burlington Railroad
Burlington Northern Railroad
The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996....
station in 1887, was laid out as a town in 1889, although it was largely vacated by 1891. Irondale was first settled in 1889, named after a foundry that was opened that year. It was incorporated as the town of Irondale in 1924, but unincorporated in the 1930s due to increasing vacancy. Meanwhile, Adams City was laid out in 1903, with developers hoping the county seat would be established there; however, Brighton
Brighton, Colorado
Brighton is a Home Rule Municipality in Adams and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado, and the county seat of Adams County. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 31,380 in 2008.-Geography:...
was elected county seat in 1904 and Adams City was vacated in 1922.
Until the late 1920s, the area was devoted to agriculture, including wheat fields, dairies, and pig farms. Industry moved in, with a refinery established in 1930 and grain elevators built in the late 1930s. Rocky Mountain Arsenal
Rocky Mountain Arsenal
The Rocky Mountain Arsenal was a United States chemical weapons manufacturing center located in the Denver Metropolitan Area in Commerce City, Colorado...
was founded in 1942 due east of the growing community.
In 1946 and 1947, Adams County School District 14 was formed from surrounding schools, and Adams City was redeveloped about that time. In 1951, as Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
was considering annexing the area, a plan to incorporate all of southern Adams County was developed. On 1952-07-08, area residents voted 251 to 24 to incorporate Commerce Town, comprising neighborhoods such as Rose Hill and southern Adams City. Commerce Town annexed part of Derby in 1962, increasing the population over fourfold, enough for the town to gain the status of a city. The city name was duly changed to Commerce City. On 2007-04-03, the citizens of Commerce City voted overwhelmingly to retain their city's name.
Geography
Commerce City is located at 39°50′27"N 104°54′4"W (39.840735, -104.901139).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 25.9 square miles (67.1 km²), all of it land.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 20,991 people, 6,668 households, and 4,974 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 812.2 people per square mile (313.6/km²) under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 3 females there were 109.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 111.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $33,680, and the median income for a family was $37,279. Males had a median income of $28,450 versus $22,877 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $23,445. About 15.3% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.5% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.
Industry
Commerce City is home to an oil refinery with a capacity of 90000 oilbbl/d. Originally, this facility existed as two separately owned refineries, one on each side of Brighton Boulevard.Suncor Energy
Suncor Energy
Suncor Energy Inc. is a Canadian integrated energy company based in Calgary, Alberta. It specializes in production of synthetic crude from oil sands...
bought the west refinery from Conoco in 2003. A project to upgrade this facility began in August of that year.
Suncor purchased the east refinery from Valero in June 2005 with the eventual goal of combining the two operations. As a result of a lawsuit by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
(EPA) and a number of states (including Colorado) alleging violations of the Clean Air Act
Clean Air Act
A Clean Air Act is one of a number of pieces of legislation relating to the reduction of airborne contaminants, smog and air pollution in general. The use by governments to enforce clean air standards has contributed to an improvement in human health and longer life spans...
, Valero agreed in June 2005 to make pollution
Pollution
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
-reducing changes to its refineries, including the Commerce City facility. Suncor's purchase agreement included an assumption of all liability from this suit.
The west refinery's upgrade project, named "Project Odyssey," was extended to the east refinery. The west plant was shut down in February 2006 to complete the upgrade, while the east plant continued to refine 34000 barrels (5,405.6 m³) of oil per day. The completion of the $445 million project was announced in June 2006 and allows Suncor to meet the EPA's mandate to reduce the sulfur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
content of diesel fuel. It also gives the refinery the ability to process Suncor's Canadian sour crude oil sands
Tar sands
Bituminous sands, colloquially known as oil sands or tar sands, are a type of unconventional petroleum deposit. The sands contain naturally occurring mixtures of sand, clay, water, and a dense and extremely viscous form of petroleum technically referred to as bitumen...
. The combined facility is the largest refinery in the Rocky Mountain region
Intermountain West
The Intermountain West is a region of North America lying between the Rocky Mountains to the east and the Cascades and Sierra Nevada to the west. It is also called the Intermountain Region.- Topography :...
.
In popular culture
Denver-based band DeVotchKaDeVotchKa
DeVotchKa is a four-piece multi-instrumental and vocal ensemble. They take their name from the Russian word devochka , meaning "girl"...
recorded a song called Commerce City Sister.
See also
- State of Colorado
- Colorado cities and towns
- Colorado municipalitiesColorado municipalitiesThe U.S. state of Colorado currently has 271 active incorporated municipalities, including 196 towns, 73 cities, and two consolidated city and county governments.-Municipal government:...
- Colorado municipalities
- Colorado countiesColorado countiesThe U.S state of Colorado is divided into 64 counties. Counties are important units of government in Colorado since the state has no secondary civil subdivisions, such as townships...
- Adams County, ColoradoAdams County, ColoradoAdams County is the fifth most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the county population was 441,603 in 2010 census, a 21.4% increase since 2000 census. Adams County is named for Alva Adams, Governor of the...
- Adams County, Colorado
- Colorado metropolitan areasColorado metropolitan areasThe metropolitan areas of the State of Colorado include the urban statistical areas defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget and regions of urban population defined by other organizations.-Census statistical areas:...
- Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area
- Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical AreaDenver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Areathumb|300px|Map of the 12-county Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical AreaThe Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO Combined Statistical Area is a United States Census Bureau defined Combined Statistical Area located in the Denver region of the state of Colorado...
- North Central Colorado Urban AreaNorth Central Colorado Urban Areathumb|240px|An enlargeable map of the 13-county North Central Colorado Urban AreaThe North Central Colorado Urban Area comprises the four contiguous metropolitan statistical areas in the north central region of the State of Colorado: the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area, the Boulder...
- Front Range Urban CorridorFront Range Urban CorridorThe Front Range Urban Corridor is an oblong region of urban population located along the eastern face of the Southern Rocky Mountains in the U.S. states of Colorado and Wyoming. The corridor derives its name from the Front Range, the mountain range that defines the west central boundary of the...
- Colorado cities and towns
- United States Fish & Wildlife Service
- Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife RefugeRocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife RefugeThe Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge located adjacent to Commerce City, Colorado, approximately northeast of downtown Denver...
- Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge