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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 20th most populous municipality in the State of Colorado. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the population of Commerce City was 34,189 in 2005, a population increase of 62.87% in the five years since United States Census 2000. Table 4: Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places in Colorado, Listed Alphabetically: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005
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 90,000 barrels per day, operated by Suncor.^[1] Dick's Sporting Goods Park, a new soccer stadium in Commerce City, hosts the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.

Contents

History

Geography

Demographics

Industry

References

External links

History

In 1859, John D. "Colonel Jack" Henderson built a ranch, trading post, and hotel on Henderson Island in the South Platte River in Arapaho 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 today's Adams City High School.
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 neighorhoods such as Rose Hill and southern Adams City. Commerce Town annexed part of Derby in 1962, increasing the poulation over fourfold, enough for the town to gain the status of a city. The city name was duly changed to Commerce City.^[2] On 2007-04-03, the citizens of Commerce City voted overwhelmingly to retain their city's name.

Geography

Commerce City is located at (39.840735, -104.901139).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 67.0 km² (25.9 mi²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 20,991 people, 6,668 households, and 4,974 families residing in the city. The population density was 313.6/km² (812.2/mi²). There were 6,873 housing units at an average density of 102.7/km² (265.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 65.56% White, 2.04% African American, 1.73% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 25.68% from other races, and 4.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 52.86% of the population.
There were 6,668 households out of which 38.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.10 and the average family size was 3.51.
In the city the population was spread out with 30.6% 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 100 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 $13,445. 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 of an oil refinery with a capacity of 90,000 barrels per day. Originally, this facility existed as two separately owned refineries, one on each side of Brighton Boulevard.
Suncor Energy bought the west refinery from Conoco in 2003.^[3] A project to upgrade this facility began in August of that year.^[4]
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.^[5]
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 34,000 barrels 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.^[6]

References

1. Suncor Energy acquires second refinery near Denver, Colorado
2. Adams County: Crossroads of the West, , Alvin, Wagner, Board of Adams County Commissioners, 1977, ISBN 0-930952-01-4
3. Canada's sands of gold Steve Raabe
4. Suncor Energy's Commerce City refinery maintenance shutdown to begin February 3
5. Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Announces Agreement with Valero Refining Company; Air Pollution Emissions to be Reduced Dramatically at Commerce City Refinery
6. Environmental and operational enhancements complete - Suncor Energy completes upgrade to its Commerce City refinery

External links

★ City of Commerce City

★ Mile High Greyhound Park