DOLA's Sustainable Main Streets Initiative Named Finalist in ColoradoBIZ Magazine's 2011 Sustainability Champion Awards

Congratulations to DOLA's Office of Community Development for its work on the Sustainable Main Streets Initiative (SMSI), which was launched in April of 2010.  The SMSI was chosen as a finalist for ColoradoBIZ Magazine's 2011 Sustainability Champion Awards.

Chosen among dozens of entries, the SMSI, which has focused efforts on four pilot communities: The Five Points Neighborhood, the Town of Fowler, the City of Monte Vista and the City of Rifle, was recognized for meeting criteria in the areas of environment, economy, innovation, society and education.

To read more about the awards and this important recognition, go to 2011 Sustainability Champion Awards - ColoradoBIZ Magazine.

DOLA Takes Part in Georgetown Water/wastewater Upgrade Celebration

DOLA was proud to take part in a recent celebration marking vital upgrades to the water/wastewater facility serving Georgetown and Silver Plume.  Tony Hernandez, Director of the Division of Local Government (DLG), Clay Brown, DOLA Regional Manager, and Jarrod Biggs, Research Analyst, joined Georgetown and Silver Plume officials for a special ribbon-cutting event applauding construction made possible through more than $9 million in grants and financial assistance.

The water/wastewater system upgrades are the culmination of ongoing facilitation and technical assistance that helped create an intergovernmental agreement between Georgetown and Silver Plume, paving the way for improvements in water quality and infrastructure.

Tony Hernandez, Director of DOLA's Division of Local Government (far l) and DOLA Regional Manager Clay Brown (c), joined local officials from Georgetown and Silver Plume for a ribbon-cutting celebrating water/wastewater system improvements.

You can read about this important project in the Clear Creek Courant.  Photo by Ian Neligh.

State Demography Office staff change and job announcement

Eddie Hunsinger, our estimates demographer will be leaving to head up the State Demography Office in Alaska.  His last day will be April 8th.  Attached is the job announcement if you are interested in applying.  For those who have questions regarding population estimates, you can contact Elizabeth Garner at elizabeth.garner@state.co.us.

Coffee with Cabinet on April 2 in Grand Junction

DOLA Executive Director Reeves Brown will be one of several cabinet members on hand for Governor Hickenlooper's Coffee with the Cabinet -- an informal time for citizens to meet and converse with the following cabinet members:

• Reeves Brown, Department of Local Affairs
• Don Hunt, Department of Transportation
• Mike King, Department of Natural Resources
• John Salazar, Commissioner of Agriculture
• Al White, Colorado Tourism Office

The community gathering will take place on Saturday, April 2, 2011.  Residents are encouraged to stop by anytime between 10 - 11:30 a.m.  The meeting will be held at Main Street Bagels, 599 Main Street, Grand Junction.
 

Colorado 2010 Census Block TIGER GIS data available on State Demography Office website

As part of our continuing effort to provide population and demographic information, the State Demography Office (SDO) has available, on our website the current version of Processed 2010 TIGER Data available at the block level. 

TIGER is a trademarked Census Bureau digital database of geographic features.  The user of TIGER data must have Geographic Information System (GIS) software because TIGER data is not a graphical image of a map.  The processed TIGER data from the SDO can be used (in conjunction with the GIS) to map block, tract, place, and county level geography.  Demographic analysis of population and housing units can be done with this data as well.  The TIGER line files have been processed with Total Population and Housing Unit information from the PL94-171 Summary File.  The user may also choose to add additional attributes from the PL94-171 tables.   

Please visit the State Demography 2010 Processed TIGER GIS page at http://dola.colorado.gov/gis/tiger2010.html for links to the technical documentation and data downloads. Please contact Sheila Dorrell at sheila.dorrell@state.co.us or 303-866-5433 for further information. 

For tabular population data please visit the State Demography 2010 Census Data page at http://dola.colorado.gov/dlg/demog/2010censusdata.html, or the Census Bureau's American Fact Finder 2 website at http://factfinder2.census.gov/main.html .  Please contact Barbara Mason at barbara.mason@state.co.us or 303-866-3120 for assistance.

Glenwood Post Independent Article: New website helps manage energy costs

The following is an excerpt from the Glenwood Post Independent highlighting a new website made possible in part through a DOLA grant.  The website tracks energy use for public facilities throughout Garfield County, helping them gauge their use and identify ways to save.

"Partners in the countywide Garfield Clean Energy program have adopted targets for increasing energy efficiency and use of renewable energy as a means to creating a stronger, more resilient economy.

Now, with the launch of a new website tool, governments in Garfield County can view the ongoing progress they are making toward reaching these goals within their government buildings, share this progress with the public, and identify ways to save additional energy and money.

Garfield Energy Navigator (www.garfieldenergynavigator.org) is a new website developed by CLEER, Clean Energy Economy for the Region, as part of the countywide Garfield Clean Energy program."

To read the article in its entirety, click here.

Census Bureau Releases 2010 Counts for Smaller Areas

Today the Census Bureau released more detailed 2010 Census population totals and demographic characteristics for Colorado. These data provide the first look at population counts for small areas with race, Hispanic origin, voting age and housing unit data released from the 2010 Census.
These counts for Colorado show Colorado’s most populous counties are El Paso County (622,263), Denver (600,158), Arapahoe (572,003) and Jefferson (534,543).  El Paso moved up from the third most populous county in 2000 and Jefferson slipped to fourth most populous from second in 2000.
The counties with the largest increase in population were Douglas County gaining 109,699 people and El Paso County gaining 105,334.  Other counties with large increases in population include Arapahoe (83,107), Adams (77,746), and Weld (71,889).  Seventeen of Colorado’s 64 counties (26 percent) showed population declines.  The largest declines were in Prowers (-1,932), Otero (-1,480) and Huerfano (-1,151).
The counties that show the fastest growth in percentage terms are a little more diverse.  Douglas was again the fastest growing county in Colorado growing at 62.4 percent compared to the state as a whole growing by 16.92 percent.  Other fast growing counties include Weld (39.7 percent), Garfield (28.7 percent), Mesa (26.2 percent) and Eagle (25.3 percent).

The three largest cities remain Denver (600,158) followed by Colorado Springs (416,427), and Aurora (325,078) with Fort Collins (143,986) and Lakewood (142,980) rounding out the top 5.  The five municipalities to gain the most population were Colorado Springs (55,537), Aurora (48,685), Denver (45,522), Thornton (36,388) and Castle Rock (28,007).  The Denver metro cities of Wheat Ridge, Englewood, and Lakewood recorded population declines.

Fourteen municipalities doubled their size or more over the decade. Several municipalities in Northern Colorado were in the group of the fastest growing in the state: Firestone (431 percent), Severance (430 percent), Frederick (251 percent), Erie (188 percent) and Timnath (180 percent).

Colorado continues to become more ethnically and racially diverse.  Colorado’s Hispanic population (largest minority group) increased by over 300,000 or 41 percent during the decade compared to the total population which grew by 16 percent.  Blacks or African Americans grew by 19 percent, Asians by 45 percent, and White non-Hispanic by 9.9 percent. The increase in diversity occurred throughout the state, not just in the metro areas.  The largest increases in the minority population were in Arapahoe, Adams and El Paso.  However, large increases were also seen in the Eastern Plains counties of Yuma, Kit Carson, and Morgan and the Western Slope counties of Moffat, Garfield, Eagle and Mesa.

The official 2010 Census Redistricting Data Summary File can be used to redraw federal, state and local legislative districts under Public Law 94-171. The census data are used by state officials to realign congressional and state legislative districts in their states, taking into account population shifts since the 2000 Census. To access the detailed data from the Census Bureau, visit their website at: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/ or through the American Factfinder at: http://factfinder2.census.gov/main.html

The State Demography Office has also published the Census 2010 counts and comparisons from Census 2000 for counties and municipalities on its website.  http://dola.colorado.gov/dlg/demog/2010censusdata.html  If you need help accessing the data from the Census website or from the State Demography Office website please contact us at: 303-866-3190 or 303-866-3096.