Brighton, Colorado
History
The town was named for Brighton Beach, New York. Brighton was founded in the 1870s as a stage/railroad depot and farming community. The town was originally named Hughes Station. The town was incorporated in 1887. Among the notable scholars born there are Richard Ling, founding editor of Mobile Media & Communication, currently the Shaw Foundation Professor of Media Technology at Nanyang Technological University, and Max Pfeffer, Senior Associate Dean of the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Geography
Brighton is a suburb of Denver.
At the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total area of 13,783 acres (55.777 km), including 185 acres (0.747 km) of water.
Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Brighton has a cold semi-arid climate, abbreviated BSk on climate maps.
| Climate data for Brighton, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1973–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 74 (23) |
80 (27) |
82 (28) |
91 (33) |
99 (37) |
104 (40) |
105 (41) |
103 (39) |
100 (38) |
90 (32) |
82 (28) |
75 (24) |
105 (41) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 65.3 (18.5) |
67.7 (19.8) |
76.3 (24.6) |
82.4 (28.0) |
90.5 (32.5) |
97.8 (36.6) |
100.5 (38.1) |
97.8 (36.6) |
93.8 (34.3) |
85.1 (29.5) |
74.2 (23.4) |
65.5 (18.6) |
101.0 (38.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 44.4 (6.9) |
45.9 (7.7) |
55.9 (13.3) |
62.9 (17.2) |
71.9 (22.2) |
84.1 (28.9) |
90.0 (32.2) |
87.6 (30.9) |
79.8 (26.6) |
65.9 (18.8) |
53.3 (11.8) |
44.0 (6.7) |
65.5 (18.6) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 30.2 (−1.0) |
32.2 (0.1) |
41.3 (5.2) |
48.4 (9.1) |
57.5 (14.2) |
68.3 (20.2) |
74.1 (23.4) |
72.0 (22.2) |
63.6 (17.6) |
50.4 (10.2) |
39.1 (3.9) |
30.2 (−1.0) |
50.6 (10.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 16.1 (−8.8) |
18.5 (−7.5) |
26.7 (−2.9) |
33.9 (1.1) |
43.2 (6.2) |
52.4 (11.3) |
58.2 (14.6) |
56.4 (13.6) |
47.4 (8.6) |
35.0 (1.7) |
25.0 (−3.9) |
16.3 (−8.7) |
35.8 (2.1) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −5.7 (−20.9) |
−2.6 (−19.2) |
9.4 (−12.6) |
20.4 (−6.4) |
29.8 (−1.2) |
42.7 (5.9) |
50.9 (10.5) |
48.5 (9.2) |
35.1 (1.7) |
18.9 (−7.3) |
5.4 (−14.8) |
−4.7 (−20.4) |
−13.5 (−25.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −23 (−31) |
−24 (−31) |
−13 (−25) |
−8 (−22) |
19 (−7) |
34 (1) |
44 (7) |
41 (5) |
19 (−7) |
0 (−18) |
−14 (−26) |
−26 (−32) |
−26 (−32) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.42 (11) |
0.43 (11) |
0.98 (25) |
1.77 (45) |
2.35 (60) |
1.41 (36) |
1.72 (44) |
1.77 (45) |
1.18 (30) |
1.02 (26) |
0.69 (18) |
0.37 (9.4) |
14.11 (360.4) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 5.2 (13) |
5.3 (13) |
6.0 (15) |
3.1 (7.9) |
0.5 (1.3) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.2 (0.51) |
3.2 (8.1) |
5.8 (15) |
5.2 (13) |
34.5 (86.81) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 3.9 | 4.4 | 5.6 | 6.9 | 8.3 | 6.6 | 6.9 | 6.1 | 5.4 | 4.9 | 4.4 | 3.7 | 67.1 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 3.8 | 3.9 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 3.1 | 3.9 | 21.7 |
| Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service | |||||||||||||
Demographics
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 306 | — | |
| 1900 | 366 | 19.6% | |
| 1910 | 850 | 132.2% | |
| 1920 | 2,715 | 219.4% | |
| 1930 | 3,394 | 25.0% | |
| 1940 | 4,029 | 18.7% | |
| 1950 | 4,336 | 7.6% | |
| 1960 | 7,055 | 62.7% | |
| 1970 | 8,309 | 17.8% | |
| 1980 | 12,773 | 53.7% | |
| 1990 | 14,203 | 11.2% | |
| 2000 | 20,905 | 47.2% | |
| 2010 | 33,352 | 59.5% | |
| 2020 | 40,083 | 20.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
As of the census of 2000, there were 20,905 people, 6,718 households, and 5,058 families living in the city. The population density was 1,224.1 inhabitants per square mile (472.6/km). There were 6,990 housing units at an average density of 409.3 per square mile (158.0/km). The racial makeup of the city was 76.91% White, 0.99% African American, 1.47% Native American, 1.10% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 16.29% from other races, and 3.20% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 38.22% of the population.
There were 6,718 households, out of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.7% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.34.
In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 28.6% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $46,779, and the median income for a family was $53,286. Males had a median income of $35,686 versus $27,103 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,927. About 6.1% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 8.6% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Brighton is the home of two Vestas manufacturing plants, a wind turbine blade factory and a nacelle manufacturing plant. The factories are valued at $290 million and will provide 1,350 employment opportunities: 650 in the blade factory and another 700 in the nacelle manufacturing plant. Groundbreaking for the factories took place on March 25, 2009.
The Prairie Center is a 396-acre (1.60 km) shopping center with a pedestrian-oriented retail village.
The Greater Brighton Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau began helping small businesses in the Brighton community in 1955, paving the way for the expansion of Brighton retail, and manufacturing. The Brighton Chamber helped to secure Brighton as an Agritourism destination within the Denver Metro area for Farm Fresh Produce and opening the Brighton Visitors Center in May 2020. The Greater Brighton Chamber of Commerce is ranked the 14th Best Chamber in the Denver area per the Denver Business Journal.
Education
School District 27J serves the community.
Notable people
Notable individuals who were born in or have lived in Brighton include:
- Todd Helton (born 1973), baseball 1st baseman
- John L. Kane Jr. (born 1937), U.S. federal judge
- Dillon Serna (born 1994), soccer midfielder
- Brian Shaw, leading American strongman
- Angie Zapata (1989–2008), murder victim
Sister city
Brighton has a sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International:
Ziębice, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland
See also
- Kitayama Carnation Strike
- Front Range Urban Corridor
- North Central Colorado Urban Area
- Denver-Aurora, CO Combined Statistical Area
- Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
- Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
References
- ^ "Active Colorado Municipalities". Colorado Department of Local Affairs. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Brighton, Colorado
- ^ "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. December 1, 2004. Retrieved September 2, 2007.
- ^ "Decennial Census P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data". United States Census Bureau, United States Department of Commerce. August 12, 2021. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ "ZIP Code Lookup". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original (JavaScript/HTML) on September 3, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2007.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ "Profile for Brighton, Colorado, CO". ePodunk. Archived from the original on May 15, 2019. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
- ^ "City of Brighton celebrates 125th Anniversary". City of Brighton Colorado. Archived from the original on December 13, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
- ^ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ "NOAA Online Weather Data". National Weather Service. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ "Vestas breaks ground on Colorado wind-turbine plants". March 25, 2009.
- ^ Nelson, Ethan (June 19, 2020). "2020 Denver-area chambers of commerce and economic development organizations". BizJournals.com. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
- ^ "About Us - Brighton Chamber of Commerce, CO".
- ^ Saunders, Patrick (August 17, 2014). "Former Rockies great Todd Helton content in first year away from game". The Denver Post. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ "Kane, John L. Jr". Biographical Directory of Federal Judges. Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ "Dillon Serna". Major League Soccer. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ Asmar, Melanie (May 28, 2009). "Who was Angie Zapata? Her murderer's trial didn't tell the whole story". Westword. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
External links
Media from Commons
Travel information from Wikivoyage
Municipalities and communities of Adams County, Colorado, United States | ||
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Municipalities and communities of Weld County, Colorado, United States | ||
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| Trading posts | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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