The city of Littleton's history dates back to the 1859Pike's Peak gold rush, which brought not just gold seekers, but merchants and farmers to the community. Richard Sullivan Little was an engineer from New Hampshire who came West to work on irrigation systems. Little soon decided to settle in the area at present day Littleton and brought his wife Angeline from the East in 1862. The Littles and neighbors built the Rough and Ready Flour Mill in 1867, which provided a solid economic base in the community. By 1890, the community had grown to 245 people and the residents voted to incorporate the Town of Littleton.[12]
Littleton grew significantly throughout the 1950s and 1960s due to its proximity to Denver and to theMartin Marietta facilities, which produced the Titan rocket and other aerospace products. Littleton is today fully engulfed in metropolitan Denver.
Littleton lies on theSouth Platte River in theColorado Piedmont region of theGreat Plains a few miles east of theFront Range of theSouthern Rocky Mountains.[18][20][21] Most of the city lies on the east side of the river. Several small tributaries of the river flow northwest through the city; from north to south, these include Big Dry Creek, Slaughterhouse Gulch, Lee Gulch, and Dad Clark Gulch. In addition, several small lakes and reservoirs are located along the river in the southwestern part of the city. Immediately west of the river are Cooley Lake, Bufflehead Lake, South Platte Reservoir, Eaglewatch Lake, Redtail Lake, and Blackrock Lake. Wolhurst Lake and McLellen Reservoir are east of the river, fed and drained by Dad Clark Gulch.Chatfield Reservoir lies immediately southwest of the city.[18]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.87 square miles (35.9 km2) of which 12.98 square miles (33.6 km2) is land and 0.89 square miles (2.3 km2) (6.4%) is water.[22]
Unlike most county seats of suburban counties, Littleton is on the same house numbering grid, including its downtown, as the major city, in this case, Denver.
As of the2020 census, there were 45,652 people and 20,300 households residing in the city. The population density was 3,215.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,241.5/km2). There were 21,476 housing units, of which 1,272 were vacant. In 2023 the racial makeup of the city was 83.1%White, 2.9%Asian, 1.6%African American, 0.8%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Pacific Islander, and 7.8% from two or more races.Hispanics and Latinos of any race were 12.6% of the population. 10.3% of residents spoke a language other than English at home; 7.0% of the city's population spoke Spanish.[27]
There were 20,300 households, out of which 18.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.3% were married couples living together, 20.6% had a male householder with no spouse, and 27.5% had a female householder with no spouse. The average household size was 2.19.[27]
As of 2023 the distribution of the population by age was 18.5% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.2 years. The gender makeup of the city was 49.3% male and 50.7% female.[27]
The median income for a household in the city was $96,611, and the median income for a family was $130,080. Males had a median income of $52,674 versus $40,297 for females. The city'sper capita income was $126,140. About 6.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.[27]
As of 2023, 68.0% of the population over the age of 16 was in the labor force. The occupational composition of the employed civilian labor force was: 54.2% in management, business, science, and arts; 17.3% in sales and office occupations; 12.6% in service occupations; 9.3% in production, transportation, and material moving; and 6.7% in natural resources, construction, and maintenance. The three industries employing the largest percentages of the working civilian labor force were: educational services, health care, and social assistance (20.3%); professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services (16.0%); and finance and insurance, and real estate and rental leasing (9.5%).[27]
The cost of living in Littleton is average; compared to a U.S. average of 100, the cost of living index for the community is 102.7.[28] As of 2023, the median home value in the city was $596,700, the median selected monthly owner cost was $2,320 for housing units with a mortgage and $732 for those without, and the median gross rent was $1,731.[27]
The city's housing stock is primarily made up of either detached single-family or apartment buildings.[29] In 2025, there was a proposal to permit so-called "missing middle" housing (duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes) in neighborhoods that were exclusively zoned for single-family homes, but six council members voted against it while Mayor Pro Tem Stephen Barr cast the lone vote in favor of the proposal.[29]
Littleton is a home-rule municipality with a council-manager form of government. The city council makes policy for the city and approves the annual city budget. The city manager implements the council's policies and oversees day-to-day administration of the city government and its departments.[30]
As thecounty seat, Littleton is the administrative center of Arapahoe County. The county government's main Administration Building is located in Littleton, and most county government departments base their operations in the city.[31]
The council consists of seven members - one member for each of the four legislative districts, two at-large members, and the mayor.[34] Beginning in 2021, all council members are elected to 4-year terms. General elections for city council are held in odd-numbered years with either three or four council seats up for election. In 2021, Littleton voters elected the first popularly-elected mayor to a four-year term.
The place name "Littleton" was assigned to elevenZIP codes which cover a vast area west, east, and south of the city much larger than the city itself. This area includes the followingunincorporated communities:
In addition, an extreme southwest portion ofDenver, the Marston neighborhood, is located in a ZIP code (80123) with "Littleton" as the preferred place name for use in mailing addresses, though "Denver" is also acceptable. TheFederal Correctional Institution, Englewood, also located in this ZIP code, is neither in Littleton[35] nor Englewood, but inunincorporatedJefferson County.[36]
TheRegional Transportation District providesbus andlight rail service to Littleton. Light rail service to the city began on July 14, 2000, on theC andD Lines, howeverC Line operation ended on January 10, 2021. There are two light rail stations within the city,Littleton-Downtown station located within downtown Littleton andLittleton-Mineral station located near the Aspen Grove shopping center, which serves as the southern terminus of the D Line.
Falcon 9 Rocket Booster opened for general public atDish Network's Littleton, CO office is a type of reusable rocket that SpaceX used for repeated launches[40]
Western Welcome Week Since the late 1920s, Littleton has celebrated Western Welcome Week - an annual community celebration in the greater Littleton area. Western Welcome Week started in the late 1920s, and has been held every year since. Western Welcome Week includes over 40 events benefiting dozens of local civic and charitable organizations.[42]
Candlelight Walk The Candlelight Walk is a Littleton tradition, featuring an evening of holiday festivities, culminating in the illumination of the trees on Main Street.[43]
The Littleton TwilightCriterium occurs in the late summer in Historic Downtown Littleton on a 0.8-mile course. The event features famous athletes, concerts, and a cruiser ride for the general public.[44]
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