Centennial, Colorado | |
|---|---|
 Centennial Civic Center located on East Arapahoe Road | |
 Flag | |
| Motto: Spirit of the Past | |
 Centennial inArapahoe County, Colorado | |
  Centennial Location of the City of Centennial, Colorado. Show map of the United States Centennial Centennial (Colorado) Show map of Colorado | |
| Coordinates:39°34′45″N104°52′37″W / 39.5792°N 104.8769°W /39.5792; -104.8769 (Centennial, Colorado)[3] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| County | Arapahoe[2] |
| Incorporated | February 7, 2001[1] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Home rule city[1] |
| • Mayor | Stephanie Piko |
| Area | |
| 29.867 sq mi (77.355 km2) | |
| • Land | 29.721 sq mi (76.976 km2) |
| • Water | 0.146 sq mi (0.379 km2) |
| Elevation | 5,837 ft (1,779 m) |
| Population | |
| 108,418 | |
| • Rank | 11th in Colorado |
| • Density | 3,648/sq mi (1,409/km2) |
| • Metro | 2,963,821 (19th) |
| • CSA | 3,623,560 (17th) |
| • Front Range | 5,055,344 |
| Time zone | UTC−07:00 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−06:00 (MDT) |
| ZIP code[5] | 80015-80016, 80111-80112, 80121-80122, 80161 (PO Box) |
| Area codes | 303/720/983 |
| GNIS pop ID | 1890924 |
| GNIS city ID | 2409422 |
| FIPS code | 08-12815 |
| Website | www |
Centennial is ahome rule city located inArapahoe County,Colorado, United States.[1] The city population was 108,418 at the2020 United States census, making Centennial the11th most populous municipality in Colorado.[4] Centennial is a principal city of theDenver–Aurora–Centennial, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and a part of theFront Range Urban Corridor.
The City of Centennial was incorporated on February 7, 2001, from portions ofunincorporatedArapahoe County, including the formerCastlewood andSouthglenncensus-designated places (CDPs).[6] The citizens of the area had voted to incorporate on September 12, 2000, choosing Centennial as the official name during the vote. The name reflects Colorado's admission to theUnion as the 38th state in 1876, thecentennial year of theUnited States Declaration of Independence.[7] The state of Colorado is nicknamed the "Centennial State".[7]
Incorporation was approved by 77% of the voters, and the population of the area at over 100,000 made it the largest incorporation in U.S. history as of its creation. The city was incorporated in large part to prevent further annexations of unincorporated areas by thecity of Greenwood Village in an attempt to improve its tax base.[8] The taxes generated from businesses in unincorporated portions of Arapahoe County funded the majority of the county's services, including road work. A number of court cases[specify] eventually established the right of incorporation to take precedence over the right of annexation.[citation needed]
The city was incorporated on a promise to keep city taxes at 1%. (One of the campaigns against incorporation appealed to voters to maintain the 3.8% sales tax of the unincorporated county.) According to the Centennial website, the current sales tax rate is two-and-a-half times the promised rate, at 2.5%.
In 2008, Centennial voters approved a referendum by approximately a 2-to-1 margin making Centennial ahome rule city.[9]
Centennial Airport, formerly the Arapahoe County Airport, lies adjacent to Centennial, but is located in unincorporated Arapahoe County. The airport is not named after the city, as it predates the city by over 30 years.
Centennial is roughly divided in half byInterstate 25, with most of its business and entertainment centers lying west of the highway. The city's boundaries are highly irregular and evocative of agerrymander, particularly the overwhelmingly residential eastern portions of the city, which appear withFoxfield, portions of Aurora, and unincorporated areas as a distortedcheckerboard on the city's map.[10]
Centennial has many hills, gullies and ravines, and its open spaces are usually accompanied by recreational trails and parks, including Dry Creek Dam, DeKoevend Park, theHigh line Canal Trail, Willow Creek Trail, as well as Big Dry Creek and Little Dry Creek Trails. Centennial hosts most native wildlife and is a good reflection of Colorado's front range ecosystem. Centennial has seen a boost in coyote populations in recent years, leading to resident education on how to deter coyotes from eating family pets.[11]
At the2020 United States census, the city had a total area of 19,115 acres (77.355 km2) including 94 acres (0.379 km2) of water.[4]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 54,200 | — | |
| 1990 | 67,479 | 24.5% | |
| 2000 | 69,087 | 2.4% | |
| 2010 | 100,377 | 45.3% | |
| 2020 | 108,418 | 8.0% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 108,853 | [12] | 0.4% |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2010[13] | Pop 2020[14] | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 82,664 | 81,391 | 82.35% | 75.07% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 3,146 | 3,545 | 3.13% | 3.27% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 284 | 266 | 0.28% | 0.25% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 4,340 | 6,794 | 4.32% | 6.27% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 94 | 109 | 0.09% | 0.10% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 131 | 508 | 0.13% | 0.47% |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 2,261 | 5,387 | 2.25% | 4.97% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 7,457 | 10,418 | 7.43% | 9.61% |
| Total | 100,377 | 108,418 | 100.00% | 100.00% |
The city is approximately composed of 87.4% White, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 3.6%Asian, 2.4%African American, 0.4%Native American, and 0.3% from other races.
The median age is 37.2 years, in comparison to the 35.3-year national average. For every 100 females, there are 98 males.
National CineMedia andUnited Launch Alliance are among the companies based in Centennial. According to Centennial's 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report,[15] the top employers in the city are:
Most of Centennial is within the territory of theCherry Creek Public Schools while the western portion of the city in the territory ofLittleton Public Schools.[16] Centennial is also served by a few private schools.
Private Elementary and Middle Schools
Seminary
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The city is governed under thecouncil–manager form of government[17] which limits the power of the city to levy and collect taxes. The city council has eight members. The Mayor and Council Members are all part-time officials who hold other full-time jobs.[citation needed] As of 2024[update], the mayor is Stephanie Piko and the city manager is Matt Sturgeon.[18]
Dove Valley, an unincorporated area bordering Centennial, is home to the training facilities and team headquarters for theDenver Broncos, aNational Football League franchise that plays in Denver. The team moved their headquarters to Dove Valley in 1990 and built their training facilities there in 2003.[19] The Pat Bowlen Fieldhouse was constructed on the campus in 2014 and houses 115,000 square feet (10,700 m2) of training space and offices.[20] A major expansion of the team's facilities was announced in 2023 and is planned to be completed in 2023.[21]
Denver Summit FC in theNational Women's Soccer League plans to build their training center in Centennial in a partnership with the city government and theCherry Creek School District. The center will include eight fields on 43 acres (17 ha) of land and an indoor training area. A temporary 12,000-seat stadium on the grounds is planned to open in 2026 for the team's inaugural season and be used for two seasons while construction of a permanent stadium in Denver is completed.[22] The Centennial stadium project is expected to cost up to $25 million with funding from the team and school district. After the 2027 season, the stadium's capacity is planned to be reduced to 4,000 seats and continue to be used by the school district.[23]
Notable individuals who were born in or have lived in Centennial include:
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Media from Commons
Travel information from WikivoyagePlaces adjacent to Centennial, Colorado | |
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Municipalities and communities ofArapahoe County, Colorado,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
