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About Larimer County

Larimer County is named after General William Larimer, 1809-1875. He was an early settler of Denver and the county was named after him as a 'thank you'. The Territorial legislature of Colorado named Larimer a county in 1861. More information on General William Larimer.

Larimer County is located in north central Colorado. It is the seventh largest county in Colorado based on population. The county extends to the Continental Divide and includes several mountain communities and Rocky Mountain National Park. The County encompasses 2,640 square miles that include some of the finest irrigated farmland in the state, as well as vast stretches of scenic ranch lands, forests and high mountain peaks. Over 50% of Larimer County is publicly owned, most of which is land within Roosevelt National Forest and Rocky Mountain National Park. In addition to these federal lands, Colorado State Parks and Recreation Area, Larimer County Parks and local parks within urban areas combine to provide a wide spectrum of recreational opportunities that are enjoyed by both residents and visitors.

Major attractions in the area include the Poudre River Canyon and Rocky Mountain National Park. Other major visitor attractions in the County include the Anheuser Busch Brewery and Colorado State University in Fort Collins, sculpture shows and bronze foundry tours in Loveland, and the Scottish Highlands Festival in Estes Park. Loveland and Estes Park are also known as gateways to Rocky Mountain National Park, which receives over 3 million visitors each year.

The County has many large employers, including Hewlett-Packard, Celestica, LSI Logic, Anheuser Busch, Teledyne WaterPik and Colorado State University.

More about Larimer County (from wikipedia)

Cities/Towns and Population

Total Population - Estimate for 2005 - 283,000 (source: Larimer County Planning Department)
Total Population based on 2000 Census - 251,226

Community Breakdown: Numbers based on 2000 Census

Berthoud4,839
Estes Park5,413
Fort Collins118,652
Loveland50,608
Timnath223
Wellington2,672
Unincorporated68,819

Other County Information