Arapahoe County Real Estate

Known as the third most populated county in Colorado, Arapahoe County has a population of more than 537,000 people. The county seat is Littleton, which is very well known for the Columbine School incident of 1999. However, aside from that random act of violence, Arapahoe County real estate offers a low crime rate and is considered a very safe place to live by all of its residents. The most populous city in the county is Aurora. Arapahoe County considers itself to be "Colorado's first county" since it originated prior to the Pike's Peak settlement.

Arapahoe County Homes

In 1855, Arapahoe County was first established to govern the western portion of Kansas, and was named for the Native American Tribe that lived in the region. In 1858, the South Platte River was discovered to hold gold, and preceded the Pike's Peak gold rush in mining and searching for gold. The Arapahoe County real estate affected by this discovery is what is known today as Englewood. In 1859, they became part of the Jefferson Territory, which was then divided into 12 counties. The county seat was Denver City at that point, until 1902. In 1861, Arapahoe County officially became a part of Colorado, thanks to an act signed by President Buchanan.

Surrounding Cities

Arapahoe County real estate is arranged over 805 square miles. The county measures 4 to 12 miles south-north and 72 miles east-west. Arapahoe County is also home to Columbine Valley, Deer Trail, Glendale, Sheridan, Watkins, and Greenwood Village and is in close proximity to the City of Denver. It is also surrounded by Adams County, Washington County, Lincoln County, Elbert County, Douglas County, and Jefferson County, all of Colorado. Two parts of Arapahoe County are actually surrounded by the City and County of Denver, including the City of Glendale. These are known as enclaves, because they belong to Arapahoe County, but are situated among the incorporation of the City of Denver and the County of Denver.

Arapahoe County is on the lower end of income among the Colorado counties. It has a median income between $53,000 and $63,000. However, it is still considered middle class, and has a much lower poverty rate than many other counties within the state. This leaves Arapahoe County real estate in a relatively good position for middle and lower class families looking for a home in Colorado. As with most of the other counties in the state, the population is 79% Caucasian, and only 5% of that population is considered below the poverty line. Arapahoe County is also part of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area.