Wheat Ridge Parks, Forestry & Open Space Office

About forestry service, 80510, Allenspark, CO, US, Colorado

The City of Wheat Ridge is a home rule municipality in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Wheat Ridge is located immediately west of Denver and is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Wheat Ridge Municipal Center is approximately 5 miles (8 km) west-northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. The city had a population of 32,398 as of the 2020 Census. == History == Although Wheat Ridge is a relatively young incorporated city, it has a history based on agriculture and its location along regional travel routes. It grew from a popular rest stop for travelers during the Gold Rush of the late 1850s to an agricultural and suburban community known as the “Carnation City” in the mid 1900s. As the residential areas of unincorporated Jefferson County grew during the 1950s to provide housing to the Denver workforce, the major transportation corridors extending from Denver developed with commercial services. During that era, the formation of numerous utility and fire protection districts provided these unincorporated areas with urban services. Eventually, due to the increasing annexation pressure from nearby municipalities, Wheat Ridge incorporated in 1969. == Geography == Wheat Ridge is located at the junction of Interstate 70 and Colorado State Highway 391 in central Colorado.