# Routt County, Colorado

Routt County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 24,829. The county seat is Steamboat Springs. Routt County comprises the Steamboat Springs, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area.

## History

Placer gold was found near Hahns Peak in 1864 as part of the Colorado Gold Rush.$^{:30}$
Routt County was created out of the western portion of Grand County on January 29, 1877. It was named in honor of John Long Routt, the last territorial and first state governor of Colorado. The western portion of Routt County was split off to form Moffat County on February 27, 1911.

## Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 2,368 square miles (6,130 km$^2$), of which 2,362 square miles (6,120 km$^2$) is land and 6.1 square miles (16 km$^2$) (0.3%) is water.

### Adjacent counties

* Carbon County, Wyoming - north
* Jackson County - east
* Grand County - southeast
* Eagle County - south
* Garfield County - south-southwest
* Rio Blanco County - southwest
* Moffat County - west

### Major highways

* U.S. Highway 40
* State Highway 131
* State Highway 134

### National protected areas

* Mount Zirkel Wilderness
* Routt National Forest
* Sarvis Creek Wilderness
* White River National Forest

### State protected areas

* Pearl Lake State Park
* Stagecoach State Park
* Steamboat Lake State Park
* Yampa River State Park

### Trails and byways

* Continental Divide National Scenic Trail
* Fish Creek Falls National Recreation Trail
* Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway
* Great Parks Bicycle Route
* Swamp Park National Recreation Trail

## Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 19,690 people, 7,953 households, and 4,779 families living in the county. The population density was 8 people per square mile (3.1 people/km$^2$). There were 11,217 housing units at an average density of 5 units per square mile (1.9 units/km$^2$). The racial makeup of the county was 96.90% White, 0.13% Black or African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.73% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. 3.22% of the population were Hispanic Latino of any race. Of the 7,953 households 31.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.60% were married couples living together, 5.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.90% were non-families. 24.40% of households were one person and 3.70% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.92.
The age distribution was 22.60% under the age of 18, 10.10% from 18 to 24, 36.50% from 25 to 44, 25.70% from 45 to 64, and 5.00% 65 or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 116.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.40 males.
The median household income was $53,612 and the median family income was $61,927. Males had a median income of $36,997 versus $26,576 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,792. About 2.80% of families and 6.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.20% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over.

## Education

Routt County is home to three public school districts:
* Hayden School District RE-1, serving Hayden
* Steamboat Springs School District RE-2, serving Steamboat Springs
* South Routt School District RE-3, serving Oak Creek and Yampa
The county is also home to Steamboat Mountain School in Steamboat Springs and North Routt Community Charter School in Clark.
Routt County is also home to the Steamboat Springs campus of Colorado Mountain College. CMC Steamboat is the only college in the United States that offers a degree in Ski & Snowboard Business, which focuses on the retail, manufacturing, and marketing of snowsports.

## Politics

Routt County tilted Republican for much of the second half of the 20th century. From 1952 to 1988, Republicans carried the county in all but one election. The one break in this trend came in 1964, when Lyndon Johnson won Routt by a healthy margin of 63–37.
Since the late 1980s, Routt County has trended Democratic. It swung from a 34-point win for Ronald Reagan in 1984 to only a five-point win for George H. W. Bush in 1988. In 1992, Bill Clinton became the first Democrat to win the county since 1964 and only the second since 1948, carrying it with modest pluralities in both of his bids. George W. Bush won the county in 2000 by only 264 votes. However, John Kerry won it by a 10-point majority in 2004, and since then Routt has become powerfully Democratic, with Democrats winning by margins rivaling those in the counties closer to Denver. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the county 54–37. Routt County continued its Democratic trend in 2020, with Joe Biden winning the county 63–35. This is the largest margin of victory for a Democratic presidential candidate in the county since the 1916 election.
United States presidential election results for Routt County, Colorado :
| Year | Republican | Republican | Democratic | Democratic | Third party(ies) | Third party(ies) |
| Year | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
| 2024 | 5,676 | 34.75% | 10,208 | 62.49% | 451 | 2.76% |
| 2020 | 5,925 | 35.11% | 10,582 | 62.70% | 369 | 2.19% |
| 2016 | 5,230 | 37.39% | 7,600 | 54.34% | 1,156 | 8.27% |
| 2012 | 5,469 | 41.07% | 7,547 | 56.67% | 301 | 2.26% |
| 2008 | 4,725 | 35.80% | 8,270 | 62.66% | 204 | 1.55% |
| 2004 | 5,199 | 44.20% | 6,392 | 54.34% | 171 | 1.45% |
| 2000 | 4,472 | 46.40% | 4,208 | 43.66% | 958 | 9.94% |
| 1996 | 3,019 | 38.52% | 3,660 | 46.70% | 1,158 | 14.78% |
| 1992 | 2,358 | 28.89% | 3,188 | 39.06% | 2,615 | 32.04% |
| 1988 | 3,264 | 51.65% | 2,922 | 46.24% | 133 | 2.10% |
| 1984 | 4,239 | 66.15% | 2,051 | 32.01% | 118 | 1.84% |
| 1980 | 3,574 | 53.33% | 1,944 | 29.01% | 1,184 | 17.67% |
| 1976 | 2,822 | 54.13% | 2,130 | 40.86% | 261 | 5.01% |
| 1972 | 2,629 | 59.33% | 1,613 | 36.40% | 189 | 4.27% |
| 1968 | 1,602 | 53.83% | 1,076 | 36.16% | 298 | 10.01% |
| 1964 | 1,095 | 36.94% | 1,853 | 62.52% | 16 | 0.54% |
| 1960 | 1,651 | 53.83% | 1,414 | 46.10% | 2 | 0.07% |
| 1956 | 1,811 | 57.55% | 1,330 | 42.26% | 6 | 0.19% |
| 1952 | 2,143 | 57.31% | 1,575 | 42.12% | 21 | 0.56% |
| 1948 | 1,492 | 40.87% | 2,088 | 57.19% | 71 | 1.94% |
| 1944 | 1,869 | 48.79% | 1,940 | 50.64% | 22 | 0.57% |
| 1940 | 2,212 | 44.07% | 2,775 | 55.29% | 32 | 0.64% |
| 1936 | 1,541 | 33.68% | 2,817 | 61.57% | 217 | 4.74% |
| 1932 | 1,568 | 35.56% | 2,643 | 59.95% | 198 | 4.49% |
| 1928 | 2,304 | 57.36% | 1,645 | 40.95% | 68 | 1.69% |
| 1924 | 1,822 | 53.51% | 1,116 | 32.78% | 467 | 13.72% |
| 1920 | 1,854 | 57.51% | 1,224 | 37.97% | 146 | 4.53% |
| 1916 | 849 | 28.76% | 1,972 | 66.80% | 131 | 4.44% |
| 1912 | 738 | 26.11% | 1,408 | 49.82% | 680 | 24.06% |
| 1908 | 1,098 | 42.71% | 1,403 | 54.57% | 70 | 2.72% |
| 1904 | 1,384 | 60.54% | 856 | 37.45% | 46 | 2.01% |
| 1900 | 575 | 40.41% | 828 | 58.19% | 20 | 1.41% |
| 1896 | 122 | 9.89% | 1,105 | 89.62% | 6 | 0.49% |
| 1892 | 325 | 49.17% | 0 | 0.00% | 336 | 50.83% |
| 1888 | 366 | 62.24% | 219 | 37.24% | 3 | 0.51% |
| 1884 | 106 | 59.22% | 73 | 40.78% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1880 | 39 | 67.24% | 19 | 32.76% | 0 | 0.00% |

## Communities
### City

* Steamboat Springs

### Towns

* Hayden
* Oak Creek
* Yampa

### Census-designated place

* Phippsburg

### Other places

* Clark
* Hahns Peak Village
* Toponas
* Milner