About El Paso County In Colorado El Paso County is located in east central Colorado and has an area of approximately 2,158

square miles, which is a little more than twice the size of Rhode Island, exclusive of Narragansett Bay. The county's western portion is surprisingly mountainous yet the eastern side is prairie country, in which the rearing of dairy cows and beef cattle account for the major part of the income of ranchers. The altitude varies from about 5,000 feet on the southern border at Black Squirrel Creek to over 14,000 feet on the top of Pikes Peak, near the western boundary. The seat of the county is found in Colorado Springs, the next most populous city in Colorado, and the Colorado Springs Metropolitan Statistical Area is made up of El Paso County and Teller County. The scenic natural beauty of the county, which is situated at the foot of Pikes Peak and the magnificent views of the Front Range, attracts numerous tourists. The beautiful scenery prompted Katharine Lee Bates to compose the poem "America the Beautiful" following her travel here. The local weather is mild and, on average, features 15 inches of rain, 285 days of sunshine, 35 inches of snow and low levels of humidity. El Paso County is the most populous of the sixty four counties making up the state of Colorado and the U.S. Census Bureau reported a 622,263 county population in the year 2010, higher than Denver County, which had previously been the most populous county. It was founded in 1859, when a lot of residents of the mining area voted to organize their own Territory of Jefferson. The next month, the Jefferson Territorial Legislature organized twelve counties into the brand new territory, together with El Paso County. El Paso County was named after the Spanish language name for Ute Pass, which is located north of Pikes Peak. Colorado City served as El Paso County's county seat. The territory of Jefferson never got federal sanction and, during 1861, El Paso County then became among the first seventeen counties established by the Colorado legislature. Based on the 2000 census, there were 516,929 people, 192,409 households, and 133,916 families residing in the county. The population density was 243 individuals per sq. mi. and there were 202,428 houses at an average density of 95 per square mile (37/km sq.). The racial composition of the county was 0.91% Native American, 2.53% Asian, 0.24% Pacific Islander, 81.19% White, 6.51% Black or African American, 4.70% from other races, and 3.91% from two or more races. 11.30% of the populace was Hispanic or Latino of any race. Interested by available real estate in Colorado Springs, CO? Colorado Springs is a stones throw away from the Rocky Mountains, and provides plenty of fun things to do and see all year round. Go to our web site for more particulars about our communities, occasions, real estate and more. http://www.selleygroup.com/blog/category/colorado-springs-real-estate/