Brighton, Colorado
24 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1890 and the latest in 1981. It stands in the Brighton census division. It lies in ZIP code area 80601. It stands on Third Creek. The Survey maps it on the Brighton quadrangle. 40,083 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 4,984 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Brighton
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 4 records
Adams County Courthouselisted 2006
Bromley Farm-Koizuma Hishinuma Farmlisted 2007
Colorado Sanitary Canning Factorylisted 2016- Brighton High Schoollisted 1998
Population over time
2 figuresBrighton grew from 33,352 to 40,083 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 33,352 | |
| 2020 | 40,083 | +6,731 (+20%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
10 surveys from 24 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1890 USGS East Denver quadrangle1:125000
- 1940 USGS Brighton quadrangle1:31680
- 1944 USGS Brighton quadrangle1:31680
- 1953 USGS Denver quadrangle1:250000, 6 printings
- 1957 USGS Brighton quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1957 USGS Denver quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Denver quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Denver quadrangle1:250000
- 1965 USGS Brighton quadrangle1:24000, 8 printings
- 1981 USGS Denver East quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
543 since 2010Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 543 fires within 5 miles of Brighton between 2010 and 2020, burning about 465 acres in total. 5 started naturally. 12 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 424 |
| Debris and open burning | 27 |
| Smoking | 21 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 18 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 15 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 12 |
| Fireworks | 9 |
| Natural | 5 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 5 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 4 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 3 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Greater Brighton Fire Protection District | N/A |
| 8 September 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Greater Brighton Fire Protection District | UNKNOWN |
| 7 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Colorado State Forest Service-State Headquarters | BRIGHTON |
| 6 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Greater Brighton Fire Protection District | N/A |
| 6 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Colorado State Forest Service-State Headquarters | N/A |
| 6 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Colorado State Forest Service-State Headquarters | N/A |
| 6 September 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Greater Brighton Fire Protection District | UNKNOWN |
| 6 September 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Colorado State Forest Service-State Headquarters | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 26 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 26 workings within 5 miles of Brighton: 9 occurrences, 8 producers, 6 unknowns, 3 past producers. 8 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Clay. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | Clay | Occurrence | ||
| Unknown | Clay | Occurrence | ||
| Unknown | Clay | Occurrence | ||
| Unknown | Clay | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Clay | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Clay | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Clay | Occurrence | ||
| Unknown | Clay | Producer | ||
| Adams Aggregate Inc Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown | ||
| Adams Aggregate Inc Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Unknown |
Storms near this place
60 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Brighton in 60 storm reports between 1993 and 2023: 36 hail, 10 thunderstorm wind, 9 tornado, 4 lightning. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2011 | Lightning | Brighton | 1 hurt | no account filed |
| August 2008 | Lightning | Brighton | $20,000 | no account filed |
| September 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brighton | $5,000 | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brighton | - | Numerous trees in town were damaged. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brighton | - | Intense winds snapped tree limbs up to 6 inches in diameter. |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brighton | - | Intense winds downed a fence and snapped tree branches up to 3 inches in diameter. |
| September 2013 | Flash Flood | Brighton | - | Continuous heavy rainfall produced flash flooding. Floodwaters were reportedly breaking through basement windows west of Brighton. |
| July 2005 | Tornado (F0) | Brighton | - | A tornado touched down briefly but did no damage. |
| October 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Brighton | - | A small tornado touched down but did no damage. |
| October 2004 | Tornado (F1) | Brighton | - | A small tornado touched down and caused extensive damage to a recreational vehicle. A barn was also severely damaged. The roof of the barn was thrown 100 feet while the remaining structure was torn from its foundation. Four llamas in the barn were injured when it collapsed. |
| October 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Brighton | - | A small tornado touched down but did no damage. |
| October 2004 | Tornado (F0) | Brighton | - | A small tornado touched down but did no damage. |
| May 2003 | Tornado (F0) | Brighton | - | A tornado touched down briefly but did no damage. |
| June 2001 | Tornado (F0) | Brighton | - | A small tornado touched down but did no damage. |
| June 2001 | Tornado (F0) | Brighton | - | A small tornado touched down but did no damage. |
| July 2000 | Tornado (F0) | Brighton | - | A small tornado touched down briefly but did no damage. |
| June 1999 | Lightning | Brighton | - | Lightning sparked an oil tank fire near Brighton. |
| July 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brighton | - | Dry microburst winds estimated to 70 mph (61 kts) snapped branches 4 inches in diameter. In addition, some road signs in Brighton were twisted and blown down. |
| July 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brighton | - | Damaging thunderstorm winds associated with a wet microburst ripped the roof off a barn, causing the east side of the structure to collapse. The roof of a nearby utility shed was also ripped off and blown 60 feet away. |
| May 2023 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| May 2023 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| July 2021 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| July 2021 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| June 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| June 2018 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| July 2011 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| May 2010 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| June 2009 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| June 2008 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| June 2006 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| April 2005 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| April 2005 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| April 2005 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| August 2004 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| July 2004 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| July 2002 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| May 1998 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Lightning | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| July 1996 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| May 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| May 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| June 1994 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| August 1994 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| September 1993 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| September 1993 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
| September 1993 | Hail | Brighton | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Todd Creek | 2.8 miles | 24 | |
| Hi-Land Acres | 3.0 miles | 24 | |
| Barr Lake | 3.7 miles | 24 | |
| Henderson | 5.1 miles | 24 | |
| Eno | 6.9 miles | 24 | |
| Hazeltine | 7.0 miles | 24 | |
| Hazeltine Heights | 7.8 miles | 24 | |
| Eastlake | 8.6 miles | 24 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Brighton | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q252949 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 204736. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.









