BlockBefore

Westminster, Colorado

24 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1899 and the latest in 1983. It stands in the West Adams census division. It lies in ZIP code area 80030. The Survey maps it on the Arvada quadrangle. 116,317 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 5,384 feet above sea level.

Westminster within Adams County

On record in Westminster

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 6 records

Population over time

2 figures

Westminster grew from 106,114 to 116,317 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.

YearPeople Change
2010106,114
2020116,317+10,203 (+10%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

11 surveys from 24 printed sheets

Matched 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.

Fires near this place

1,106 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1,106 fires within 5 miles of Westminster between 1992 and 2020, burning about 174 acres in total. 4 started naturally. 25 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/undetermined965
Smoking30
Arson/incendiarism25
Equipment and vehicle use20
Recreation and ceremony19
Fireworks17
Debris and open burning13
Misuse of fire by a minor6
Power generation/transmission/distribution5
Natural4
Railroad operations and maintenance2

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 2019Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreColorado State Forest Service-State HeadquartersN/A
9 September 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresColorado State Forest Service-State HeadquartersARVADA
9 September 2011Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreColorado State Forest Service-State HeadquartersWESTMINSTER
9 September 2010Arson/incendiarismunder an acreColorado State Forest Service-State Headquartersnot named
9 September 2010Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreColorado State Forest Service-State Headquartersnot named
8 September 2018Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreArvada Fire Protection DistrictUNKNOWN
7 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreNorth Metro Fire Rescue DistrictN/A
7 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreNorth Metro Fire Rescue DistrictUNKNOWN

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Adams County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 67 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 67 workings within 5 miles of Westminster: 44 past producers, 10 occurrences, 8 unknowns, 5 producers. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Gold, Clay, Fire Clay (Refractory). Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Adams North PitSand and Gravel, Construction, Gold, SilverPast Producer1956
Denver Brick & Pipe Co.ClayProducer
UnknownFire Clay (Refractory)Producer
UnknownGypsum-AnhydriteOccurrenceSedimentary
UnknownGold, Silver, Sand and Gravel, ConstructionProducerPlacer
UnknownGold, Sand and Gravel, Construction, SilverOccurrence
Cooley Gravel Co. PitsSand and Gravel, Construction, GoldPast Producer1951, 1964
Gordon PitSand and Gravel, Construction, GoldPast ProducerGold, Sand and Gravel
Swadley PlacersGoldPast Producer1858, 1859
Asphalt Paving Co PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer

Every working recorded in Adams County

Storms near this place

20 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Westminster in 20 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 8 hail, 5 lightning, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 flood. The reports record 2 deaths. 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.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2006LightningWestminster1 killedA man on a motorcycle was struck by lightning and killed. The motorcyclist was struck on U.S. Highway 36 between Church Ranch Blvd. and Sheridan Blvd. After the man was struck, he crashed into the center median. The lightning left a crater in the highway that was approximately 18 inches long, 8 inches wide and 4 inches deep.
May 2001LightningWestminster1 killedA 19-yr old man was killed by lightning as he was walking along the shoulder of U.S. Highway 36 during a thunderstorm.
August 2010LightningWestminster$30,000Lightning struck a residence and sparked a fire. The fire migrated in the space between the first and second floor.
August 2010LightningWestminster$20,000Lightning sparked a fire at a townhome. The fire caused damage to the exterior roof and severe damage to the trusses in the attic.
July 1997FloodWestminster$20,000Heavy rain caused flooding to occur in the Rancho Pecos apartment building. Several residents had to be evacuated from their apartments.
July 2025Thunderstorm WindWestminster$1,000Report via social media. Measured a 50 mph gust using a handheld anemometer. A few trees down along with numerous 1-3 inch diameter branches.
May 1994Thunderstorm WindWestminster$500no account filed
June 2024HailWestminster-The report was from mping.
August 2016Flash FloodWestminster-A wet microburst produced very heavy rain and hail in Westminster.
May 2005LightningWestminster-Lightning reportedly struck at least 20 homes in Westminster. Most of the damage however was minor.
June 1995Tornado (F0)Westminster-A very brief tornado, which was momentarily noticed by a dust and debris cloud, was responsible for damaging the roof of a house.
May 2017HailWestminster-no account filed
May 2011HailWestminster-no account filed
April 2005HailWestminster-no account filed
June 2001HailWestminster-no account filed
September 2000Thunderstorm WindWestminster-no account filed
August 1997FloodWestminster-no account filed
June 1997HailWestminster-no account filed
May 1996HailWestminster-no account filed
May 1996HailWestminster-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Adams County

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 PlaceDistance Sheets
Hidden Creek Park0.3 miles24
Harris Park0.3 miles24
Westminster Hills0.7 miles24
Skyline Vista1.0 miles24
Lakeview Estates1.0 miles24
Fairview1.0 miles24
Shaw Heights1.1 miles24
Hidden Lake1.4 miles24

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 WestminsterAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q948129The 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 204703. 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.