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.
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
Bowles Houselisted 1988
William J. Gregory Houselisted 1996
Harris Park Schoollisted 1990
Metzger Farmlisted 2013
Union High Schoollisted 2000
Westminster Universitylisted 1979
Population over time
2 figuresWestminster 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 106,114 | |
| 2020 | 116,317 | +10,203 (+10%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
11 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.
- 1899 USGS West Denver quadrangle1:125000
- 1941 USGS Arvada quadrangle1:31680
- 1944 USGS Arvada quadrangle1:31680
- 1950 USGS Arvada quadrangle1:24000
- 1953 USGS Denver quadrangle1:250000, 6 printings
- 1957 USGS Arvada quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Denver quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Denver quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Denver quadrangle1:250000
- 1965 USGS Arvada quadrangle1:24000, 6 printings
- 1983 USGS Denver West quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
1,106 since 1992Regional 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/undetermined | 965 |
| Smoking | 30 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 25 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 20 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 19 |
| Fireworks | 17 |
| Debris and open burning | 13 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 6 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 5 |
| Natural | 4 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 2 |
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 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Colorado State Forest Service-State Headquarters | N/A |
| 9 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Colorado State Forest Service-State Headquarters | ARVADA |
| 9 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Colorado State Forest Service-State Headquarters | WESTMINSTER |
| 9 September 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Colorado State Forest Service-State Headquarters | not named |
| 9 September 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Colorado State Forest Service-State Headquarters | not named |
| 8 September 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Arvada Fire Protection District | UNKNOWN |
| 7 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | North Metro Fire Rescue District | N/A |
| 7 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | North Metro Fire Rescue District | UNKNOWN |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 67 shownRegional 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 | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adams North Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction, Gold, Silver | Past Producer | 1956 | |
| Denver Brick & Pipe Co. | Clay | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Fire Clay (Refractory) | Producer | ||
| Unknown | Gypsum-Anhydrite | Occurrence | Sedimentary | |
| Unknown | Gold, Silver, Sand and Gravel, Construction | Producer | Placer | |
| Unknown | Gold, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Silver | Occurrence | ||
| Cooley Gravel Co. Pits | Sand and Gravel, Construction, Gold | Past Producer | 1951, 1964 | |
| Gordon Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction, Gold | Past Producer | Gold, Sand and Gravel | |
| Swadley Placers | Gold | Past Producer | 1858, 1859 | |
| Asphalt Paving Co Pit | Sand and Gravel, Construction | Past Producer |
Storms near this place
20 since 1994Regional 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2006 | Lightning | Westminster | 1 killed | A 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 2001 | Lightning | Westminster | 1 killed | A 19-yr old man was killed by lightning as he was walking along the shoulder of U.S. Highway 36 during a thunderstorm. |
| August 2010 | Lightning | Westminster | $30,000 | Lightning struck a residence and sparked a fire. The fire migrated in the space between the first and second floor. |
| August 2010 | Lightning | Westminster | $20,000 | Lightning sparked a fire at a townhome. The fire caused damage to the exterior roof and severe damage to the trusses in the attic. |
| July 1997 | Flood | Westminster | $20,000 | Heavy rain caused flooding to occur in the Rancho Pecos apartment building. Several residents had to be evacuated from their apartments. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | $1,000 | Report 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 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | $500 | no account filed |
| June 2024 | Hail | Westminster | - | The report was from mping. |
| August 2016 | Flash Flood | Westminster | - | A wet microburst produced very heavy rain and hail in Westminster. |
| May 2005 | Lightning | Westminster | - | Lightning reportedly struck at least 20 homes in Westminster. Most of the damage however was minor. |
| June 1995 | Tornado (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 2017 | Hail | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| May 2011 | Hail | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| April 2005 | Hail | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| September 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| August 1997 | Flood | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Hail | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Westminster | - | no account filed |
| May 1996 | Hail | Westminster | - | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hidden Creek Park | 0.3 miles | 24 | |
| Harris Park | 0.3 miles | 24 | |
| Westminster Hills | 0.7 miles | 24 | |
| Skyline Vista | 1.0 miles | 24 | |
| Lakeview Estates | 1.0 miles | 24 | |
| Fairview | 1.0 miles | 24 | |
| Shaw Heights | 1.1 miles | 24 | |
| Hidden Lake | 1.4 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 Westminster | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q948129 | 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 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.










