Lakewood is a city west of Denver in Jefferson County. First settled in the late 19th century, it incorporated in the late 20th century and has been growing rapidly.

The town was platted on July 1, 1889, by Charles Welch and W.A.H. Loveland. Loveland, who was the president of the Colorado Central Railroad, wanted to settle down in a new community following his retirement. For this purpose, he selected an area west of Denver along Colfax Avenue. For many years, wealthy residents of Denver chose the Lakewood district for their summer estates.

The new town’s development received a boost in 1893, following the establishment of its first electric tramway. This tramway connected Lakewood with Golden and Denver. It became part of the Denver Tramway Corporation and was nicknamed "the Loop".

The town became a center of attraction following the establishment of the Remington Arms Company ammunition factory in 1941. It was the largest federal government contract awarded in Colorado during that time. The arms company is now the site of the Denver Federal Center. Lakewood was incorporated in 1969 and is today the site of many federal government offices.

Colorado Christian University, founded in 1914, has its main campus in Lakewood. Lakewood is also served by the main campus of Red Rock Community College. Lakewood history is kept alive at the Lakewood Heritage Center, where the Cider Days Harvest Festival has been an institution for more than 30 years.

Recreation in Lakewood takes many forms. The Green Mountain Recreation Center is located close to the William F. Hayden Green Mountain Park on Lakewood's west side.

Churches have been growing in Lakewood along with the burgeoning population. St. Jude Catholic Church belongs to St. Jude Parish, created in 1967. While the new church building was under construction, Masses were held at Alameda High School's auditorium, which was informally dubbed "St. Alameda's."

Major Employers

Employment in Lakewood for Selected Businesses
with 250 Employees or More

Company	Employment	Product
Jefferson County R-1 School District 1829 Denver West Dr. Lakewood, CO 80401 303-982-6500	11,000	Public Schools, K-12
Denver Federal Center Lakewood, CO 80228 303-236-8000	6,200	Federal Government Offices
Gambro 10810 W. Collins Ave. Lakewood, CO 80215 303-232-6800	1500	Disease Mgmt. Services & Medical Device Mnfg.
City of Lakewood 480 S. Allison Pkwy. Lakewood, CO 80226 303-987-7000	880	City Government
Colorado Christian University 8787 W. Alameda Ave. Lakewood, CO 80226 303-963-3000	750	Private 4-year University
FirstBank of Colorado 12345 W. Colfax Ave. Lakewood, CO 80215 303-232-3000	642	Commercial Banking
Qwest Various Locations Lakewood, CO (800) 244-1111	500	Telecommunications
Integer Group 7313 W. Alaska Dr. Lakewood, CO 80226 303-393-3000	500	Advertising Agency
AON Innovative Solutions 13922 Denver West Blvd. Lakewood, CO 80401 303-279-2900	450	Customer Relationship Management
Veterans' Affairs 155 Van Gordon Street Lakewood , CO 80228 303-914-5800	400	Veteran Services
Kinder Morgan, Inc. 370 Van Gordon Lakewood, CO 80228 303-989-1740	350	Natural Gas Utility
Video Professor 12055 W. 2nd Pl. Lakewood, CO 80228 303- 232-1244	325	Computer Software Tutorials
Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. 1527 Cole Blvd. Lakewood, CO 80401 303-462-7000	300	Engineering Services
Red Rocks Community College 13300 W. 6th Ave. Lakewood, CO 80228 303-914-6000	262	2-Year Community College

Size of family households: 16980 2-persons, 8555 3-persons, 6959 4-persons, 2721 5-persons, 1022 6-persons, 551 7-or-more-persons

Size of nonfamily households: 18612 1-person, 4468 2-persons, 606 3-persons, 137 4-persons, 42 5-persons, 0 6-persons, 0 7-or-more-persons

50% of Lakewood residents lived in the same house 5 years ago.
Out of people who lived in different houses, 43% lived in this county.
Out of people who lived in different counties, 56% lived in Colorado.

Unemployment rate for White non-Hispanic males: 2.6%
Unemployment rate for White non-Hispanic females: 2.9%

Unemployment rate for Black males: 7.2%
Unemployment rate for Black females: 4.7%

Unemployment rate for American Indian and Alaska Native males: 11.6%
Unemployment rate for American Indian and Alaska Native females: 11.7%

Unemployment rate for Asian males: 2.0%
Unemployment rate for Asian females: 1.5%

Unemployment rate for other race males: 4.3%
Unemployment rate for other race females: 6.4%

Unemployment rate for two or more race males: 6.6%
Unemployment rate for two or more race females: 7.1%

Unemployment rate for Hispanic or Latino males: 7.8%
Unemployment rate for Hispanic or Latino females: 6.8%