A quaint, tree-lined downtown is the heart of this south Denver community. Five historically designated blocks of cafes, gift shops, family diners and galleries create a gathering place for this growing suburb. An art school and community college flank one side of downtown; a popular fondue restaurant inside the historic Carnegie Library building borders the other.
Downtown blocks open up into to a mix of kid-friendly neighborhoods and newer housing developments and parks. The South Platte River also flows near town and a paved, riverside trail runs all the way to Denver. Adjacent to the river is South Platte Park, a public open space featuring a nature and education center, park rangers and plenty of bird-watching spots. New shopping facilities, including a modern open-air "lifestyle" center, are also just miles from downtown.
Littleton´s history and agricultural roots are preserved at the Littleton Historical Museum at Ketring Lake. A cultural center including a museum with 30,000 historic artifacts, three galleries, a research library and two living-history farms rests on 14 spacious acres. On-site interpreters help accurately represent a homestead from the 1860s and a turn-of-the-century farm. Other structures include an early blacksmith shop and an old schoolhouse.
The beginnings of Littleton can be traced to the "Pikes Peak" gold rush of 1859. Along with the gold-seekers came merchants and farmers to provide the necessities of life. As the fledgling metropolis of Denver City began to grow, the need arose to construct a series of ditches to carry water to farms and businesses without ready access to rivers and creeks in this arid land. Among the engineers hired to lay out this system was young Richard Sullivan Little of New Hampshire.
Surveying in an area several miles south of Denver, Little fell in love with the site of present-day Littleton. Upon filing a home stake and other land claims, Richard brought his wife Angeline from the East in 1862, the dry climate all but curing her asthmatic condition, and began to farm. The Littles joined with several neighbors to build the Rough and Ready Flour Mill in 1867, providing a solid economic base in the community for years to come
In 1872, the Littles filed a plat to subdivide much of their property into the village of Littleton. When the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad reached the area in 1871, settlement began at a rapid pace. By the time of Colorado´s statehood in 1876, there were schools , churches , a hotel, stores and many of the other trappings of civilization. In 1890, the 245 residents voted to incorporate the Town of Littleton.
A milestone in the history of Littleton came in 1902 when the old Arapahoe County (dating from pre-Colorado Territory days) was divided into Arapahoe, Denver, Adams, Washington and Yuma Counties. Then-Governor Orman named Littleton the temporary county seat, placing it in a favorable position to defeat rival Englewood in the general election in 1904. Gaining the permanent county seat brought not only government employees and businesses , but all of their support services. Littleton´s place among Colorado´s cities was assured
Agriculture remained the staple industry of Littleton until after World War II. Beginning with electronics and pneumatics, moving to munitions and finally to aerospace, manufacturing became the important employer and a magnet for the boom in housing development during the fifties, sixties and seventies. Littleton added Arapahoe Community College in 1965 and Chatfield Reservoir in 1972 to further enhance its appeal. When Littleton celebrated its centennial in 1990, its population had grown to 33,661.
Nearest city with pop. 50,000+: Highlands Ranch, CO (4.8 miles, pop. 70,931).
Nearest city with pop. 200,000+: Denver, CO (9.3 miles, pop. 554,636).
Nearest city with pop. 1,000,000+: Phoenix, AZ (641.8 miles, pop. 1,321,045).
Nearest cities: Columbine Valley, CO (1.8 miles), Bow Mar, CO (3.3 miles), Sheridan, CO (3.4 miles), Englewood, CO (3.5 miles), Southglenn, CO (3.7 miles), Columbine, CO (4.1 miles), Highlands Ranch, CO (4.8 miles), Cherry Hills Village, CO (5.1 miles).
Average weather in Littleton, Colorado Based on data reported by over 4,000 weather stations
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Average temp. (°F) 30.0 33.5 39.5 46.3 55.7 65.8 71.7 69.8 61.3 50.2 37.7 30.9 High temperature (°F) 45.6 49.0 54.5 60.9 70.4 81.5 87.4 85.4 77.5 66.6 52.9 46.3 Low temperature (°F) 14.3 18.0 24.3 31.7 40.9 50.1 56.0 54.3 45.0 33.8 22.5 15.4 Precipitation (in) 0.6 0.6 1.6 2.3 2.7 1.9 1.7 1.8 1.4 1.2 1.2 0.8
Normal climate around Littleton, Colorado Based on data reported by main weather stations
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Days with precip. 5 5 7 8 10 10 12 12 7 5 4 4 Wind speed (mph) 9.6 10.1 11.2 11.6 11.1 10.3 9.3 8.9 9.4 9.5 9.5 9.6 Morning humidity (%) 59 60 63 64 69 68 70 71 68 60 62 58 Afternoon humidity (%) 47 40 39 35 37 35 38 42 37 37 46 49 Sunshine (%) 70 71 71 70 69 74 75 74 76 75 68 66 Days clear of clouds 12 9 9 8 7 10 9 10 14 15 12 12 Partly cloudy days 8 8 9 10 12 12 15 13 8 8 8 8 Cloudy days 11 11 13 12 12 8 7 8 7 8 10 11 Snowfall (in) 5.4 4.8 9.2 6.6 1.5 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 3.2 5.4 5.2
Hospitals/medical centers near Littleton: CRAIG HOSPITAL (about 4 miles; ENGLEWOOD, CO) SWEDISH MEDICAL CTR (about 4 miles; ENGLEWOOD, CO) COLORADO MENTAL HLTH CTR AT FT LOGAN (about 5 miles; DENVER, CO)
ARAPAHOE COMMUNITY COLLEGE (Full-time enrollment: 3,666; Location: 5900 S. SANTA FE DR. , P.O. BOX 9002; Public; Website: WWW.ARAPAHOE.EDU) LITTLETON ACADEMY OF HAIR DESIGN (Location: 5624 S PRINCE ST; Private, for-profit) Other colleges/universities with over 2000 students near Littleton: UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX-COLORADO CAMPUS (about 9 miles; LONE TREE, CO; Full-time enrollment: 3,098) EMILY GRIFFITH OPPORTUNITY SCHOOL (about 10 miles; DENVER, CO; FT enrollment: 3,083) RED ROCKS COMMUNITY COLLEGE (about 12 miles; LAKEWOOD, CO; FT enrollment: 3,835) REGIS UNIVERSITY (about 15 miles; DENVER, CO; FT enrollment: 5,898) COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES (about 16 miles; GOLDEN, CO; FT enrollment: 3,183) COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF AURORA (about 17 miles; AURORA, CO; FT enrollment: 2,219) FRONT RANGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE (about 19 miles; WESTMINSTER, CO; FT enrollment: 6,858) Public high schools in Littleton:
CHATFIELD HIGH SCHOOL (Students: 2,115; Location: 7227 SOUTH SIMMS STREET; Grades: 09 - 12) ARAPAHOE HIGH SCHOOL (Students: 2,114; Location: 2201 EAST DRY CREEK ROAD; Grades: 09 - 12) HERITAGE HIGH SCHOOL (Students: 1,889; Location: 1401 WEST GEDDES AVENUE; Grades: 09 - 12) COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL (Students: 1,855; Location: 6201 SOUTH PIERCE STREET; Grades: 09 - 12) DAKOTA RIDGE SENIOR HIGH SCH (Students: 1,647; Location: 13399 WEST COAL MINE AVENUE; Grades: 09 - 12) LITTLETON HIGH SCHOOL (Students: 1,566; Location: 199 EAST LITTLETON BLVD; Grades: 09 - 12) OPTIONS SCHOOL (Location: 6558 SOUTH ACOMA; Grades: 09 - 12) PATHWAYS (Location: 1907 WEST POWERS AVENUE; Grades: 09 - 12)
Biggest public primary/middle schools in Littleton:
DEER CREEK MIDDLE SCHOOL (Students: 1,120; Location: 9201 WEST COLUMBINE DRIVE; Grades: 07 - 08) JOHN WESLEY POWELL MIDDLE SCH (Students: 1,044; Location: 8000 SOUTH CORONA WAY; Grades: 06 - 08) NEWTON MIDDLE SCHOOL (Students: 897; Location: 4001 EAST ARAPAHOE ROAD; Grades: 06 - 08) GODDARD MIDDLE SCHOOL (Students: 888; Location: 3800 WEST BERRY AVENUE; Grades: 06 - 08) STONY CREEK ELEMENTARY (Students: 852; Location: 7203 SOUTH EVERETT; Grades: PK - 06) SUMMIT RIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL (Students: 834; Location: 11809 WEST COAL MINE ROAD; Grades: 07 - 08) EUCLID MIDDLE SCHOOL (Students: 794; Location: 777 WEST EUCLID AVENUE; Grades: 06 - 08) KEN CARYL MIDDLE SCHOOL (Students: 773; Location: 6509 WEST KEN CARYL AVENUE; Grades: 07 - 08) POWDERHORN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Students: 724; Location: 12109 WEST COAL MINE AVENUE; Grades: KG - 06) WESTRIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (Students: 710; Location: 10785 WEST ALAMO PLACE; Grades: PK - 06) Biggest private primary/middle schools in Littleton:
ST MARY'S OF LITTLETON (Students: 658; Location: MAIN OFFICE 6833 S PRINCE ST; Grades: KG - 8) SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS SCH (Students: 382; Location: 7691 S UNIVERSITY BLVD; Grades: KG - 8) FRONT RANGE CHRISTIAN SCHOOL (Students: 294; Location: 4001 SOUTH WADSWORTH BLVD; Grades: KG - 9) LITTLE PEOPLES LANDING (Students: 140; Location: 8305 S WADSWORTH BLVD; Grades: PK - KG) KINDER CARE LEARNING CENTER (Students: 129; Location: 6590 S VINE STREET; Grades: PK - KG) WILLOWS ARAPAHOE HILLS CENTER (Students: 128; Location: 5301 S LOWELL BLVD; Grades: PK - KG) MACKINTOSH ACADEMY (Students: 115; Location: 7018 S PRINCE ST; Grades: UG - UG) KINDERCARE LEARNING CENTER (Students: 113; Location: 5472 S FEDERAL CIR; Grades: PK - 6) FOOTHILLS CHRISTIAN PRESCHOOL (Students: 108; Location: 6100 S DEVINNEY WAY; Grades: PK - KG) ADVANTAGE LEARNING CTR (Students: 99; Location: 6500 W COAL MINE RD; Grades: PK - KG) Library in Littleton:
LITTLETON/BEMIS PUBLIC LIBRARY (Operating income: $1,718,422; Location: 6014 S. DATURA ST.; 128,447 books; 4,293 audio materials; 1,865 video materials; 304 serial subscriptions)
