Lakewood Jefferson County

Lakewood is the largest city in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States and is a home rule municipality. Lakewood is located immediately west of Denver in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is also an important city along the Front Range Urban Corridor. Located at the junction of U.S. Route 6 and Colorado State Highway 121 in central Colorado, the city lies immediately west of Denver and 62 miles (100 km) north-northwest of Colorado Springs. This area includes 751 acres (3.040 km2) of water. It has a total area of 28,574 acres (115.635 km2).

Lakewood is a suburb of Denver and is a part of both the Denver metropolitan area and the Front Range Urban Corridor. It borders other communities on all sides, including Wheat Ridge to the north, Edgewater to the northeast, Denver to the east and southeast, Dakota Ridge to the south, Morrison to the southwest, and Golden, West Pleasant View, East Pleasant View, and Applewood to the northwest.

Lakewood is located in the Colorado Piedmont just east of the Front Range of the southern Rocky Mountains on the western edge of the Great Plains. Located in the far west-central part of the city, Green Mountain is a mesa 6,854 feet (2,089 m) high.

The city is located in the watershed of the South Platte River, through which several small tributaries flow generally east. This includes Lakewood Gulch, Weir Gulch, Sanderson Gulch, and Bear Creek, from north to south. In the northern part of the city, two tributaries of Lakewood Gulch flow east: Dry Gulch and McIntyre Gulch. A tributary of Bear Creek, Turkey Creek flows northeast through the far southwestern part of the city. In addition, Lena Gulch, a tributary of Clear Creek to the north, flows east and then north through the extreme northwestern part of the city.

Several small lakes and reservoirs are in Lakewood. The Soda Lakes are located in the extreme southwest of the city. The Bear Creek Lake lies east of them, a reservoir fed by Bear Creek and Turkey Creek. Main Reservoir, East Reservoir, Smith Reservoir, Kendrick Lake, and Cottonwood Lake are all located near each other in central Lakewood. Kountze Lake lies northeast of them. Lena Gulch feeds and drains Maple Grove Reservoir, which is located in the northwest part of the city. Bowles Reservoir No. 1 is located in the extreme southern part of the city, and Marston Lake is just outside the city limits to the northeast.

Casa Bonita, Lakewood Cultural Center, Heritage Lakewood Belmar, Reed Art & Imaging, William Fredrick Hayden Park, and the 40 West Arts District are among the local landmarks and historical attractions in Lakewood. There is a shopping mall in Lakewood called Colorado Mills, located near I70 and West Colfax Avenue.

Lakewood is home to Einstein Bros., Bagels, FirstBank, and The Integer Group. The city of Lakewood is also home to Lakewood High School, Green Mountain High School, Bear Creek High School, Brady Exploration High School, Alameda International High School, and International Baccalaureate schools in Jefferson County, as well as the private Colorado Academy. The Colorado Christian University and Colorado School of Trades are also located in Lakewood. Jefferson County Public Library serves the town.

RTD provides transportation within the city and to other areas in the metropolitan area. Lakewood is served by RTD’s Light Rail W line. Intercity transportation is available through Bustang. The West Line of the Denver-Grand Junction bus connects Lakewood to Denver.