Commerce City

What is today Commerce City, CO was originally the vicinity of a trading post founded in 1959 by John D. Henderson to sell provisions to the miners streaming into Colorado to prospect for gold. The area not long after became enriched by the coming of the railroad and there were such towns as Derby, Irondale and later Adams City. In the early 1950s the area, mostly agricultural in nature, was the subject of an annexation attempt from Denver and area residents voted to incorporate to prevent this and Commerce Town, later Commerce City, was born.

Today the city boasts a population of nearly 46,000 people, according to the 2010 US Census, and this represents a 118% increase since the tally was taken in the 2000 Census. Within the confines of the city are many businesses, including an oil refinery with a capacity of more than 90,000 barrels refined per day, the largest such operation in the entire Rocky Mountain region.