Park County is a county in Colorado, United States, home to the geographic center of the state and the headwaters of the South Platte River. It had a population of 17,390 at the 2020 census and covers 2,211 square miles (5,730 km2), centred near 39°07′N 105°43′W.
Fairplay is the county seat, and its postal code is 80440. The county has 2 incorporated towns, 2 census-designated places, and several unincorporated communities, sits in the Mountain Time zone, and carries FIPS code 08093.
Towns & Villages in Park County
Park County has no cities in the legal sense — its two incorporated places, Alma and Fairplay, are both statutory towns. Guffey and Hartsel are census-designated places (CDPs), unranked by the Census Bureau as incorporated. Everything else on the list below, including Bailey, the county’s largest settlement overall, is unincorporated.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairplay | Town · seat | 754 | 80440 |
| Alma | Town | 270 | 80420 |
| Hartsel | CDP | 941 | 80449 |
| Guffey | CDP | 604 | 80820 |
| Bailey | Unincorp. | — | 80421 |
| Como | Unincorp. | — | 80432 |
| Grant | Unincorp. | — | 80448 |
| Jefferson | Unincorp. | — | 80456 |
| Lake George | Unincorp. | — | 80827 |
| Shawnee | Unincorp. | — | 80475 |
| Tarryall | Unincorp. | — | — |
A cluster of smaller, older place names also survives on maps and in county records without a current ZIP code or population count of their own — Alma Junction, Antero Junction, Balfour, Bordenville, Estabrook, Garo, Glenisle, Glentivar, Harris Park, Haver, Highland Park, Insmont, Peabodys, Pike-San Isabel Village, Platte Springs, Santa Maria, Silver Springs, Singleton, Trump, Webster, and Will-O-The-Wisp. Most trace back to the South Park narrow-gauge railroad stops and mining camps of the 1860s–1880s and are now subdivisions, ranch clusters, or all but abandoned.
ZIP Codes
- 80440 — Fairplay (also serves the county courthouse area)
- 80420 — Alma
- 80421 — Bailey
- 80432 — Como
- 80448 — Grant
- 80449 — Hartsel
- 80456 — Jefferson
- 80475 — Shawnee
- 80820 — Guffey
- 80827 — Lake George
Tarryall and the smaller historic mining locales listed above have no post office of their own and are served by the nearest of the ZIPs above.
Geography
Park County occupies most of South Park, a high intermontane basin ringed by the Mosquito, Tarryall, and Kenosha mountain ranges at elevations mostly above 8,000 feet. The South Platte River rises here, and the county holds several reservoirs, including Antero and Spinney Mountain, that supply water to Denver. Of its 2,211 square miles, 2,194 are land and 17 are water.
Park County borders Clear Creek County to the north, Jefferson County to the northeast, Teller County to the east, Fremont County to the southeast, Chaffee County to the southwest, Lake County to the west, and Summit County to the northwest.
Demographics
Park County had a population of 17,390 at the 2020 census, a density of roughly 8 people per square mile of land. Bailey is the largest settlement overall; Fairplay is the largest incorporated town and the seat. Median household income runs below the Colorado median of $92,911, typical of the state’s rural mountain counties, though many residents commute to jobs in the Denver metro area.
Economy & Local Life
Tourism, ranching, and second-home/recreation development anchor the local economy today, a shift from the placer and hard-rock gold mining that built Fairplay and Alma in the 1860s. The South Park City Museum in Fairplay preserves more than 40 original mining-era buildings. Fairplay also hosts Burro Days each July, centred on the World Championship Pack Burro Race, a nod to the prospectors who once led pack burros over the surrounding passes. Many Bailey and Shawnee residents commute northeast into the Denver area via U.S. 285.
History
Park County was organized in 1861 as one of the original 17 counties of Colorado Territory. It takes its name from South Park, the high grassland basin the county occupies, itself named by early fur traders and trappers. Gold discoveries at Tarryall and along the South Platte in 1859–1861 drew the first wave of settlement; Fairplay and Alma grew as supply and mining towns during the boom that followed. The county’s South Park setting also lent its name to the animated series South Park, created by Trey Parker, who grew up in the foothills nearby.
Getting There
U.S. Highway 285 is the county’s main artery, running southwest to northeast through Fairplay, Jefferson, and Bailey. Colorado Highway 9 connects Fairplay north toward Breckenridge and Summit County.
- Denver — 65 miles northeast
- Colorado Springs — 60 miles southeast
- Breckenridge — 35 miles northwest
- Salida — 60 miles southwest
The nearest commercial airport is Denver International Airport, about 90 miles northeast.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Park County, Colorado?
It sits in central Colorado, occupying most of the South Park basin roughly 65 miles southwest of Denver, and contains the geographic center of the state.
What is the population of Park County?
17,390, per the 2020 census.
How big is Park County?
2,211 square miles (5,730 km2), of which 2,194 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Park County?
Fairplay is the county seat.
How many towns are in Park County?
Two incorporated towns, Alma and Fairplay, plus the CDPs of Guffey and Hartsel and unincorporated communities such as Bailey, Como, and Jefferson.
What ZIP codes are in Park County?
Ten, including 80440 (Fairplay), 80420 (Alma), and 80421 (Bailey).
Why is Park County the namesake of the TV show South Park?
The show’s creator, Trey Parker, grew up near the South Park region the county is named for and set the series in a fictional town inspired by it.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Colorado.