WSP01414

• File Number: 8449.918
• Description: South Platte Projects
• State: CO
• Basin: South Platte
• Date: 8/1/1982
• Author: CWCB
• Title: South Platte River Basin Assessment Report
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

The Transition zone consists of an urban corridor containing the City and

County of Denver, several suburban cities in the metropolitan area, and a

few other cities which were once primarily agricultural trade centers but

are now becoming more diversified. Much agricultural land occurs between

these cities, but it is rapidly being converted to other uses as the

process of urbanization proceeds in this zone. Denver has long been a

transportation, financial, and trade center for the Rocky Mountain states

but has never been as heavily industrialized as most American cities of its

size. Energy development, a favorable climate, and other environmental

amenities are drawing new high technology, light industry, scientific

organizations, government, and commercial activities to the cities of the

Transition zone. This growth, in turn, creates favorable income and

employment conditions throughout the region.

Economic statistics for three counties or groups of counties (Denver SMSA

and Douglas and Larimer Counties) which typify the Transition zone

illustrate the character of the regional economy (Table 1). They reveal

that the region is populous, partially industrialized, and growina

rapidly. Employment statistics within the Transition zone reveal that the

greatest employment occurs in manufacturing (12 to 17 percent) and services

(27 to 38 percent), while mining employment is less than 1 percent, and

agriculture, forestry, and recreation employment vary between 1 and

11 percent within the two representative counties and group of counties

comprising the Denver SMSA (Table 1).

The Plains zone consists of an agriculturally-developed area dotted with

small to medium-sized communities which are primarily agricultural trade

and service centers. This zone has always been dominated by agriculture,

and a long history of increasing agricultural efficiency has diminished its

farm work force requirements, leading to a slow but sustained population

decline until the last decade (Table 1). Improvements in transportation

have rendered the smaller communities obsolete as trade centers. Growth

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