Sheridan, Colorado
Sheridan is a small incorporated municipality located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, situated in the Denver metropolitan area along the southwestern edge of the city of Denver. Despite its modest size, Sheridan maintains an independent municipal identity, operating its own city government, police department, and parks and recreation infrastructure. The city's zip code is 80110, and it can be reached through its municipal offices at 303-762-2200. Sheridan has periodically appeared in national news coverage due to its proximity to major regional landmarks and its role as a backdrop for broader stories about Colorado and the American West.
History
Founding and Early Development
The history of Sheridan, Colorado is rooted in the broader pattern of settlement that characterized the Denver metropolitan region during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The town was established as a distinct community separate from the larger city of Denver, and over time it developed its own civic institutions, including a municipal government and a local police force.
The Sheridan Historical Society has documented the community's past, making available records and narratives that place Sheridan's development into historical context. According to materials preserved by the society, the town grew from a small settlement into an incorporated municipality with its own identity and governance structure. The society's mission, as described in its publications, is to place events "into historical context without fictionalizing," reflecting the community's commitment to accurate historical preservation.[1]
History of the Sheridan Police Department
One of the more thoroughly documented aspects of Sheridan's institutional history is the development of its police department. Roger B. Rowland wrote a history of the Sheridan Police Department for a publication titled "Sheridan Celebrates" in September 2005. This account traces the origins and evolution of law enforcement in the town, offering a window into how civic institutions developed in smaller Colorado municipalities over the course of the twentieth century.[2]
The police department's history reflects the broader story of Sheridan's growth from an unincorporated or loosely governed settlement into a municipality with formalized institutions. The establishment of a dedicated police force marked a significant milestone in that transition, providing residents with local law enforcement services distinct from those of surrounding jurisdictions such as Denver or Englewood.
The McBroom Family and Local Heritage
Among the families associated with Sheridan's historical narrative is the McBroom family, whose story is referenced in archival materials connected to the Littleton Museum and documented by the Sheridan Historical Society. The McBroom family's history provides a human dimension to the broader story of settlement and community-building in the area, illustrating how individual families contributed to the development of small municipalities in the Denver metropolitan corridor.[3]
Geography and Setting
Sheridan is situated with a backdrop that includes views of the Rocky Mountains, a geographic feature that defines much of the Front Range urban corridor in Colorado. The mountain backdrop visible from parts of the city is characteristic of communities along the eastern slope of the Rockies, where urban and suburban development meets the dramatic terrain of one of North America's major mountain ranges.
The city's position within the Denver metropolitan area means that it benefits from the infrastructure and economic activity of a major urban region while retaining its status as an independent municipality. This dual character — simultaneously part of a large metro area and a self-governing town — is common among the smaller incorporated communities that ring Denver.
Climate and Weather
Like other communities along Colorado's Front Range, Sheridan experiences a semi-arid climate with distinct seasonal variation. Winters typically bring snowfall, though the amount can vary considerably from year to year. The region has at times experienced winters with notably low snowpack, a pattern that has drawn attention in the context of broader discussions about climate change and shifting weather patterns in the American West.
National media coverage has occasionally used Sheridan as a setting to illustrate weather conditions affecting Colorado and the broader western United States. A photograph taken in Sheridan and published by The Washington Post depicted a golfer putting on a green with little snow covering the mountain backdrop, used to illustrate a story about a balmy Western winter that left many communities at a loss for the season's usual conditions.[4] Such images underscore the visible contrast between Colorado's traditional winter landscape and the conditions that have become more common during periods of reduced snowfall.
Parks and Recreation
Sheridan maintains parks and recreation facilities for its residents, a function documented by the Sheridan Historical Society and presented through community archival projects. The city's recreational offerings are consistent with those of other small municipalities in the Denver metro area, providing green space and organized activities for a community that, while compact, places value on public amenities.[5]
The parks and recreation program is administered through the city government, which operates out of the municipal offices. The presence of golf facilities in or near Sheridan has been noted in media coverage, reflecting the city's integration into the broader recreational culture of the Denver metropolitan region, where outdoor and sporting activities are a significant part of daily life.
Sheridan in National News
Although Sheridan is a small city, it has appeared in national and international news coverage on several occasions, primarily as the location of photographs taken by photographers working for major news agencies. The city's visual environment — combining suburban character with mountain views — makes it a useful backdrop for illustrating stories about Colorado and broader national or global topics.
Costco and Trade Policy
In 2025, a Costco location in or near Sheridan became a focal point for news coverage related to United States trade policy. Costco, a retail giant that sells hundreds of imported items, was photographed in the area during a period when the company was engaged in legal and political disputes over federal tariff policy.
In March 2025, images from the Sheridan Costco location appeared in coverage of the company's response to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration. Costco subsequently took legal action, filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration seeking a full refund of tariff levies imposed on imported goods.[6] The lawsuit placed the Sheridan location in the context of a major national legal battle over executive branch authority to impose tariffs, a story that received significant coverage in both English- and Spanish-language media.[7]
The tariff dispute centered on the broad range of imported products sold by Costco, from food items to electronics and household goods. As a company that depends heavily on international supply chains, Costco's legal challenge reflected concerns shared by many retailers about the economic impact of sweeping tariff policies on businesses and consumers alike.
Iranian Diplomats and Costco Access
In a separate but related development, Sheridan's Costco location also appeared in coverage of a diplomatic dispute between the United States and Iran. On July 16, 2024, a photograph taken in Sheridan by Associated Press photographer David Zalubowski was used to illustrate reporting on a Trump administration decision to officially ban Iranian officials from making trips to Costco stores.[8] The ban was part of broader restrictions on Iranian diplomatic personnel operating in the United States, and the Sheridan Costco served as the visual anchor for national reporting on what became an unusual intersection of retail commerce and international diplomacy.
The episode highlighted the degree to which even small suburban communities can become unwitting participants in major national and international news stories, simply by virtue of hosting a facility or location relevant to a larger narrative.
Municipal Government
Sheridan operates as an incorporated municipality with a functioning city government. The city maintains a mayor's office and a city council, and publishes civic communications such as the "Sheridan Celebrates" newsletter, which has included features on the city's history and the perspectives of local officials.[9] The municipal government is responsible for the administration of city services including public safety, parks and recreation, and community development.
The city's police department, with its documented history reaching back decades, represents one of the more established arms of Sheridan's municipal government. The department has operated continuously as a local law enforcement agency, providing services to residents independently of county or state law enforcement agencies, though coordination with those entities is standard practice in Colorado municipalities.[10]
Historical Preservation
The Sheridan Historical Society plays a central role in preserving and communicating the city's past. The society maintains records, publishes historical accounts, and connects Sheridan's story to the broader history of the Denver metropolitan region. Its work includes the documentation of family histories, institutional histories such as that of the police department, and thematic histories related to parks and civic development.
The society's materials are available online and through community archives, making Sheridan's history accessible to researchers, residents, and members of the public interested in the history of small Colorado municipalities. The society's approach emphasizes placing historical events in context without embellishment, a standard that reflects the broader values of the community it serves.[11]
See Also
- Arapahoe County, Colorado
- Denver metropolitan area
- Englewood, Colorado
- Littleton, Colorado
- Front Range Urban Corridor