Fremont County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,939. The county seat is Cañon City. The county is named for 19th-century explorer and presidential candidate John C. Frémont.
Fremont County comprises the Cañon City, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Pueblo-Cañon City, CO Combined Statistical Area.
Rural Fremont County is the location of 15 prisons; most of these are operated by the state. ADX Florence, the only federal Supermax prison in the United States, is in an unincorporated area in Fremont County, south of Florence, and is part of the Federal Correctional Complex, Florence. As of March 2015, Fremont County leads the nation among all counties as the one with the largest proportion of persons incarcerated. Prisoners are counted as part of the county population in the census, and 20% of residents are held in the prisons in the county.
History
Fremont County was founded in 1861, in central Colorado. It is named for John C. Frémont.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.06%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Teller County - north
- El Paso County - northeast
- Pueblo County - southeast
- Custer County - south
- Saguache County - southwest
- Chaffee County - northwest
- Park County - northwest
Major highways
- 20px U.S. Highway 50
- 20px State Highway 9
- 20px State Highway 67
- 20px State Highway 69
- 20px State Highway 115
- 20px State Highway 120
National protected areas
- Pike National Forest
- San Isabel National Forest
- Sangre de Cristo Wilderness
State protected area
- Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area
National scenic byway
- Gold Belt Tour National Scenic and Historic Byway
Bicycle routes
- American Discovery Trail
- TransAmerica Trail Bicycle Route
- Western Express Bicycle Route