Did You Know Mesa County Is Larger Than Two U.S. States Combined?

I am shocked to discover that Mesa County is larger than two U.S. states combined.

My Mind Is Blown

I just can't get over the fact that you could fit the states of Delaware and Rhode Island inside Colorado's Mesa County. That totally blows my mind. I know that Mesa County is one of the larger counties in the state, but, still, it's just a county. We truly have two states in our country that are smaller in square miles than our little corner of the world here in western Colorado.

Why Do We Have States That Are Microscopic?

Here's how the numbers shake out. Mesa County is about 3,341 square miles. Delaware is 1,982 square miles and Rhode Island is 1,214. Put those states together, do the math and you come up with 3,196  square miles. Why in the world do we have states in this country that are that small? That seems crazy to me.

Get our free mobile app

Imagine If All Those People Were In Mesa County

Here is another perspective that is mind-blowing. The population of Mesa County is about 155,000. Rhode Island's population is about 1.1 million, while Delaware has just under 1 million people. Can you imagine having 2 million people living in Mesa County?  Actually, from a land standpoint, we could easily hold that many people in this county, especially when you consider this next stat.

The Population of 3 Colorado Counties = Two U.S. States

Colorado's three most populous counties El Paso, Denver, and Arapahoe have a combined population of about 2.1 million people on a total of about 3,000 square miles of land. People in those counties are basically stacked on top of each other like extra pepperonis on a deep-dish pizza. Considering the land area and the number of people, that would be about the same as having the entire population of Delaware (1 million) and Rhode Island(1.1 million) living in Mesa County.

Thank God For Elbow Room

Thankfully, that is just a hypothetical scenario, and we can be glad all those people don't live in Mesa County. One of the great things about living in western Colorado is having plenty of elbow room. With any luck, it will stay that way for years to come. Meanwhile, I'm still trying to understand why we have two states that together are smaller than Mesa County.