(NEXSTAR) — Are you looking to move and leave the hustle and bustle of Denver behind, but you don’t want to move too far from the Mile High City? You might want to consider one of the small towns in Jefferson County.

The county, located north and west of Denver, is home to multiple Census-designated places. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, these areas include unincorporated communities without “a legally defined boundary or an active, functioning governmental structure.”

There are also multiple cities and towns in Jefferson County. To be considered a “city” in Colorado, the place must have a population of 2,000, Census records show. Reaching “town” status isn’t as straightforward: a petition must be signed by at least 40 registered voters in counties with a population of less than 25,000 people and in counties with more than 25,000 people, at least 150 registered voters. There must also be at least 50 people per square mile.

According to Census data, there are six cities in Jefferson County — Arvada, Edgewater, Golden, Lakewood, Westminster, and Wheat Ridge — and three towns – Lakeside, Morrison, and Mountain View. There are 15 Census-designated places in the county.

It’s one of the towns that is the smallest in terms of population: Lakeside.

With a population of 16, Lakeside is one of the least populated places in all of Colorado. Technically, the title belongs to this Garfield County town with a population of zero.

The next-largest place is Idledale, a Census-designated place with a population of 244.

Here’s a look at the five least-populated Jefferson County places, as well as the most recent population data from the Census Bureau.

PlacePopulation
Lakeside16
Idledale244
East Pleasant View333
Morrison396
Mountain View541

Lakewood is the most-populated place in Jefferson County, with roughly 156,000 people calling the city home. Here are the five most-populated areas, as well as their Census population data.

PlacePopulation
Lakewood156,120
Arvada121,581
Westminster114,533
Dakota Ridge*33,892
Ken Caryl*33,811
Population data for Dakota Ridge and Ken Caryl is based on the 2020 Census while other data in the table is based on the Census Bureau’s 2022 population estimates.

Three of the aforementioned places — Evergreen, Golden, and Lakewood — were ranked among the safest suburbs in the U.S. The highest-ranking Colorado suburb was Castle Rock, the county seat of Douglas County.

KSWB’s Amber Coakley contributed to this report.