Arvada is a home rule city that straddles Jefferson and Adams counties in Colorado, part of the Denver-Aurora-Centennial metropolitan area. The 2020 census counted roughly 124,400 residents, making Arvada the seventh-largest city in the state. Its Olde Town historic district sits about seven miles northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. The city's story begins with one of Colorado's founding moments: on June 22, 1850, prospector Lewis Ralston made the first documented gold discovery in the Rocky Mountain region while panning in a small stream near Clear Creek. The stream became Ralston Creek, and the site now lies within Gold Strike Park. The gold soon played out, but the rich bottomland drew farmers, and by the 1870s a railroad and irrigation ditches turned Arvada into an agricultural center that later called itself the Celery Capital of the World. After World War II, Arvada grew rapidly as a Denver suburb, and by the end of the twentieth century its population surpassed 100,000. Today it is primarily residential, with light industry, professional offices, and commercial corridors along Wadsworth Boulevard, Ralston Road, and Kipling Street. Olde Town Arvada anchors the community as its historic heart, with shops, restaurants, and the Olde Town transit hub. Most of Arvada is served by Jefferson County Public Schools, with the Adams County portion attending Westminster Public Schools. RTD's G Line commuter rail links Arvada to Denver Union Station with three stops in the city, and Interstate 76 has its western terminus here. Arvada suits people who want an established, family-friendly Denver suburb with a real historic downtown, strong transit, and quick access to the foothills and the city.