The City of Wheat Ridge is a home rule municipality located in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States.

The Wheat Ridge Municipal Center is approximately 5 miles (8 km) west-northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver.

[6] Although Wheat Ridge is a relatively young incorporated city, it has a history based on agriculture and the community's location along regional travel routes.

It grew from a popular rest stop for travelers during the Gold Rush of the late 1850s to an agricultural and suburban community known as the “Carnation City” in the mid 1900s.

During that era, the formation of numerous utility and fire protection districts provided these unincorporated areas with urban services.

[7][8] Wheat Ridge is located in the Colorado Piedmont on the western edge of the Great Plains just east of the Front Range of the Southern Rocky Mountains.

Crown Hill Lake, Kestrel Pond, and North Henry Lee Reservoir are located in the south-central part of the city.

[12] It borders other communities on all sides including: Arvada to the north; Lakeside, Mountain View, and Denver to the east; Edgewater to the southeast; Lakewood to the south; Applewood to the southwest; and Fairmount to the northwest.

Glimpses into the city's agricultural past can still be found, however Wheat Ridge has experienced substantial population growth and development over the last 40 years and is largely built out with a combination of residential, commercial, and office uses.

City regulations allow homeowners to engage in a range of urban agricultural activities, including growing and selling produce and keeping animals such as bees and chickens.

[20] Notable individuals who were born in or have lived in Wheat Ridge include actor and singer Dean Reed,[21] Jolly Rancher founders Bill and Dorothy Harmsen,[22] NASA astronaut Matthew Dominick,[23] and U.S. Olympic cyclist Linda Brenneman.