Golden, Colorado
Encyclopedia
The City of Golden is a home rule municipality that is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 of Jefferson County
Jefferson County, Colorado
Jefferson County , whose slogan is the "Gateway to the Rocky Mountains", is the fourth most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. Located along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, Jefferson County is adjacent to the west side of the state capital, Denver....

, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Golden lies along Clear Creek
Clear Creek (Colorado)
Clear Creek is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately long, in north central Colorado in the United States. The creek flows through Clear Creek Canyon in the Rocky Mountains directly west of Denver, descending through a long gorge to emerge on the Colorado Eastern Plains where it...

 at the edge of the foothills of the Front Range
Front Range
The Front Range is a mountain range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of North America located in the north-central portion of the U.S. State of Colorado and southeastern portion of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is the first mountain range encountered moving west along the 40th parallel north across...

 of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...

. Founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush on 16 June 1859, the mining camp was originally named Golden City in honor of Thomas L. Golden
Thomas L. Golden
Thomas L. Golden was a miner from Georgia, United States, who was one of the earliest prospectors in today's Jefferson County, Colorado. Arriving during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush in 1858, he was partners with another prospector, George Andrew Jackson from Missouri...

. Golden City served as the capital of the provisional Territory of Jefferson from 1860 to 1861, and capital of the official Territory of Colorado from 1862 to 1867. In 1867, the territorial capital was moved about 12 miles (19 km) east to Denver City. The United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

 estimates that the city population was 17,366 in 2005.

The Colorado School of Mines
Colorado School of Mines
The Colorado School of Mines is a small public teaching and research university devoted to engineering and applied science, with special expertise in the development and stewardship of the Earth's natural resources. Located in Golden, Colorado, CSM was ranked 29th, in America among national...

, offering programs in engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...

 and science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...

, is located in Golden. Also there are the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory , located in Golden, Colorado, is the United States' primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is a government-owned, contractor-operated facility; it is funded through...

, the National Earthquake Information Center
National Earthquake Information Center
The National Earthquake Information Center is part of the United States Geological Survey located on the campus of the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. The NEIC has three main missions:...

, the Coors Brewing Company
Coors Brewing Company
The Coors Brewing Company is a regional division of the world's fifth-largest brewing company, the Canadian Molson Coors Brewing Company and is the third-largest brewer in the United States...

, CoorsTek
CoorsTek
CoorsTek, Inc. is a privately owned manufacturer of technical ceramics, semiconductor tooling, plastic tubing, medical devices and other industrial products. CoorsTek’s headquarters and primary factories are located in Golden, Colorado, USA, near the foothills west of Denver. The company is...

, Spyderco
Spyderco
Spyderco is a Golden, Colorado, U.S.A. based cutlery company that produces knives and knife sharpeners. Spyderco introduced many features that are now common on folding knives, including the pocket clip, serrations, and the opening hole...

, the American Mountaineering Center, and the Colorado Railroad Museum
Colorado Railroad Museum
‎The Colorado Railroad Museum is a non-profit railroad museum The museum is located on at a point where Clear Creek flows between North and South Table Mountains in Golden, Colorado....

. It is the birthplace of the Jolly Rancher
Jolly Rancher
Jolly Rancher is a brand of candy, including hard candy, gummies, fruit chews, jellybeans, lollipops, and sodas. It is currently owned by Hershey. The product was originally produced by the Jolly Rancher Company, founded in 1949 by Bill and Dorothy Harmsen of Golden, Colorado...

, a candy bought out by the Hershey Foods Corporation. Famous western showman William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody
Buffalo Bill
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a United States soldier, bison hunter and showman. He was born in the Iowa Territory , in LeClaire but lived several years in Canada before his family moved to the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for service to the US...

 is buried nearby on Lookout Mountain
Lookout Mountain (Colorado)
Lookout Mountain is one of the larger foothills which overlooks Golden, Colorado. The Denver metropolitan area can be seen clearly from the mountain. It is known for its natural scenery and has played a major role in area recreation, transportation, water supply and telecommunications...

.

Geography

Golden lies just north of I-70 and west of Denver at the foot of the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...

. Situated between Lookout Mountain and the two Table Mountains, Golden lies within a sheltered valley fed by Clear Creek
Clear Creek (Colorado)
Clear Creek is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately long, in north central Colorado in the United States. The creek flows through Clear Creek Canyon in the Rocky Mountains directly west of Denver, descending through a long gorge to emerge on the Colorado Eastern Plains where it...

. Clear Creek flows through town from the northwest, out of its canyon shared by US 6, and exits the valley it carved between North Table Mountain
North Table Mountain
North Table Mountain is a mesa located just northeast of downtown Golden, Colorado in Jefferson County, Colorado. Its most distinctive feature is its cap off basaltic rock formed from Tertiary lava flows from the nearby Ralston Dike...

 and South Table Mountain
South Table Mountain (Colorado)
South Table Mountain is a mesa located just southeast of downtown Golden, Colorado in Jefferson County, Colorado. Its most distinctive feature is its cap of basalt rock formed from ancient lava flows. South Table Mountain is a popular scenic and recreational destination of the Denver metro area,...

 and in which is located the Coors Brewery.

History

Established as a gold-rush town, Golden City quickly became a leading economic and political center of the region, being a center of trade between the gold fields and the east, a crossroads and gateway of important roads leading to the mountains, and a center of area industry. By the end of 1860, Golden City had been popularly elected the seat of Jefferson County and was capital of the provisional Jefferson Territory
Jefferson Territory
The Provisional Government of the Territory of Jefferson was an extralegal and unrecognized United States territory that existed from October 24, 1859 until the creation of the Colorado Territory on February 28, 1861...

. While the town lost much of its populace and leading citizenry during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 for several reasons (ranging from military to economic), Golden City became capital of the federally recognized Colorado Territory
Colorado Territory
The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Colorado....

 in 1862, continuing as such until 1867.

Golden City became the "Lowell of the West", a regional center of trade and industry that boasted at certain points in time three flour mills, five smelters, the first railroad into the Colorado mountains, the Coors Brewery
Coors Brewing Company
The Coors Brewing Company is a regional division of the world's fifth-largest brewing company, the Canadian Molson Coors Brewing Company and is the third-largest brewer in the United States...

, brick works, the only paper mill west of Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

, clay and coal mines, and more. During the 1870s it became home to three institutions of higher education, the Colorado University Schools
Colorado University Schools
The Colorado University Schools campus was the multi-collegiate campus spearheaded by the visionary missionary Bishop George Maxwell Randall of the Episcopal church...

 of which the Colorado School of Mines
Colorado School of Mines
The Colorado School of Mines is a small public teaching and research university devoted to engineering and applied science, with special expertise in the development and stewardship of the Earth's natural resources. Located in Golden, Colorado, CSM was ranked 29th, in America among national...

 remains today. Golden was also home to an opera house and seven churches including Colorado's third (Methodist) church, oldest Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...

 church, likely oldest Christian (Disciples of Christ) church, and first Swedish immigrant (Lutheran) church. The town was home to sizable populations of German, Swedish, Italian and Chinese immigrants; five immigrants became mayors of Golden.

Until the early 20th century Golden maintained a small town population of around 2,500 people. Several industries faded or were destroyed by tragic events, but others flourished to continue Golden's industrial legacy including its brewing, brick making, clay mining and porcelain industries. Golden became even more connected through mass transit, with two trolley lines extending to Denver, while the movie theater gradually took the place of the opera house for downtown entertainment. Downtown revitalization efforts began in the 1920s with its first streetscape and ornamental lighting project and urban renewal
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...

 on its north and east, anchored by new senior high and grade schools. The historic cultural tension between the city's north and south sides gradually eased, and the town successfully endured additional major economic depressions including the Silver Crash of 1893 and the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

. The School of Mines gained a worldwide academic reputation, Coors rapidly came to the forefront of the national and international brewing and ceramics industries, and the city modernized with a recreation center, paved streets and more.

After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 Golden boomed, rapidly gaining population, size and economy. In 1959 the town nearly tripled in geographic size overnight when it annexed large properties to the south including the new Magic Mountain
Heritage Square
Heritage Square is a Storybook Victorian theme park shopping village at Golden, Colorado. It was originally built as Magic Mountain in 1957-59 by a group spearheaded by prominent Wheat Ridge businessman Walter Francis Cobb and Denver sculptor John Calvin Sutton. They hired Marco Engineering,...

 theme park, one of the earliest entertainment attractions of its kind. A number of new subdivisions were built and public infrastructure was modernized including new buildings for the senior high school, city hall, recreation center, library, museum and central fire and police stations. Also built were new downtown anchors including department stores and grocery stores, several new church buildings, new county offices, and the Horizon Plan which transformed the School of Mines.

The decline in the price of petroleum and near simultaneous failure of several downtown anchors placed the central business district into recession in the 1980s, and the downtown was revitalized again through various initiatives including its second streetscaping project in 1992. In 1993 the old Golden High School building was converted into the American Mountaineering Center, making Golden a research and education hub for mountaineering. The Coors Brewery had become the largest single site brewery in the world, its Porcelain
CoorsTek
CoorsTek, Inc. is a privately owned manufacturer of technical ceramics, semiconductor tooling, plastic tubing, medical devices and other industrial products. CoorsTek’s headquarters and primary factories are located in Golden, Colorado, USA, near the foothills west of Denver. The company is...

 subsidiary among the foremost of its kind in the world, and Golden became home to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory , located in Golden, Colorado, is the United States' primary laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is a government-owned, contractor-operated facility; it is funded through...

. Today Golden has a population of over 18,000 people and is home to more people and businesses of national and international influence than ever before, yet maintains a small town historic identity.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

 of 2010, there were 18,867 people, 7,394 households, and 3,985 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 2,096.3 inhabitants per square mile (809.7/km²). There were 7,748 housing units at an average density of 860.9 per square mile (332.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.6% White
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 1.2% Black
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.6% Native American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 3.8% Asian
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 0.1% Pacific Islander
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 1.4% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 2.3% from two or more races. 8.2% of the population were Hispanic or Latino
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 of any race.

There were 7,394 households out of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.1% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.8.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 20, 13% from 20 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 25% from 45 to 64, and 10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33.9 years. The population was 56.6% male and 43.4% female.

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $49,115, and the median income for a family was $67,414. Males had a median income of $41,822 versus $32,413 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the city was $25,257. About 3.5% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Golden is a home rule municipality of the city form of statutory government in Colorado. Its government is a city council/city manager form of leadership which consists of a popularly elected mayor elected by the entire citizenry, two councilors each representing a district comprising one half of the city, and four councilors each representing a ward of which each district is divided into two. These seven members of the city council are each popularly elected from their ward/district/at large and they serve as the governing body of the city. The council hires and supervises the city manager, who hires and supervises the city staff, which handles the daily operations of the city.

Golden's current elected officials are:
  • Mayor - Jacob Smith
  • Councilor (District 1) - Marjorie N. Sloan
  • Councilor (District 2) - Karen L. Oxman
  • Councilor (Ward 1) - Marcia Claxton
  • Councilor (Ward 2) - Joseph G. Behm
  • Councilor (Ward 3) - Bob Vermeulen
  • Councilor (Ward 4) - William Fisher


The current City Manager is Michael C. Bestor.

Golden was among the first municipally governed cities in Colorado and has one of the oldest continuously functioning governments in the state. To date Golden has held 91 popular elections for municipal officials since its first such election in 1860, including 85 regular elections and 6 special elections in 1860, 1879, 1882, 2005, 2006 and 2008.

Newspapers

  • Golden Transcript
    Golden Transcript
    The Golden Transcript is the second oldest newspaper in Colorado, behind the Central City Register-Call. The Transcript is also the oldest media outlet of the Denver metropolitan area. It is published by Mile High Newspapers in Golden, Colorado....

    - founded in 1866.
  • The Oredigger
  • The Coffee News--Est. 2009

City streets

The main part of Golden is laid out upon a historic street grid system running on an approximately northwest-southeast axis, aligned with Clear Creek upon which the heart of the city was established. Most of these are paved streets with a total 66-foot right of way, including area for sidewalks which in older areas are often separated by a landscaped strip from the street featuring beautiful and historic trees. The only historic street in the grid not named "street" is the main thoroughfare, Washington Avenue, an 80-foot right of way featuring a downtown care streetscape with trees, planters, brick, flagstone and ornamental street lights. Golden's streets are generally numbered on the east-west streets, and named on the north-south streets, and are named after pioneers, American Indian tribes and trees. The streets of the southeasterly part of town are aligned with the Denver metropolitan street grid, which are aligned directly with the true directions of the compass, and they share the names of the Denver grid. Outlying subdivisions of Golden consist of their own, often curvilinear street systems, of various degrees of connection with the rest of the city. Golden has several main thoroughfare street connections to the east which date to the Gold Rush times, including West 44th Avenue, West 32nd Avenue and South Golden Road.

Highways

Since its beginning, Golden has been at a crossroads of major Colorado thoroughfares. Today Interstate 70 runs through the southern part of the city, which connects to the northern terminus of SH 470
Colorado State Highway 470
State Highway 470 is the southwestern portion of the Denver Metro area's beltway. Originally planned as Interstate 470 in the 1960s, the beltway project was attacked on environmental impact grounds and the interstate beltway was never built...

 which runs to the south. , which turns into 6th Avenue, is a historic thoroughfare (built in 1950) which runs east-west through the southern part of the city then curves northward through the western part of Golden, ultimately arriving at the mouth of Clear Creek Canyon. , which traces its roots to the 1860s, continues north through the western part of the city from the canyon and northward towards Boulder
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...

. bisects Golden on an east-west route between 6th and 7th Streets, and ultimately joins to go up Clear Creek Canyon. West Colfax Avenue
Colfax Avenue
Colfax Avenue is the main street that runs east–west through the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area in Colorado. As U.S. Highway 40, it was one of two principal highways serving Denver before the Interstate Highway System was constructed. In the local street system, it lies 15 blocks north of the zero...

, the historic , runs on an approximately northeast-southwest route through the southern end of the city and turns westward up Mt. Vernon Canyon and parallels I-70.

Mass transportation

The city of Golden is part of the network of the Regional Transportation District
Regional Transportation District
The Regional Transportation District, or RTD, was organized in 1969 and is the regional authority operating public transit services in eight of the twelve counties in the Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area in Colorado. RTD is governed by a 15-member, publicly elected Board of...

 which provides bus and light rail service throughout the Denver metropolitan area. Its bus routes 16, 16L, 17, 44L and GS connect the city with other points of the Denver metropolitan area and Boulder. Currently under construction is the West Corridor of the FasTracks
FasTracks
FasTracks is a twelve-year, $6.5 billion public transportation expansion plan for the Denver-Aurora and Boulder metropolitan areas in Colorado, USA, developed by the Regional Transportation District...

 light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...

 line, which will parallel 6th Avenue into Golden to its terminal at the Jefferson County Government Center. It is a modern rendition of the historic trolley line which Golden interests spearheaded in the 1890s. Although no longer carrying passengers, Golden continues to be served by railroad transportation for cargo, and has been continuously since 1870. These lines are owned by the BNSF railroad and serve business interests in the northeastern end of the city. Within the Coors Brewery grounds it becomes the brewery's own in-house railroad. The recreational miniature gauge Rio Golden Railroad serves passengers at Heritage Square
Heritage Square
Heritage Square is a Storybook Victorian theme park shopping village at Golden, Colorado. It was originally built as Magic Mountain in 1957-59 by a group spearheaded by prominent Wheat Ridge businessman Walter Francis Cobb and Denver sculptor John Calvin Sutton. They hired Marco Engineering,...

.

Airports

The closest airport to Golden is nearby Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, a general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...

 air transport facility located in northeastern Jefferson County. Passenger traffic generally uses Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel...

 in northeastern Denver.

Education

Golden, originally home to the second school in Colorado, is today part of the Jefferson County R-1 School District which provides public education throughout Jefferson County, Colorado. The city has four elementary schools, Mitchell, Kyffin and Shelton and Ralston Elementary in the foothills to the west; one middle school, Bell Middle School; and Colorado's oldest senior high school, Golden High School
Golden High School
Golden High School is a secondary school in Golden, Colorado. It is located in Golden, the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. It is part of the Jefferson County Public Schools district.- History :...

.

In higher education, Golden features the oldest public university
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...

 in the state, the Colorado School of Mines
Colorado School of Mines
The Colorado School of Mines is a small public teaching and research university devoted to engineering and applied science, with special expertise in the development and stewardship of the Earth's natural resources. Located in Golden, Colorado, CSM was ranked 29th, in America among national...

, which can be found a few blocks south of downtown Golden situated on a hill overlooking the city.

Culture

Golden is home to the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra, which performs seasonally at Bunker Auditorium in the Green Center at the Colorado School of Mines
Colorado School of Mines
The Colorado School of Mines is a small public teaching and research university devoted to engineering and applied science, with special expertise in the development and stewardship of the Earth's natural resources. Located in Golden, Colorado, CSM was ranked 29th, in America among national...

, and has performed continuously since 1953. The city is also home to the Foothills Art Center, an art exhibition venue housed in a historic church
First Presbyterian Church of Golden and Unger House
The First Presbyterian Church of Golden and the Unger House are two buildings in the Foothills Art Center in Golden, Colorado, United States...

. Two live theater groups are housed in Golden, including one of only two Denver metro area dinner theater
Dinner theater
Dinner theater is a form of entertainment that combines a restaurant meal with a staged play or musical. Sometimes the play is incidental entertainment, secondary to the meal, in the style of a sophisticated night club, or the play may be a major production with dinner less important, or in some...

 groups, the Heritage Square
Heritage Square
Heritage Square is a Storybook Victorian theme park shopping village at Golden, Colorado. It was originally built as Magic Mountain in 1957-59 by a group spearheaded by prominent Wheat Ridge businessman Walter Francis Cobb and Denver sculptor John Calvin Sutton. They hired Marco Engineering,...

 Music Hall, which has performed since 1986; and the dramatic live theater venue of the Miners Alley Playhouse in downtown Golden, which has performed there since 2001. Golden is home to possibly the most museums per capita of any place in Colorado, including the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, Colorado Railroad Museum
Colorado Railroad Museum
‎The Colorado Railroad Museum is a non-profit railroad museum The museum is located on at a point where Clear Creek flows between North and South Table Mountains in Golden, Colorado....

, Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum, Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum, Golden History Center, Astor House Hotel
Astor House Hotel
The Astor House is a historic stone hotel from the earliest years of Golden, Colorado. Associated with prominent area pioneers, it was also a pioneering effort in historic preservation in the region...

 Museum, and the Clear Creek History Park. There is also the Mother Cabrini Shrine
Mother Cabrini Shrine
Mother Cabrini Shrine is a shrine to Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, known as Mother Cabrini, located in Golden, Colorado, United States.The shrine site includes the Stone House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Queen of Heaven Orphanage Summer Camp, a statue of the Sacred...

.

Golden has several annual events which include Heart & Soul Month in February, E-Days of the Colorado School of Mines in April (since 1927), two Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...

 fireworks shows sponsored by Heritage Square (since 1971) and the Golden Lions Club (since 1972), the largest event of the year in Buffalo Bill Days in late July (since 1946); the Golden Fine Arts Festival in August (since 1990), Goldenfest in September (since 1978, originally Oktoberfest), and Olde Golden Christmas (since 1972) in November to December.

The American Mountaineering Center is home to the American Alpine Club
American Alpine Club
The American Alpine Club, or AAC, was founded in 1902 by Charles Ernest Fay, and is the leading national organization in the United States devoted to mountaineering, climbing, and the multitude of issues facing climbers...

, The Colorado Mountain Club, and Outward Bound. The Henry S. Hall, Jr. American Alpine Club Library and Colorado Mountain Club Collection is the world's largest repository of mountaineering literature and is internationally known. The American Mountaineering Center is also home to the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum and hosts many programs and events each year. This premier facility and the town's location near plenty of world class rock climbing, skiing and mountaineering make Golden a center for mountaineering culture.

Sports

Golden's competitive athletics go back for well over a century and feature public school and collegiate teams and athletes. Golden High School
Golden High School
Golden High School is a secondary school in Golden, Colorado. It is located in Golden, the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. It is part of the Jefferson County Public Schools district.- History :...

 competes in various sports in 4A competition in Colorado, and its football program dates as far back as the 1890s. The Colorado School of Mines
Colorado School of Mines
The Colorado School of Mines is a small public teaching and research university devoted to engineering and applied science, with special expertise in the development and stewardship of the Earth's natural resources. Located in Golden, Colorado, CSM was ranked 29th, in America among national...

 competes primarily in NCAA Division II athletics in a variety of sports including football (dating to 1888), baseball and basketball. Clear Creek is also home to a nationally renowned kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...

 course, and the city is home to the American Mountaineering Center and features noteworthy rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking, and hang gliding opportunities in close proximity. Golden has to date generated three Major League Baseball players, four Olympic competitors and two Olympic medalists.

People of historical interest

Golden has had a long, rich history spanning nearly one and a half centuries, which includes many who were important in Colorado and American History.

A few people that have been born, lived, or died in the Golden area are:
  • Edward L. Berthoud
    Edward L. Berthoud
    Captain Edward Louis Berthoud was a military officer, statesman and engineer in the western United States during the late 19th century. He is primarily known as the chief engineer and secretary of the Colorado Central Railroad during its expansion throughout Colorado in the 1870s...

     (1830–1910), Colorado engineer, historian, geologist
  • Ward Bond
    Ward Bond
    Wardell Edwin "Ward" Bond was an American film actor whose rugged appearance and easygoing charm were featured in over 200 movies and the television series Wagon Train.-Early life:...

     (actor) briefly attended the Colorado School of Mines in the early 1920s.
  • Leroy Taylor Brown, Olympic silver medalist, men's high jump, Paris
    Paris
    Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

     1924
  • Frances Xavier Cabrini (Mother Cabrini), American-Italian saint
  • Dutch Clark (Pro football hall of fame
    Pro Football Hall of Fame
    The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...

    ) was the football coach at Mines in 1933.
  • Adolph Coors
    Adolph Coors
    Adolph Herman Joseph Coors, Sr. was a brewman who started the Adolph Coors Company in Golden, Colorado in 1873.-Early years:...

     (1847–1929), co-founder of the Adolph Coors Company
    Adolph Coors Company
    The Golden, Colorado Adolph Coors Company was formerly a holding company controlled by the heirs of founder Adolph Coors. Its principal subsidiary is the Coors Brewing Company. It was founded in 1873....

  • Alexander Cummings
    Alexander Cummings (territorial governor)
    Alexander Cummings was the third Governor of the Territory of Colorado from 1865–1867, serving as a member of the Republican Party.Alexander Cummings was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania on November 11, 1810...

     (1810–1879), Territorial Governor of Colorado
    Governor of Colorado
    The Governor of Colorado is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Colorado General Assembly, to convene the...

  • James Darden (Coach of original Denver Nuggets
    Denver Nuggets (original)
    This article is about the original Denver Nuggets NBL/NBA team from 1948-1950. For the current NBA team see Denver Nuggets.The Denver Nuggets were a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado, The United States of America...

    , member Colorado Sports Hall of Fame)
  • William L. Douglas (Founder Douglas Shoe Company, Governor of Massachusetts
    Governor of Massachusetts
    The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the executive magistrate of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The current governor is Democrat Deval Patrick.-Constitutional role:...

    )
  • Douglas Fairbanks
    Douglas Fairbanks
    Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....

     (Movie actor)
  • John Frullo
    John Frullo
    John Frullo is a businessman from Lubbock, Texas, who is a conservative Republican member of the Texas House of Representatives from District 84, and a member of the Tea Party Caucus. Since 1993, Frullo has owned Midtown Printing Company in Lubbock...

     (Member of the Texas House of Representatives
    Texas House of Representatives
    The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Texas Legislature. The House is composed of 150 members elected from single-member districts across the state. The average district has about 150,000 people. Representatives are elected to two-year terms with no term limits...

     and former Golden resident
  • George A. Grosvenor (National Football League player, Chicago Bears
    Chicago Bears
    The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

    , Chicago Cardinals)
  • Bill
    Bill Harmsen
    -The Harmsens:Bill Harmsen was born on June 20, 1912 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and died on April 10, 2002 in Wheat Ridge, Colorado from prostate cancer. Dorothy Harmsen was born on September 13, 1914 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and died on August 29, 2006 of a heart attack At age 91 she died-Jolly...

     and Dorothy Harmsen (Founders of Jolly Rancher
    Jolly Rancher
    Jolly Rancher is a brand of candy, including hard candy, gummies, fruit chews, jellybeans, lollipops, and sodas. It is currently owned by Hershey. The product was originally produced by the Jolly Rancher Company, founded in 1949 by Bill and Dorothy Harmsen of Golden, Colorado...

    )
  • Roy Hartzell
    Roy Hartzell
    Roy Allen Hartzell , played in the Major League Baseball from 1906 to 1916.Hartzell started his career with the St...

     (Major League Baseball utility player, St. Louis Browns, New York Highlanders/Yankees
    New York Yankees
    The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

    )
  • Edgar Watson Howe (Author, newspaper editor)
  • Albert E. Jones
    Cowboy Jones
    Albert Edward "Cowboy" Jones was a professional baseball pitcher. He pitched one full season and parts of three others in Major League Baseball from 1898 until 1901 for the Cleveland Spiders and St. Louis Perfectos/Cardinals.- Early life :...

     (Major League Baseball pitcher, Cleveland Spiders
    Cleveland Spiders
    The Cleveland Spiders were a Major League Baseball team which played between 1887 and 1899 in Cleveland, Ohio. The team played at National League Park from 1889 to 1890 and at League Park from 1891 to 1899.- 1887-1891 :...

    , St. Louis Perfectos/Cardinals
    St. Louis Cardinals
    The St. Louis Cardinals are a professional baseball team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are members of the Central Division in the National League of Major League Baseball. The Cardinals have won eleven World Series championships, the most of any National League team, and second overall only to...

    )
  • Ami Cusack
    Ami Cusack
    Ami Cusack was a contestant on Survivor: Vanuatu and Survivor: Micronesia. She is the former Charitable Director of Experimental and Applied Sciences . Cusack is a model/barista who posed for Playboy magazine in 1996....

     (Contestant on Survivor: Vanuatu
    Survivor: Vanuatu
    Survivor: Vanuatu — Islands of Fire, also known as Survivor: Vanuatu, is the ninth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor...

     and Survivor: Micronesia
    Survivor: Micronesia
    Survivor: Micronesia — Fans vs. Favorites is the sixteenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor, being the show's third to include contestants from past seasons, after the all-returning contestant pool from Survivor: All-Stars, and Survivor: Guatemala in which...

    )
  • Gertrude Kasebier
    Gertrude Käsebier
    Gertrude Käsebier was one of the most influential American photographers of the early 20th century. She was known for her evocative images of motherhood, her powerful portraits of Native Americans and her promotion of photography as a career for women.-Early life :Käsebier was born Gertrude...

     (Photographic artist)
  • Ron Kiefel
    Ron Kiefel
    Ronald Alexander Kiefel is a former professional road bicycle racer from the United States. Kiefel is a seven-time Tour de France racer, Olympic bronze medalist and member of the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame....

     (bicycle racer) was a student at Mines in the early 1980s.
  • Arthur Lakes
    Arthur Lakes
    Arthur Lakes was a notable geologist, artist, writer, teacher and minister. He captured much of his geological and palaeontological field work in sketches and watercolours...

     (Geologist and paleontologist, discoverer of Brontosaurus
    Apatosaurus
    Apatosaurus , also known by the popular but scientifically deprecated synonym Brontosaurus, is a genus of sauropod dinosaur that lived from about 154 to 150 million years ago, during the Jurassic Period . It was one of the largest land animals that ever existed, with an average length of and a...

    and Stegosaurus
    Stegosaurus
    Stegosaurus is a genus of armored stegosaurid dinosaur. They lived during the Late Jurassic period , some 155 to 150 million years ago in what is now western North America. In 2006, a specimen of Stegosaurus was announced from Portugal, showing that they were present in Europe as well...

    near Golden)
  • William A. H. Loveland
    William A. H. Loveland
    William Austin Hamilton Loveland was a U.S. railroad entrepreneur and businessman in the late 19th century. An early resident of Golden when it was the capital of the Colorado Territory, he was one of the founders of the Colorado Central Railroad and a principal figure in the early history of...

     (Colorado railroad pioneer and industrialist)
  • Keli McGregor
    Keli McGregor
    Keli McGregor was a professional football player in the NFL and was president of the Colorado Rockies from 2001 until his death.-School sport:...

     (President Colorado Rockies
    Colorado Rockies
    The Colorado Rockies are a Major League Baseball team based in Denver, Colorado. Established in 1991, they started play in 1993 and are in the West Division of the National League. The team is named after the Rocky Mountains...

    , National Football League player)
  • Mark Melancon
    Mark Melancon
    Mark David Melancon is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher for the Houston Astros.-Early years:...

     (Major League Baseball pitcher, New York Yankees
    New York Yankees
    The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

    )
  • Chick Morrison
    Chick Morrison
    Charles Pacific Morrison, an American silent film actor, was born April 3, 1878 in Morrison, Colorado. The grandson of pioneer town founder George Morrison, he was known as "Chick" to many who knew him, a nickname conjunction of his first and middle names. A keen horse rider, he often appeared in...

     (Movie actor)
  • Frank B. Morrison
    Frank B. Morrison
    Frank Brenner Morrison served as the 31st Governor of the U.S. state of Nebraska from 1961 to 1967, representing the Democratic Party. He also ran for United States Senate in 1958, 1966 and 1970 but lost all three elections. He lost to Roman L. Hruska in 1958 and 1970 while in 1966 he lost to Carl...

     (Governor of Nebraska
    Governor of Nebraska
    The Governor of Nebraska holds the "supreme executive power" of the State of Nebraska as provided by the fourth article of the Nebraska Constitution. The current Governor is Dave Heineman, a Republican, who assumed office on January 20, 2005 upon the resignation of Mike Johanns . He won a full...

    )
  • Pete Morrison
    Pete Morrison
    George D. Morrison, nicknamed Pete, was an American silent western film actor born August 8, 1890 in Westminster, Colorado. During his childhood he lived at Morrison, Colorado and Idaho Springs, and got his early tastes of horsemanship riding with his father Thomas during the summer...

     (Movie actor)
  • George Alexander Parks
    George Alexander Parks
    George Alexander Parks was an American engineer who worked in Alaska Territory for most of his career. Following an unexpected nomination from President Calvin Coolidge, he became the territory's first resident governor...

     (Territorial Governor of Alaska)
  • George M. Pullman (Railroad industrialist)
  • Steve Reed (Major League Baseball pitcher)
  • George Eliphaz Spencer (Founder of Breckenridge, Colorado
    Breckenridge, Colorado
    Established in 1859, the historic town of Breckenridge is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Summit County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the town had a population of 4,540. The town also has many part-time residents, as many people have vacation homes in the area...

    , Alabama
    Alabama
    Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

     Senator)
  • Charles David Spivak  (Founder Jewish Consumptives Relief Society)
  • Robert Williamson Steele
    Robert Williamson Steele
    Robert Williamson Steele was Governor of the extralegal Territory of Jefferson, which existed in the western United States of America from 1859 to 1861, when it was replaced by the Territory of Colorado.-Early life:...

     (Nebraska
    Nebraska
    Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....

     Territorial Senator, popularly elected Governor of provisional Jefferson Territory
    Jefferson Territory
    The Provisional Government of the Territory of Jefferson was an extralegal and unrecognized United States territory that existed from October 24, 1859 until the creation of the Colorado Territory on February 28, 1861...

    )
  • J.J. Thomas (Olympic bronze medalist, men's halfpipe snowboarding, Salt Lake City 2002)
  • John Charles Vivian
    John Charles Vivian
    John Charles Vivian was a United States attorney, journalist, and Republican politician who served as the 30th Governor of the State of Colorado from 1943 to 1947. He was the first Lt. Governor of Colorado to be elected Governor.John Charles Vivian was born in Golden, Colorado, on June 30, 1889...

     (Governor of Colorado
    Governor of Colorado
    The Governor of Colorado is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Colorado General Assembly, to convene the...

    )
  • Robert H. Waterman Jr
    Robert H. Waterman Jr
    Robert H. Waterman Jr is a non-fiction author and expert on business management practices. He is best known as the co-author, with Tom Peters, of In Search of Excellence. He earned his MBA from Stanford University and his degree in geophysics from the Colorado School of Mines...

    ., co-author of In Search of Excellence
    In Search of Excellence
    In Search of Excellence is an international bestselling book written by Tom Peters and Robert H. Waterman, Jr.. First published in 1982, it is one of the biggest selling and most widely read business books ever, selling 3 million copies in its first four years, and being the most widely held...

    , earned a degree in geophysics
    Geophysics
    Geophysics is the physics of the Earth and its environment in space; also the study of the Earth using quantitative physical methods. The term geophysics sometimes refers only to the geological applications: Earth's shape; its gravitational and magnetic fields; its internal structure and...

     from Mines.
  • Shane Carwin
    Shane Carwin
    Shane Bannister Carwin is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship , where he was previously the UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion...

    , Heavyweight contender in the UFC, received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines.

See also

  • State of Colorado
    • Colorado cities and towns
      • Colorado municipalities
        Colorado municipalities
        The U.S. state of Colorado currently has 271 active incorporated municipalities, including 196 towns, 73 cities, and two consolidated city and county governments.-Municipal government:...

    • Colorado counties
      Colorado counties
      The U.S state of Colorado is divided into 64 counties. Counties are important units of government in Colorado since the state has no secondary civil subdivisions, such as townships...

      • Jefferson County, Colorado
        Jefferson County, Colorado
        Jefferson County , whose slogan is the "Gateway to the Rocky Mountains", is the fourth most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. Located along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, Jefferson County is adjacent to the west side of the state capital, Denver....

    • Colorado geography
      • Clear Creek (Colorado)
        Clear Creek (Colorado)
        Clear Creek is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately long, in north central Colorado in the United States. The creek flows through Clear Creek Canyon in the Rocky Mountains directly west of Denver, descending through a long gorge to emerge on the Colorado Eastern Plains where it...

    • Colorado history
      • Pike's Peak Gold Rush
      • Territory of Jefferson
      • Territory of Colorado
    • Colorado metropolitan areas
      Colorado metropolitan areas
      The metropolitan areas of the State of Colorado include the urban statistical areas defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget and regions of urban population defined by other organizations.-Census statistical areas:...

      • Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area
      • Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area
        Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area
        thumb|300px|Map of the 12-county Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical AreaThe Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO Combined Statistical Area is a United States Census Bureau defined Combined Statistical Area located in the Denver region of the state of Colorado...

      • North Central Colorado Urban Area
        North Central Colorado Urban Area
        thumb|240px|An enlargeable map of the 13-county North Central Colorado Urban AreaThe North Central Colorado Urban Area comprises the four contiguous metropolitan statistical areas in the north central region of the State of Colorado: the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area, the Boulder...

      • Front Range Urban Corridor
        Front Range Urban Corridor
        The Front Range Urban Corridor is an oblong region of urban population located along the eastern face of the Southern Rocky Mountains in the U.S. states of Colorado and Wyoming. The corridor derives its name from the Front Range, the mountain range that defines the west central boundary of the...

    • Colorado school districts
      • Jefferson County School District R-1
    • Colorado state parks
      Colorado State Parks
      Colorado State Parks manages the Colorado state parks system. The system administers 42 parks.-History:*1937. The state legislature appointed a land board to create the first State Parks Board....

      • Golden Gate Canyon State Park
        Golden Gate Canyon State Park
        Golden Gate Canyon State Park is a Colorado State Park located in Gilpin and Jefferson counties northwest of Golden, Colorado. The Front Range park established in 1960 has of hiking trails. Horse and bicycle travel is allowed on...

    • Colorado universities
      • Colorado School of Mines
        Colorado School of Mines
        The Colorado School of Mines is a small public teaching and research university devoted to engineering and applied science, with special expertise in the development and stewardship of the Earth's natural resources. Located in Golden, Colorado, CSM was ranked 29th, in America among national...

  • Shrine#United States (Mother Cabrini Shrine)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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