Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Encyclopedia
The city of Steamboat Springs 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....

 and the most populous city of Routt County
Routt County, Colorado
Routt County is the 15th most extensive of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado of the United States. The county population was 19,690 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Steamboat Springs.- History :...

, 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...

. The city is also known as "Steamboat," "The Boat," or "Ski Town USA". As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,088.

The city is an internationally known winter ski resort destination. The Steamboat Springs tourism industry is highlighted by Steamboat Ski Resort
Steamboat Ski Resort
Steamboat Ski Area is a major ski area in northwestern Colorado, operated by the Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation in Steamboat Springs. It is located on Mount Werner, a mountain in the Park Range in the Routt National Forest. The ski area first opened on January 12, 1963.The ski area has 165...

, which is on Mount Werner
Mount Werner
Mount Werner is a mountain in the Park Range of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, four miles southeast of Steamboat Springs, the county seat of Routt County. It is northwest of Denver. The mountain reaches a height of above sea level and has a base elevation of 6,900 ft . It has a vertical...

 in the Park Range
Park Range (Colorado)
The Park Range, elevation approximately , is a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northwestern Colorado in the United States. The range forms a relatively isolated part of the continental divide, extending north-to-south for approximately along the boundary between Jackson and Routt counties...

 just east of the town. It also contains the much smaller Howelsen Ski Area.

It is located in the upper valley of the Yampa River
Yampa River
The Yampa River is a tributary of the Green River, approximately 250 mi long, in the U.S. state of Colorado. It's located in the Southwestern United States...

, along U.S. Highway 40 just west of the Continental Divide
Continental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas, or merely the Continental Gulf of Division or Great Divide, is the name given to the principal, and largely mountainous, hydrological divide of the Americas that separates the watersheds that drain into the Pacific Ocean from those river systems that drain...

 at Rabbit Ears Pass
Rabbit Ears Pass
Rabbit Ears Pass is a high mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States.The pass straddles the continental divide at the southern end of the Park Range along the boundary between Grand and Jackson counties...

. It is served by Yampa Valley Airport
Yampa Valley Airport
Yampa Valley Airport , also known as Yampa Valley Regional Airport, is a public airport located east of Hayden and approximately west of Steamboat Springs in Routt County, Colorado, USA. The airport covers and has one runway...

.

History

The area surrounding Steamboat Springs was originally inhabited by the Yampatikas Utes
Ute Tribe
The Ute are an American Indian people now living primarily in Utah and Colorado. There are three Ute tribal reservations: Uintah-Ouray in northeastern Utah ; Southern Ute in Colorado ; and Ute Mountain which primarily lies in Colorado, but extends to Utah and New Mexico . The name of the state of...

, who hunted in the valley during the summer. Trappers began to move into the area during the first decades of the 19th century. Ranchers soon followed, and ranching traditions are still preserved by the large ranching community. However, the native Utes were forcibly removed from the area to a reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...

 in Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...

 by the U.S. Army starting in 1879.

Steamboat is home to natural hot springs up in the hills (see Geography). Without investigation, settlers believed that the hot springs were actually a steamboat coming down the river. When settlers saw that there was no steamboat, and that the sound was coming from the hot springs, they decided to name the town Steamboat Springs, hence how Steamboat got its name.

Originally, skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....

 was the only method of transportation during harsh and snowy Rocky Mountain winters. In turn, the popularity of skiing as a winter pastime catalyzed development of the town and other communities all over 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...

. In 1913, Carl Howelsen, a Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

, moved to town and introduced ski jumping. Howelsen built the first jump on namesake Howelsen Hill, now part of the Howelsen Ski Area. He also founded the annual Winter Carnival, a celebration still held each winter. Traditionally, the festival includes ski racing and jumping, dog sledding, and chariot events down Lincoln Avenue, the city's main street. Light shows on both Mount Werner and Howelsen Hill are highlights.

The Steamboat Ski Resort was largely established by two local men, Jim Temple and John Fetcher. Temple led the effort to develop the area. Fetcher, a local rancher, was the main designer and builder. The resort opened on what was then called Storm Mountain in 1963.

In 1974, The Industrial Company (TIC) was started in Steamboat Springs and has since grown into one of the largest industrial construction companies in the United States with revenues of approximately $2 billion in 2007. The company is one of the largest employers in Routt County and has more than 9,000 employees worldwide.

In 1993, the City Council of Steamboat Springs, Colorado conducted a poll of its residents to choose a new name for the bridge that crossed the Yampa River on Shield Drive. The winning name with 7,717 votes was "James Brown Soul Center of the Universe Bridge". The bridge was officially dedicated in September 1993, and James Brown appeared at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the event.

Historical buildings

Historical buildings in Steamboat Springs include:
  • Christian Science Society
    Christian Science Society (Steamboat Springs, Colorado)
    Christian Science Society, also known as Christian Science Society Building, is an historic Christian Science church building located at 641 Oak Street corner of 7th Street in Steamboat Springs, Routt County, Colorado; Built in 1934 of logs on a rubble rock foundation with a shingle roof, it was...

    , 7th and Oak, built in 1934 of logs and now listed on the National Register of Historical Places

Geography

According to 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...

, the city has a total area of 10.1 square miles (26.2 km²), all of it land except for the Yampa River.

The Yampa Valley and surrounding area contain several geothermal hot springs
Hot Springs
Hot Springs may refer to:* Hot Springs, Arkansas** Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas*Hot Springs, California**Hot Springs, Lassen County, California**Hot Springs, Modoc County, California**Hot Springs, Placer County, California...

, from which the city derives its name. The city is named after the Steamboat Spring, located near the present-day library. The spring itself was so named because its bubbling sounded like a steamboat
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...

 to early settlers. Unfortunately, construction and blasting for railroad silenced the chugging spring in 1908. Locals take pride in the name of their town, as evidenced by the humorously named Steamboat Yacht Club, a local restaurant location on the Yampa River.

Though there are no steamboats in the town, except for an allegorical "steamboat" playground in West Lincoln Park, it does offer two hot springs that are open to the public. The largest is at the Old Town Hot Springs, with multiple pools and two slides. Located in the hills a few miles out of town is Strawberry Park Hot Springs, with two pools and natural rock features. Strawberry Park Hot Springs offers excellent stargazing opportunities due to the lack of ambient light.

The Yampa River flows through the middle of town.

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 2000, there were 9,815 people, 4,084 households, and 2,082 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 976.1 people per square mile (377.1/km²). There were 6,373 housing units at an average density of 633.8 per square mile (244.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.88% White, 0.13% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.73% 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 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.13% of the population.

There were 4,084 households out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% 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, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.0% were non-families. 27.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the town the population was spread out with 18.7% under the age of 18, 13.8% from 18 to 24, 40.1% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 4.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 123.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 128.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $54,647, and the median income for a family was $65,685. Males had a median income of $35,536 versus $28,244 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 $31,695. About 2.7% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.

Skiing and river sports

Steamboat Springs offers excellent skiing opportunities (also see history section) and has been the locale of world class skiing competitions, including competitions for the 1989
1989 Alpine Skiing World Cup
The 23rd World Cup season began in November 1988 in Austria and concluded in March 1989 in Japan.The overall champions were Marc Girardelli of Luxembourg and Vreni Schneider of Switzerland....

 and 1990 Alpine Skiing World Cup
1990 Alpine Skiing World Cup
-Calendar:Note:Race 22 and 23 were held on the same day.- Men's Overall Results:see complete tableIn Men's Overall World Cup all results count. Pirmin Zurbriggen won his fourth Overall World Cup. He became the second male athlete to win four times...

. The Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club
The Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club is located in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. SSWSC has produced many Winter Olympians such as 1992 Bronze Medalist Nelson Carmichael, 2002 Silver Medalist Travis Mayer, Todd Lodwick, Caroline Lalive and many more....

 has brought forward many successful skiers, and the Steamboat Ski Resort
Steamboat Ski Resort
Steamboat Ski Area is a major ski area in northwestern Colorado, operated by the Steamboat Ski & Resort Corporation in Steamboat Springs. It is located on Mount Werner, a mountain in the Park Range in the Routt National Forest. The ski area first opened on January 12, 1963.The ski area has 165...

 attracts a large number of visiting snow aficionados.

The Yampa river is a popular conduit for water sports like fishing, rafting, tubing, and kayaking (playboating
Playboating
Playboating is a discipline of whitewater kayaking or canoeing where the paddler performs various technical moves in one place , as opposed to downriver whitewater canoeing or kayaking where the objective is to travel the length of a section of river...

). The 4-mile grade II-III
International Scale of River Difficulty
The International Scale of River Difficulty is a standardized scale used to rate the safety of a stretch of river, or a single rapid. The grade reflects the technical difficulty and skill level required associated with the section of river...

 whitewater run through town ends with two surfable holes. One is called D-Hole; the other one—near the library, close to the Steamboat Spring—is named Charlie's Hole or C-Hole for short, after local kayaker Charlie Beavers (1981–2002), who started kayaking at age 12 and later was the first to explore a number of rivers ("first descents") and successfully contended in playboating competitions, but died in a non-boating accident in 2002 and the hole and some kayaking events were dedicated to him.
Every year on the first weekend of June, Steamboat Springs organizes the Yampa River Festival. It includes a kayak rodeo (i.e. a playboating competition) which attracts national and international world class playboaters. Further events are a downriver race, Colorado's only upstream slalom race, the Crazy River Dog Contest, in which dogs retrieve sticks from the river and may pass a whitewater section, and others.

The defunct ski area Stagecoach
Stagecoach, Colorado
Stagecoach was a short-lived ski resort in Colorado in the early 1970s,20 miles south of Steamboat Springs in Routt County.-Ski area:The ski area was developed by the Woodmoor Company of Colorado Springs...

 is about twenty miles (32 km) south of Steamboat. It lasted two ski seasons, closing in 1974

Notable people

  • Debbie Armstrong
    Debbie Armstrong
    Deborah Rae Armstrong is a former alpine ski racer from Seattle. She was the first gold medalist from the U.S...

     (* 1963), alpine skier and Olympic gold medalist; lives in Steamboat Springs
  • Nelson Carmichael
    Nelson Carmichael
    Nelson Carmichael is an American mogul skier. He won a bronze medal at the 1992 Winter Olympics....

     (* 1965), mogul skier and Olympic bronze medalist; born in Steamboat Springs
  • Taylor Fletcher
    Taylor Fletcher
    Taylor Fletcher is an American Nordic combined skier who has competed since 2006 and ski jumper since 2010. At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, he finished 11th in the team large hill ski jumping event and 45th in the Nordic combined 10 km individual large hill event.Fletcher's best...

     (*1990), Nordic combined skier; competed in his first Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver in 2010
  • Billy Kidd
    Billy Kidd
    William Winston "Billy" Kidd is a former alpine ski racer, a member of the U.S. Ski Team from 1962-70 and a pro racer from 1970-72...

     (*1943), alpine skier and Olympic silver medalist; moved to Steamboat Springs in 1970 and serves as the Director of Skiing for the Steamboat Ski Resort
  • Todd Lodwick
    Todd Lodwick
    Todd Lodwick is an American nordic combined skier and by several measures the most successful North American in this sport ever...

     (* 1976), Nordic combined skier, Olympic silver medalist and a two-time World champion; born in Steamboat Springs
  • Verne Lundquist
    Verne Lundquist
    Merton Laverne "Verne" Lundquist, Jr. is an American sportscaster, currently employed by CBS Sports television.-Early life and career:Lundquist was born in Duluth, Minnesota...

     (* 1940), American Sportscaster; resides in Steamboat Springs
  • Travis Mayer
    Travis Mayer
    Travis Mayer is an olympic-level Freestyle Skier. He won the silver medal in the moguls competition at the 2002 Winter Olympics and also competed in the 2006 Winter Olympics. Travis grew up skiing in Western New York at Holiday Valley and across the Northeast as a member of the Holiday Valley...

     (* 1982), freestyle skier and Olympic silver medalist; moved to Steamboat Springs to attend the Lowell Whiteman School
  • Carey McWilliams
    Carey McWilliams (journalist)
    Carey McWilliams was an American author, editor, and lawyer. He is best known for his writings about social issues in California, including the condition of migrant farm workers and the internment of Japanese Americans in concentration camps during World War II...

     (1905–1980), author, editor, and lawyer known for progressive
    Progressivism
    Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...

     ideas; born in Steamboat Springs
  • Robin Olds
    Robin Olds
    Robin Olds was an American fighter pilot and general officer in the U.S. Air Force. He was a "triple ace", with a combined total of 16 victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. He retired in 1973 as a brigadier general....

     (1922–2007), ace fighter pilot and WWII/Vietnam fighter group commander; retired in Steamboat
  • Reese Roper
    Reese Roper
    Michael Reese Roper is an independent filmmaker and the former lead singer and chief song writer of the third-wave ska band Five Iron Frenzy. After Five Iron Frenzy disbanded in 2003, Reese released a single album using the moniker Roper. He is also part of the band Brave Saint Saturn, who released...

     (* 1973), singer and songwriter; born in Steamboat Springs
  • Andrew Sisco (* 1983), baseball player; born in Steamboat Springs
  • Johnny Spillane (* 1980), Nordic combined skier, three-time Olympic silver medalist and a World champion; born in Steamboat Springs
  • Alvin P. Wegeman
    Alvin P. Wegeman
    Alvin Paul Wegeman was an American nordic combined skier who competed in the 1950s. He competed in the Nordic combined event at the 1952 Winter Olympics, but did not finish...

     (* 1927), Nordic combined skier; helped to develop the Steamboat Springs area for skiing
  • Buddy Werner
    Buddy Werner
    Wallace "Buddy" Werner was an American ski racer in the 1950s and early 1960s. Born and raised in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Werner and his siblings were accomplished skiers, and competed in both alpine and Nordic events on Howelsen Hill...

     (1936–1964), Olympic alpine skier who had Mount Werner named in his honor in 1965 following his death in an avalanche; born and raised in Steamboat Springs
  • Gordon Wren
    Gordon Wren
    Gordon Wren was an American ski jumper who competed in the 1940s. He finished fifth in the individual large hill event at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz. He died in Steamboat Springs, Colorado of cancer at age 80....

     (1919–1999), ski jumper; last lived and died in Steamboat Springs

Sister cities

Saas-Fee
Saas-Fee
Saas-Fee is the main village in the Saastal, or the Saas Valley, and is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland...

, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 San Martin de los Andes
San Martín de los Andes
-References:* - Official website.-External links:*...

, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...


External links

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