Golden, Colorado
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Golden, Colorado lies at the mouth of Clear Creek at the edge of the foothills of the Front Range. Founded on June 16, 1859 and named for Thomas L. Golden, it is the county seat of Jefferson County and a suburb of the city of Denver. The Colorado School of Mines, offering programs in engineering and science is located in Golden. Also there are the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Coors Brewing Company, and the Colorado Railroad Museum. It is the birthplace of the Jolly Rancher, a candy bought out by the Hershey Foods Corporation. Famous western showman William F "Buffalo Bill" Cody is buried nearby on Lookout Mountain. Golden was also the "Territorial Capital" of Colorado before Colorado became a state, and still is known as such after statehood. The capital of Colorado is Denver, about 15 miles (24 km) east of Golden. As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 17,366.[1]
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[edit] Geography
Golden is located at (39.746837, -105.210911)GR1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 23.3 km² (9 mi²). Its geographic features include North and South Table Mountains, Mount Zion, Lookout Mountain, Clear Creek, and several gulches. Mount Zion is clearly visible, with a large white M, for the Colorado School of Mines college.
Golden is mostly situated just north of Interstate 70; U.S. Route 6 connects most of town to it. Colorado State Highway 470 starts in Golden.
Golden was one of the first towns established in Colorado being on the way to the gold fields. It is about 15 miles (24 km) from the center of Denver, and it is now regarded as a western suburb of Denver and part of the Denver Metropolitan Area. Golden was the second territorial capital of Colorado, holding that position from 1862 to 1867. Golden (Jefferson County) is home to some of the world's best mountain biking. Chimney Gulch/Windy Saddle to Apex Park is a common bike route, with several hairpin turns up the side of Mount Zion and Lookout Mountain. Many of the best trails in Jefferson County are either in or very near Golden. [1]
Natural outdoor rock climbing is also a local pastime at the locally known North Table Mountain, with many bolted and trad routes from 5.5 to 5.13d.
Recently, as part of the Fossil Trace Golf Course in Golden, they have opened a free self-guided walking tour through some of the better preserved fossils: [2]
Golden is scheduled to be the endpoint of the West Corridor in Denver's FasTracks commuter rail network by 2013.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 17,159 people, 6,877 households, and 3,913 families residing in the city. The population density was 735.3/km² (1,905.1/mi²). There were 7,146 housing units at an average density of 306.2/km² (793.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.66% White, 1.03% Black or African American, 1.05% Native American, 2.99% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 1.98% from other races, and 2.24% from two or more races. 6.59% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 6,877 households out of which 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.1% were non-families. 29.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the city the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 16.9% from 18 to 24, 33.4% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 120.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 118.7 males.
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 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.
[edit] 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 (Colorado engineer, historian, geologist)
- Leroy Taylor Brown (Olympic silver medalist, men's high jump, Paris 1924)
- Adolph Coors (Co-founder of Coors)
- Alexander Cummings (Territorial Governor of Colorado)
- James Darden (Coach of original Denver Nuggets)
- William L. Douglas (Founder Douglas Shoe Company, Governor of Massachusetts)
- Douglas Fairbanks (Movie actor)
- Bill and Dorothy Harmsen (Founders of Jolly Rancher)
- Roy Hartzell (Major League Baseball utility player, St. Louis Browns, New York Yankees)
- Edgar Watson Howe (Author, newspaper editor)
- Albert E. Jones (Major League Baseball pitcher, Cleveland Spiders, St. Louis Cardinals)
- Gertrude Kasebier (Photographic artist)
- George M. Kimball (Stage actor, principal of Kimball's Komedy Kompany, newspaper writer)
- Arthur Lakes (Geologist and paleontologist, discoverer of Brontosaurus and Stegosaurus near Golden)
- William A.H. Loveland (Colorado railroad pioneer and industrialist)
- Grace McHugh (Movie actress)
- Frank B. Morrison (Governor of Nebraska)
- Pete Morrison (Movie actor)
- George Alexander Parks (Territorial Governor of Alaska)
- George M. Pullman (Railroad industrialist)
- George Eliphaz Spencer (Founder of Breckenridge, Colorado, Alabama Senator)
- Robert Williamson Steele (Nebraska Territorial Senator, Governor of provisional Jefferson Territory, founder of Apex, Colorado)
- Joseph C. Taylor (Colonel leading Philippines resistence in World War II, author of They Fought Alone)
- J.J. Thomas (Olympic bronze medalist, men's halfpipe snowboarding, Salt Lake City 2002)
- John Charles Vivian (Governor of Colorado)
- John F. Vivian (Colorado Republican leader)
[edit] Media
[edit] Newspapers
- Golden Transcript - founded in 1866.
[edit] References
- ^ Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Colorado (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division (June 21, 2006). Retrieved on November 16, 2006.
[edit] External links
- City of Golden (official website)
- Mile High Newspapers (Based in Golden)
- Colorado School of Mines
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
