Golden, CO

Situated near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and the mouth of Clear Creek Canyon, Golden, Colorado, has a population of more than 17,000. Serving as the seat of Jefferson County, west of Denver, the city was originally founded in 1859 as Golden City after Thomas Golden, an early settler.

Once a gold-rush town, like so many others in Colorado, Golden was originally a supply center for neighboring mining districts. Golden has maintained its economy by focusing on ecotourism. Its many parks, public lands, biking and hiking trails and historic sites have contributed to the city's above-average per capita income.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

The city of Golden enjoys a fairly stable economy. The number of jobs in Golden has increased by 48 percent in recent years.

Educational services and healthcare are major industries in Golden. Other prominent industries in the city are professional, scientific, management, administrative, waste management services and retail trade.

Golden is home to the Coors Brewing Company, which is the city's largest employer. The corporate headquarters of Alpine Access, a leading call center provider, is also located in Golden.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

Golden's most historic district is its North Neighborhoods, which is known for its folk Victorian-style architecture. This district is situated north of State Highway 58, running east-west through the city. The North Neighborhoods is a largely residential community with a wide variety of housing types, a small business district, an industrial park and access to green spaces.

The North Neighborhoods can be divided into four constituent communities, each of which is based on the distinct architectural styles of the buildings in it:

• North-Central features mainly residential housing and a few commercial businesses. The landscape is characterized by steep hillsides. Bordered by Washington Avenue and Ford Street and stretching up to Golden Pond, this community contains bungalow-, foursquare-, Gothic Revival- and Victorian-style homes. Mid-20th-century brick ranch homes are also common in the northern section of the area.
• North-Hillside is situated along the southwesterly hillside of North Table Mountain and contains mainly single-family homes dating from the post-World War II era.
• North-Suburban contains three single-family subdivisions, a large industrial business park and a vacant tract of land.
• North Historic comprises all properties east of State Highway 93 and west of Washington Ave., north of State Highway 58.

FAMILY FUN

Several of Golden's parks and public lands are found in the North Neighborhoods district:

• Built in 1996, New Loveland Mine Park is situated in the same area as the original Loveland Mine, at the west end of Fifth Street and Rubey Drive.
• Located on Iowa Street, White Ash Mine Park was finished in 1998 as part of the Mountain Ridge development. The park is named after a coal mine dating from the late-19th century.
• Norman D. Park was donated by the family of Norman D. Peery and is located on North Ford Street and Mesa Drive. The expansion of the park in 2006 included an upgraded regional bicycle and pedestrian trail.
• Cressman Gulch Park is situated on Cressman Gulch Trail, north of Wyoming Street and Mesa Court. The park functions as an overflow detainment area in the event of flooding within Cressman Gulch.
• North Table Mountain is a volcanic formation and a popular Colorado historic site.
• Mount Galbraith Park is situated west of the Mountain Ridge subdivision, and 160 acres of it are owned by the State of Colorado Board of Land Commissioners.

EDUCATION

Nearly 47 percent of the adult residents in Golden has a bachelor's degree or higher, compared with the national average of close to 15 percent. Golden has a number of academic institutions:

• Located on Illinois Street, Colorado School of Mines enrolls approximately 4,500 students and specializes in engineering and applied sciences.
• Holmes Institute, located on Park Point Drive, offers a master's degree program that prepares spiritual leaders in the areas of religion, philosophy, leadership, science, education, spirituality and psychology.

FOR VISITORS

Golden's attractions celebrate the city's striking landscape and its historic legacy as a mining town of the west:

• Colorado Railroad Museum is housed in a replica of an 1880s-style depot. The museum contains thousands of artifacts, documents and old photographs that depict the captivating history of the railroad system of the 1800s. Exhibits include a reconstructed depot telegraph office and other intriguing railroad items. Additionally, the Depot General Store features numerous books, DVDs, magazines and posters related to the railroad.
• Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave offers numerous permanent exhibits relating to Buffalo Bill's life and era, and the museum hosts special temporary exhibits throughout the year. The most-popular exhibit is Buffalo Bill's grave, which is located on Lookout Mountain and overlooks the area's great plains and the Rocky Mountains.
• Located in the foothills of Golden, Heritage Square offers a variety of shops, children's amusement rides, the Heritage Railroad and the Heritage Square Music Hall.
• Located on Tenth Street, American Mountaineering Center offers the biggest mountaineering library in the Western Hemisphere.
• Constructed in 1917 as a hunting lodge for Charles Boettcher, Boettcher Mansion features a tour that traces the history of the mansion's arts-and-crafts-style architecture.
• Golden Pioneer Museum, located on Tenth Street, features the Harmsen Gallery of Western Art and houses the Tumbleweeds Gift shop and the D'Deli on the Creek café.