Idaho Springs, Colorado
Idaho Springs, Colorado | |
|---|---|
| City of Idaho Springs | |
Aerial view from the east in 2006 | |
| Motto: “Where The Gold Rush Began” | |
Location in Clear Creek County, Colorado
| |
Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 39°44′33″N 105°30′49″W / 39.74250°N 105.51361°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| County | Clear Creek County |
| City | Idaho Springs |
| Founded | 1859 |
| Incorporated | 1885-11-15 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Statutory City |
| • Mayor | Chuck Harmon |
| Area | |
• Total | 2.28 sq mi (5.92 km2) |
| • Land | 2.25 sq mi (5.83 km2) |
| • Water | 0.03 sq mi (0.09 km2) |
| Elevation | 7,526 ft (2,294 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 1,782 |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code | 80452 |
| Area code(s) | 303 and 720 |
| FIPS code | 08-38370 |
| GNIS feature ID | 204710 |
| Website | www |
The City of Idaho Springs is the statutory city that is the most populous municipality in Clear Creek County, Colorado, United States. Idaho Springs is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 United States census it had a population of 1,782. Idaho Springs is located in Clear Creek Canyon, in the mountains upstream from Golden, some 30 miles (50 km) west of Denver.
Founded 166 years ago in 1859 by prospectors during the early days of the Pike's Peak Gold Rush, the town was at the center of the region's mining district throughout the late nineteenth century. The Argo Tunnel drained and provided access to many lodes of ore between Idaho Springs and Central City. During the late twentieth century, the town evolved into a tourist center along U.S. Highway 6 and U.S. Highway 40, which ascend Clear Creek Canyon through the historic mining district.
The town today is squeezed along the north side of Interstate 70, with a historical downtown in the central portion, a strip of tourist-related businesses on its eastern end, and mostly residences on its western end. It also serves as a bedroom community for workers at the Loveland Ski Area farther up the canyon. The town today is the largest community in Clear Creek County, but, for historical reasons, the county seat has remained at Georgetown.