Колорадо штатының Голден қаласының тарихы

City in Colorado, United States

Golden is a home rule city that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 20,399 at the 2020 United States Census. By the end of 1860, Golden City had been popularly elected the seat of Jefferson County and was capital of the provisional Jefferson Territory. As drafted in the territorial constitution, the capital of the Jefferson Territory was initially proposed to be Golden, then with a population of 700, as a result of its proximity to mountain mining towns, and greater ability to hold a congressional quorum than had Denver. Golden City was temporarily removed from the status of territory capital as a result of an act passed on November 5, 1861, by the territorial government. Colorado City, a small town to the south of Denver, became the new temporary territorial capital, but saw only one short event at this location. This status was quickly revoked, however, as on August 4, 1862, the territorial government voted formally to move back to Golden. While the town lost much of its populace and leading citizenry during the Civil War for several reasons (ranging from military to economic), Golden City became capital of the federally recognized Colorado Territory on August 2, 1862, continuing as such until 1867. Between 1862 and the early 1870s a fierce railroad competition developed between Denver, 10 mile (16 km) to the east, and Golden. By the mid 1860s, Golden held a functionally honorific status as the territorial capital, rather than serving as the primary source of territorial power. Denver, the increasingly larger and more developed city, was the focused core of important territorial occasions, with the Governor residing in Denver, and territorial legislative meetings occurring there as well. The Territorial Supreme Court, however, met in Golden throughout its tenure as the capital due to the Justices' decision in Bruce v. House whereby the court struck down a special law passed by the legislature directing the court to meet at Denver on the basis that the superseding Organic Act creating Colorado Territory directed the court to meet at the legal capital. From late 1866 through 1867 the legislative and executive branches did return to Golden in part due to the falling out of newcomer Alexander Cummings (territorial governor) with Denver, and the Territorial Library resided in Golden from 1867 1868. However, the citizens and supporters of Golden realized that a spur from Golden to the new transcontinental railroad, running through Cheyenne, Wyoming, 100 mile (161 km) to the north, was ultimately the only possibility for Golden to reemerge as the dominant heart of commerce in the territory. W. A. H. Loveland founded the Colorado Central Railroad on February 9, 1865, to do just this. The residents of Denver voted for the bonds, spurring construction of the Denver Pacific Railway. By 1869, the railroad race to Cheyenne was becoming less and less of a race, as the Denver Pacific Railway pulled ahead of the struggling Colorado Central Railroad. Realizing they were going to lose the race to Cheyenne, the Colorado Central began expanding west into mountain communities such as Georgetown, Black Hawk, and Central City, all areas founded on and focused in silver mining. Golden, having then sidetracked into servicing various close by mountain communities, continued to fall behind the pace set by the Denver railroad, and by 1870, officially lost the race to Cheyenne. However, The Colorado Central Railroad connected directly with Cheyenne seven years later, in 1877, but by that point, the race with Denver had been lost. 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 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.

Golden is home to numerous museums, including the Golden History Museum & Park, Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, Colorado Railroad Museum, Colorado School of Mines Geology Museum, and the Bradford Washburn American Mountaineering Museum. There is also the Mother Cabrini Shrine. Golden is home to the Jefferson Symphony Orchestra, which performs seasonally at Bunker Auditorium in the Green Center at the Colorado School of Mines, 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. Miners Alley Playhouse in downtown Golden, is a live theater which has performed there since 2001. The 150 year old Buffalo Rose Bar and Grill is the longest surviving Colorado gold rush era business and remains a popular music venue for touring rock and blues bands. Golden has several annual events, including E Days of the Colorado School of Mines in April (since 1927), the Golden Music Festival at Clear Creek History Park, Independence Day fireworks shows sponsored by the Golden Lions Club (since 1972), the largest event of the year is Buffalo Bill Days in late July (since 1946); the Golden Fine Arts Festival in August (since 1990), and Olde Golden Christmas in November to December (since 1972). The American Mountaineering Center is home to the American Alpine Club, 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. The city's thriving beer culture supports several microbreweries, including Golden City Brewery, Mountain Toad Brewing, Cannonball Creek Brewing Company, and Barrels & Bottles Brewery. Beer festivals in Golden include the UllrGrass beer festival every January and the Knock Your Boots Off Beer Tasting and Chili Cook off every October. Golden is home to the headquarters and brewery of Coors Beer. Golden was where the beer company had its start, and it has kept its headquarters in the city ever since its founding in 1873. The brewery offers tours to the public. It is one of the leading employers in the Golden area, with 900 employees working full time in the brewery.

Golden's competitive athletics go back for over 150 years and feature public school and collegiate teams and athletes. Golden High School 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 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 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, six Olympic competitors and three Olympic medalists.

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, 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.) In higher education, Golden features the oldest public university in the state, the Colorado School of Mines, which can be found a few blocks south of downtown Golden, situated on a hill overlooking the city. Nearby is the Mountain Language Institute, an English language school providing classes both in Golden and online.

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 feet (20 m) 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 as a "street" is the main thoroughfare, Washington Avenue, an 80 feet (24 m) 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, with varying degrees of connection to 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.

Since its beginning, Golden has been at a crossroads of major Colorado thoroughfares. Today Interstate 70 (I 70) runs through the southern part of the city, which connects to the northern terminus of SH 470 which runs to the south. U. S. Highway 6 (US 6), 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. State Highway 93 (SH 93), which traces its roots to the 1860s, continues north through the western part of the city from the canyon and northward towards Boulder. SH 58, which turns into Golden Freeway, bisects Golden on an east–west route between 6th and 7th Streets, and ultimately joins to go up Clear Creek Canyon. West Colfax Avenue, the historic US 40, 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.

Golden is part of the network of the Regional Transportation District which provides bus and light rail service throughout the Denver metropolitan area. Its bus routes 16, 16L, and GS connect Golden with other points of the Denver metropolitan area and Boulder. The West Corridor (W line) of the FasTracks light rail line, which parallels 6th Avenue into Golden to its terminal at the Jefferson County Government Center, opened to the public on April 26, 2013. This is a modern version of the historic trolley line that Golden interests spearheaded in the 1890s. At the same time the W Line opened, a Community Call n Ride bus launched in Golden, offering flexible service along with regular stops within the city itself. The new bus system was designed to complement the light rail, extending the transit service into the whole community, including the downtown corridor. Although passengers are no longer served by heavy rail, Golden continues to be served by railroad transportation for cargo, as it 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 closest airport to Golden is nearby Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport, a general aviation air transport facility located in northeastern Jefferson County. Passenger traffic generally uses Denver International Airport in northeastern Denver.