| Breckenridge, Colorado | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
| Main Street in Breckenridge | |
| Location in Summit County and the state of Colorado | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | State of Colorado |
| County | Summit County Seat[1] |
| Established | November 1859 as Breckinridge |
| Incorporated | 1880-03-03[2] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Home Rule Municipality[1] |
| • Mayor | Dr. John Warner |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.0 sq mi (12.8 km2) |
| • Land | 5.0 sq mi (12.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0.0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 9,600 ft (2,926 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 4,540 |
| • Density | 486.4/sq mi (187.8/km2) |
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP code | 80424[3] |
| Area code(s) | 970 |
| FIPS code | 08-08400 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0204681 |
| Website | Town of Breckenridge |
Established in 1859, the historic town of Breckenridge is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Summit County, Colorado, United States.[4] As of the 2010 Census, the town had a population of 4,540. The town also has many part-time residents, as many people have vacation homes in the area. Breckenridge is also home to one of North America's most popular ski resorts during the winter months, with the Breckenridge Ski Resort servicing multi-difficulty ski slopes across 4 peaks on the Ten Mile Range of the Rocky Mountains. Summer in Breckenridge attracts outdoor enthusiasts with hiking trails, wildflowers, fly-fishing in the Blue River, mountain biking, nearby Lake Dillon for boating, white water rafting, alpine slides, and several shops up and down Main Street. Every year, Breckenridge hosts the Breckenridge Festival of Film, established in 1981, as well as an annual Fourth of July parade.[5]
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The town of Breckenridge was formally created in November 1859 by General George E. Spencer. Spencer chose the name "Breckinridge" after John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky, Vice President of the United States, in the hopes of flattering the government and gaining a post office. Spencer succeeded in his plan and a post office was built in Breckinridge; it was the first post office between the Continental Divide and Salt Lake City, Utah.
However, when the Civil War broke out in 1861, the former vice president sided with the Confederates (as a brigadier general) and the pro-Union citizens of Breckinridge decided to change the town's name. The first i was changed to an e, and the town's name has been spelled Breckenridge ever since.[6]
Prospectors entered what is now Summit County (then part of Utah Territory) during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush of 1859, soon after the placer gold discoveries east of Breckenenridge near Idaho Springs. Breckenridge was founded to serve the miners working rich placer gold deposits discovered along the Blue River. Placer gold mining was soon joined by hard rock mining, as prospectors followed the gold to its source veins in the hills. Gold in some upper gravel benches north of the Blue River was recovered by hydraulic mining. Gold production decreased in the late 1800s, but revived in 1908 by gold dredging operations along the Blue River and Swan River. The Breckenridge mining district is credited with production of about one million troy ounces (about 31,000 kilograms) of gold.[7] The gold mines around Breckenridge are all shut down, although some are open to tourist visits. The characteristic gravel ridges left by the gold dredges can still be seen along the Blue River and Snake River, and the remains of a dredge are still afloat in a pond off the Swan River.
Notable among the early prospectors was Edwin Carter - Log Cabin Naturalist who decided to switch from mining to collecting wildlife specimens. His log cabin built in 1875 exists today and has been recently renovated by the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance with interactive exhibits and a small viewing room with a short creative film on his life and the early days around Breckenridge.
The Breckenridge Heritage Alliance reports that in the 1930s, a women's group in Breckenridge stumbled upon an 1880s map that failed to include Breckenridge. They speculated that Breckenridge had never been officially annexed into the United States, and was thus still a "No Man's Land". This was completely false - official US maps did include Breckenridge - but these women created an incredibly clever marketing campaign out of this one map. In 1936 they invited the Governor of Colorado to Breckenridge to raise a flag at the Courthouse officially welcoming Breckenridge into the union - and he came. There was a big party. And the entire event/idea of Breckenridge being left off the map made national news. The "No Man's Land" idea later morphed into a new theme of Breckenridge being referred to as "Colorado's Kingdom", and the theme of Breck's independent spirit is still celebrated to today during Breck's annual "Kingdom Days" celebrations every June.
Breckenridge was the film location of the 1989 comedy National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and some scenes in Dumb and Dumber (shots of Aspen in the movie are actually Breckenridge).
On November 3, 2009, voters passed ballot measure 2F by a nearly 3 to 1 margin (73%), which legalized marijuana possession for adults. The measure allows possession of up to an ounce of marijuana and also decriminalizes the possession of marijuana-related paraphernalia. Possession became legal January 1, 2010. Possession is still illegal by state law however. The measure was written mainly to be symbolic.[8]
Breckenridge is located at .[9] According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 4.9 square miles (13 km2), all of it land. The elevation of Breckenridge is 9600 feet (2926 m) above sea level.
Breckenridge's climate is considered to be high-alpine with the tree line ending at 11,500 ft.[10] The average July high and low are 73 °F (23 °C) and 39 °F (4 °C) respectively. The average January high and low are 31 °F (−1 °C) and 0 °F (−18 °C) respectively. The record high is 89 °F (32 °C) set in July, 1939; the record low is −46 °F (−43 °C) set in December, 1924.[11] The town receives an average of 163 inches of snowfall per year.[12] The valley basin has only 30 frost-free days each year.[10] The highest average precipitation occurs in July with 1.75 inches (44 mm); the average low of 0.78 inches occurs in October.[11]
The average humidity remains around 30% throughout the year.[13] The average warmest month is July, when most of the average precipitation occurs. The coldest month is January.
| Climate data for Breckenridge | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | −1 (30) |
1 (34) |
4 (39) |
8 (46) |
13 (55) |
19 (66) |
23 (73) |
22 (72) |
18 (64) |
12 (54) |
4 (39) |
0 (32) |
10.3 (50.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −18 (0) |
−16 (3) |
−12 (10) |
−8 (18) |
−3 (27) |
1 (34) |
4 (39) |
3 (37) |
−1 (30) |
−6 (21) |
−12 (10) |
−16 (3) |
−7 (19.4) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 60 (2.36) |
50 (1.97) |
55 (2.17) |
43 (1.69) |
38 (1.5) |
32 (1.26) |
52 (2.05) |
53 (2.09) |
44 (1.73) |
34 (1.34) |
44 (1.73) |
58 (2.28) |
563 (22.17) |
| Source: http://weather.yahoo.com/Breckenridge-Colorado-United-States/USCO0040/statistics.html?unit=c | |||||||||||||
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 51 |
|
|
| 1880 | 1,657 | 3,149.0% | |
| 1900 | 976 |
|
|
| 1910 | 834 | −14.5% | |
| 1920 | 796 | −4.6% | |
| 1930 | 436 | −45.2% | |
| 1940 | 381 | −12.6% | |
| 1950 | 296 | −22.3% | |
| 1960 | 393 | 32.8% | |
| 1970 | 548 | 39.4% | |
| 1980 | 818 | 49.3% | |
| 1990 | 1,285 | 57.1% | |
| 2000 | 2,408 | 87.4% | |
| 2010 | 4,540 | 88.5% | |
As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 2,408 people, 1,081 households, and 380 families residing in the town. The population density was 486.4 people per square mile (187.8/km²). There were 4,270 housing units at an average density of 862.6 per square mile (333.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.56% White, 0.37% African American, 0.33% Native American, 1.04% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 1.12% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.44% of the population.
There were 1,081 households out of which 13.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.9% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 64.8% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 0.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.61.
In the town the population was spread out with 11.1% under the age of 18, 22.8% from 18 to 24, 45.3% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from 45 to 64, and 2.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 160.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 164.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $43,938, and the median income for a family was $52,212. Males had a median income of $29,571 versus $27,917 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,675. About 5.2% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.
For 2009 the average price for a single family home in the Breckenridge area is $1,035,806 with a sold price per square foot of $314.00. For multifamily properties the average price is $560,689 with a sales price per square foot of $440. Land sales prices averaged $373,067.[15]
Breckenridge holds public events throughout the year. Every January, the International Snow Sculpture Championships are held in Breckenridge, where sculptors from around the world compete to create works of art from twenty ton blocks of snow. The annual winter Ullr Fest parade pays homage to the Norse god of snow. During the summer, Breckenridge is host to the National Repertory Orchestra and the Breckenridge Music Institute. Concerts are scheduled three to four nights a week. Full orchestra, ensembles, and contemporary artists perform at the Riverwalk Center, downtown by the Blue River. Several art fairs come to Breckenridge every summer, attracting many local artists and buyers. The town also puts on an annual Fourth of July celebration, featuring a parade in the morning and fireworks at night. The Breckenridge Ski Resort also hosts its own annual activities, including the Winter Dew Tour every December, featuring the biggest names in extreme snowboarding and skiing, the annual Imperial Challenge, Breck's version of a triathlon, The 5 Peaks, North America's longest ski mountaineering race, the Breck Ascent Series, with races up the mountain, as well as other competitions, festivals, and the annual Spring Fever month-long celebration at the end of the ski season with live concerts, festivities and other celebrations around spring skiing.
Common activities include mountain biking and road biking, hiking, and fly fishing. For mountain biking, Breckenridge hosts innumerable trails such as the Peaks trail which connects Breckenridge and Frisco and the Flume Loops which explore the Highlands Area. The 9-mile (14 km) tarmaced Breckenridge to Friso bike track parallels Highway 9 and is a popular ride. The large number of passes in Summit County also attract road bikers. The nearby fourteener Quandary Peak gains the most attention for hikers. Fly fishing is also popular. Breckenridge Ski Resort hosts the annual Summer Fun Park from June-Sept. on the slopes of Peak 8 with attractions from everything from Jeep tours to chairlift rides to mountain biking.
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