Gold Hill | |
|---|---|
 Gold Hill, Colorado. | |
 Location of the Gold Hill CDP in Boulder County, Colorado. | |
  Gold Hill Location of the Gold Hill CDP in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 40°03′35″N 105°25′08″W / 40.05972°N 105.41889°W[1] | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Colorado |
| County | Boulder County |
| Founded | 1859 |
| Government | |
| • Type | unincorporated community |
| Area | |
| • Total | 5.374 km2 (2.075 sq mi) |
| • Land | 5.374 km2 (2.075 sq mi) |
| • Water | 0.000 km2 (0.000 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 2,577 m (8,455 ft) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 218 |
| • Density | 41/km2 (110/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP Code[4] | Boulder 80302 |
| Area codes | 303 & 720 |
| GNIS feature | 2408304[1] |
Gold Hill Historic District | |
| Location | Roughly bounded by North St., Pine St., Boulder St., Gold Run St., and College St. |
| Built | 1872 |
| Architectural style | Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals |
| MPS | Metal Mining and Tourist Era Resources of Boulder County MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 89000979[5] |
| CSRHP No. | 5BL.769 |
| Added to NRHP | August 3, 1989 |
Gold Hill is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the Gold Hill CDP was 218 at the United States Census 2020.[3] The Boulder post office (Zip Code 80302) serves the area.[4]
Gold Hill is located to the northwest of Boulder, perched on a mountainside above Left Hand Canyon at an elevation of 8,300 feet. Originally a mining camp, it was the site of the first major discovery of gold during the 1859 Colorado Gold Rush and remained an important mining camp throughout the late 19th century, with a population approaching 1500 at its height, before falling into decline. It has been revived somewhat in recent years as a quiet isolated haven, with no paved streets, but easily accessed by dirt roads. The town contains numerous historic wooden structures, some restored in recent years, as well as decaying ruins from its mining heyday. It has a small museum and two-room schoolhouse, the Gold Hill School, which since 1873 has been the oldest continuously operating public school in Colorado. Other businesses include a General Store and a restored inn listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The town is laid out on a small grid of dirt streets.
Gold Hill is accessible from nearby Left Hand Canyon Road via Lick Skillet Road. Easier approaches to Gold Hill include Sunshine Canyon Road from 4th and Mapleton in Boulder, Gold Run Road from Salina (on Four Mile Canyon Road), and Gold Hill Road from the Peak to Peak Highway (State Highway 72) south of Ward. All of these roads are susceptible to heavy snows during the winter, which at times render Gold Hill inaccessible to vehicles not equipped with chains or four wheel drive.
Gold Hill is sometimes labeled a ghost town, which is an inaccurate designation. Gold Hill is part of unincorporated Boulder County, and while it does not have a municipal government, it does have an active town meeting with elected officials.
- ^ a b c d U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Gold Hill, Colorado
- ^ "State of Colorado Census Designated Places - BAS20 - Data as of January 1, 2020". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ a b United States Census Bureau. "Gold Hill CDP, Colorado". Retrieved April 18, 2023.
- ^ a b "Zip Code 80302 Map and Profile". zipdatamaps.com. 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.