1859Government
Founded during the Pike's Peak gold rush on June 16, 1859, the mining camp was originally named Golden City in honor of Thomas L.
1860Government
Golden City served as the capital of the provisional Territory of Jefferson from 1860 to 1861, and capital of the official Territory of Colorado from 1862 to 1867.
1861Government
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.
1862History
This status was quickly revoked, however, as on August 4, 1862, the territorial government voted formally to move back to Golden.
1865Government
Loveland founded the Colorado Central Railroad on February 9, 1865, to do just this.
1866Government
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 with Denver, and the Territ...
1867Government
In 1867, the territorial capital was moved about 12 miles (19 km) east to Denver City.
1869Infrastructure
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.
1870Infrastructure
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 ...
1873Culture
Golden was where the beer company had its start, and it has kept its headquarters in the city ever since its founding in 1873.
1877Infrastructure
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.
1888Education
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.
1893Culture
The historic cultural tension between the city's north and south sides gradually eased, and the town successfully endured additional major economic depressions, including the Si...
1953Education
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 continu...
1959Government
In 1959, the town nearly tripled in geographic size overnight when it annexed large properties to the south, including the new Magic Mountain theme park, one of the earliest ent...
1992History
The 1990s saw the revitalization of the downtown through various initiatives, including its second streetscaping project in 1992.
1993Education
In 1993, the old Golden High School building was converted into the American Mountaineering Center, making Golden a research and education hub for mountaineering.
2000History
As of the census of 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $49,115, and the median income for a family was $67,414.
2001Culture
Miners Alley Playhouse in downtown Golden, is a live theater which has performed there since 2001.
2010History
== Demographics ==
As of the census of 2010, there were 18,867 people, 7,394 households, and 3,985 families residing in the city.
2013History
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–Golden Station, ope...
2020History
At the 2020 United States census, the city had a total area of 6,225 acres (25.193 km2) including 59 acres (0.240 km2) of water.