Louisville, Colorado

The City of Louisville () is a home rule municipality located in southeastern Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 21,226 at the 2020 United States census. Louisville began as a mining community in 1877, experienced a period of labor violence early in the 20th century, and transitioned to a suburban residential community when the mines closed in the 1950s.

History

The town of Louisville dates back to the start of the Welch Mine in 1877, the first coal mine in an area of Boulder and Weld counties known as the Northern Coalfield. The town was named for Louis Nawatny, a local landowner who platted his land and named it for himself. Incorporation came several years later in 1882.

The Northern Coalfield proved to be highly productive, and eventually, some 30 different mines operated within the current boundaries of Louisville, though not all at the same time. During the years of peak production (1907–09), 12 mines were in operation in Louisville, including the Acme Mine whose two million tons of coal came from directly beneath the center of town. The presence of many independent mining companies in Louisville saved the town from becoming a "company town", wholly owned and dominated by a single mining company.

Marshall Fire

In late December 2021, the Marshall Fire raged through the parched lands near Boulder, Colorado. The Marshall Fire would prove to be the most destructive in Colorado's history to date. The fire impacted City of Louisville, Town of Superior and unincorporated Boulder County areas. Within Louisville, 553 homes were destroyed with an additional 45 damaged. Over 21,000 people in Louisville and 13,000 in Superior were ultimately evacuated while the fire was spreading due to unusual 100-mile-per-hour winds. Additionally, two people died in the fire. The cause of the fire has not been officially announced, pending an investigation. However, an incident report filed by a ranger with Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks identified two ignition points for the fire. The first ignition point was a shed that began to burn at approximately 11:30AM MST, December 30, 2021. The second ignition point was upwind from the first, and started around noon of the same day on "western side of the Marshall Mesa trailhead."

Geography

Louisville is located in southeastern Boulder County. U.S. Highway 36 (the Denver-Boulder Turnpike) forms the southwestern border of the city.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.35%, is water.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Louisville had a population of 21,226. The median age was 42.4 years. 22.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 17.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.8 males age 18 and over.

99.7% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.3% lived in rural areas.

There were 8,628 households in Louisville, of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 53.5% were married-couple households, 16.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. which is used for a concert venue during the summer Louisville Street Faire, which runs on Friday nights and features local bands and street vendors and an ice rink in the winter months. There is also a farmers' market that runs on Saturdays from May to October along the 800 block of Front Street, centered around the Steinbaugh Pavilion. The TBS sitcom, The Bill Engvall Show, was set in Louisville. The city has about 32 miles of recreational trails.

Education

There are six public schools, six private schools, and one public library in Louisville. The public secondary schools are Monarch High School, Monarch K-8, and Louisville Middle School. Nearby higher education institutions include University of Colorado at Boulder, Naropa University, and Front Range Community College (in Longmont and Westminster).

From 2003 to 2010, Louisville was home to the National Education Center of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and was also home to NITA's headquarters from 2006 to 2010. In 2021, NITA moved its headquarters from Boulder back to Louisville.

Health care

There are two hospitals in the city, AdventHealth Avista and Centennial Peaks Hospital.

References

External links

City of Louisville official website
Louisville Chamber of Commerce