Golden, Colorado
28 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1899 and the latest in 1983. It stands in the Golden census division. It lies in ZIP code area 80401. It lies near Parfel Park. The Survey maps it on the Golden quadrangle. 20,399 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 5,673 feet above sea level.
Research this city
On record in Golden
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 12 of 32 shown
Ammunition Igloolisted 1993
Astor House Hotellisted 1973
Barnes-Peery Houselisted 2001
Calvary Episcopal Churchlisted 1995
Camp George West Historic Districtlisted 1993
Colorado Amphitheaterlisted 1993
Colorado National Guard Armorylisted 1978
Colorow Point Parklisted 1990
Herman Coors Houselisted 1997
Deaton Sculptured Houselisted 2004
First Presbyterian Church of Golden-Unger Houselisted 1991
Genesee Parklisted 1990
Population over time
2 figuresGolden grew from 18,867 to 20,399 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 18,867 | |
| 2020 | 20,399 | +1,532 (+8%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
11 surveys from 28 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1899 USGS West Denver quadrangle1:125000
- 1939 USGS Golden quadrangle1:24000
- 1942 USGS Golden quadrangle1:31680
- 1944 USGS Golden quadrangle1:31680
- 1953 USGS Denver quadrangle1:250000, 6 printings
- 1957 USGS Denver quadrangle1:250000
- 1957 USGS Golden quadrangle1:24000, 3 printings
- 1958 USGS Denver quadrangle1:250000
- 1960 USGS Denver quadrangle1:250000
- 1965 USGS Golden quadrangle1:24000, 10 printings
- 1983 USGS Denver West quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
468 since 2003Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 468 fires within 5 miles of Golden between 2003 and 2020, burning about 1,919 acres in total. 14 started naturally. 3 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 377 |
| Smoking | 24 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 23 |
| Natural | 14 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 8 |
| Fireworks | 6 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 4 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 4 |
| Debris and open burning | 3 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 3 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
| Other causes | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | West Metro Fire Rescue | UNKNOWN |
| 7 September 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Pleasant View Fire Department | N/A |
| 7 September 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Golden Fire Department | UNKNOWN |
| 6 September 2020 | Smoking | under an acre | West Metro Fire Rescue | N/A |
| 6 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Colorado State Forest Service-State Headquarters | GOLDEN |
| 5 September 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | West Metro Fire Rescue | UNKNOWN |
| 4 September 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Golden Fire Department | UNKNOWN |
| 30 September 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Colorado State Forest Service-State Headquarters | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
10 of 144 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 144 workings within 5 miles of Golden: 74 producers, 45 occurrences, 15 past producers, 6 unknowns. 74 still produce. What was taken out: Fire Clay (Refractory), Clay, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Uranium. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alumet Pilot Plant | Aluminum | Unknown | ||
| Ascension Mine | Uranium, Copper, Lead | Producer | 1955, 1956, 1972 | |
| Aubrey-Ladwig Mine | Uranium, Copper | Past Producer | 1954, 1955, 1956 | |
| Buckman Property | Uranium, Copper, Lead, Molybdenum, Zinc, Silver | Occurrence | Vein | |
| Capitol Central | Lead, Gold, Silver, Zinc | Unknown | ||
| Centennial Cone | Beryllium | Producer | ||
| Cressman Gulch | Beryllium, Mica, Feldspar | Producer | Beryl, Feldspar, Muscovite | |
| Cressmans Gulch Prospect | Feldspar, Beryllium, Niobium (Columbium), Tantalum, Mica | Past Producer | Beryl, Microcline, Muscovite | |
| Fred Pierce Ranch | Feldspar, Gemstone, Mica, Quartz | Producer | Biotite, Feldspar, Quartz, Tourmaline | |
| G.H. Buckman Ranch | Quartz, Gemstone, Feldspar, Mica | Producer | Feldspar, Muscovite, Quartz, Tourmaline |
Storms near this place
60 of 70 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Golden in 70 storm reports between 1994 and 2025: 53 hail, 7 flash flood, 6 lightning, 4 thunderstorm wind. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2007 | Lightning | Golden | $200,000 | no account filed |
| September 2013 | Flash Flood | Golden | - | Coal Creek went over its banks and washed out portions of CO72 at Twin Spruce. The highway was completely washed out between Plainview and Twin Spruce. Additional washouts occurred on side streets within Coal Creek Canyon. Many residents were ordered to remain in their homes (Shelter In Place) until rescue teams could reach them. |
| September 2013 | Flash Flood | Golden | - | Flash flooding and debris was reportedly washed out a sections of CO72 at the base of Coal Creek Canyon. Road closures included: CO72 , from CO93 to Coal Creek Canyon; CO93, between CO72 and CO128; CO72, between CO93 and Indiana St.; U.S. 36, between Wadsworth Blvd and Flatirons; Interstate 70 west, from Floyd Hill to Hidden Valley due to rock slides. Natural Gas Lines in Coal Creek Canyon were also shut off. |
| September 2013 | Flash Flood | Golden | - | Continuous heavy rainfall produced flash flooding. Additional road washouts occurred on side streets within Coal Creek Canyon. CO72 was completely washed out between Plainview and Twin Spruce. |
| September 2013 | Flash Flood | Golden | - | Continuous moderate to heavy rainfall produced flash flooding. |
| September 2013 | Flash Flood | Golden | - | Continuous heavy rainfall produced widespread flash flooding. |
| August 2010 | Lightning | Golden | - | A lightning strike sparked a small grass fire near Quaker Street and Golden Road. It was quickly extinguished by emergency responders. |
| July 2003 | Flash Flood | Golden | - | Heavy rainfall caused flooding and flash flooding problems in north central Jefferson County. Officials were forced to briefly close State Highway 93, north of Golden, which was flooded by runoff and littered with debris. In Golden, flash floods left several backyards and basements full of standing water. At least one car was submerged in a garage. Radar estimated 1 to 1.5 inches of rain had fallen in the area in approximately 30 minutes. |
| August 2001 | Lightning | Golden | - | Lightning coupled with strong thunderstorm winds knocked out power to approximately 10,000 Excel Energy customers. |
| July 2000 | Lightning | Golden | - | Lightning sparked a grassfire that burned approximately 50 acres at the Rocky Flats Environmental Test Facility. |
| August 2000 | Lightning | Golden | - | Lightning sparked three small grassfires near Golden. The fires however, were quickly contained. |
| July 1997 | Flash Flood | Golden | - | Heavy rain caused Lena Gulch to surge 2 feet over its banks. The fire department had to rescue a man when his van stalled in the highwaters. |
| April 1994 | Hail | Golden | - | Weather spotters reported dime-size hail fell at the intersection of Highways 287 and C470 in Jefferson County. Marble-size hail covered the ground near Golden (12 miles west of Denver), to a depth of one inch. |
| July 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Golden | - | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| August 2021 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| August 2020 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| August 2020 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| July 2019 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| May 2017 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| July 2016 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| May 2015 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| June 2015 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| July 2014 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| July 2014 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| August 2014 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| March 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Golden | - | no account filed |
| August 2011 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| July 2010 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| September 2009 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| September 2009 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| September 2009 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| May 2008 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| July 2007 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| July 2007 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| May 2007 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| July 2007 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| April 2006 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| April 2005 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| March 2005 | Lightning | Golden | - | no account filed |
| April 2005 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| April 2005 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| April 2005 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Golden | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| June 2004 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Hail | Golden | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vernon Gardens | 2.4 miles | 25 | |
| Crestview Villa | 2.4 miles | 25 | |
| Panorama Heights | 2.5 miles | 25 | |
| Heritage Dells | 2.5 miles | 25 | |
| Pleasant View | 3.0 miles | 25 | |
| Applewood | 3.1 miles | 28 | |
| Golden Heights | 3.3 miles | 25 | |
| Paradise Hills | 3.4 miles | 24 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Golden | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q983543 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 202837. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.










