City of Louisville, Colorado | ||
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Home Rule Municipality | ||
The Louisville Public Library, built in 2006
(American Institute of Architects Award, 2007) |
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Location of Louisville in Boulder County, Colorado. |
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Coordinates: 39°58′33″N 105°8′38″W / 39.97583°N 105.14389°WCoordinates: 39°58′33″N 105°8′38″W / 39.97583°N 105.14389°W | ||
Country | United States | |
State | Colorado | |
County | Boulder County | |
First settled | 1877 | |
Incorporated | June 3, 1882 | |
Government | ||
• Type | Home Rule Municipality | |
• Mayor | Bob Muckle | |
Area | ||
• Total | 8.09 sq mi (20.95 km2) | |
• Land | 7.98 sq mi (20.66 km2) | |
• Water | 0.11 sq mi (0.29 km2) | |
Elevation | 5,335 ft (1,626 m) | |
Population (2010) | ||
• Total | 18,376 | |
• Estimate (2016) | 20,801 | |
• Density | 2,607.62/sq mi (1,006.80/km2) | |
Time zone | MST (UTC-7) | |
• Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) | |
ZIP codes | 80027-80028 | |
Area code(s) | 303, 720 | |
FIPS code | 08-46355 | |
GNIS feature ID | 0181261 | |
Highways | US 36, SH 42, Northwest Parkway NW Parkway | |
Website | www |
Louisville (/ˈluːɪsvɪl/) Colorado is a Home Rule Municipality in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 18,376 at the 2010 United States Census. Louisville began as a rough mining community in 1877, suffered through a period of extraordinary labor violence early in the 20th century, and then, when the mines closed in the 1950s, made a transition to a suburban residential community. CNN/Money and Money magazine have consistently listed Louisville as one of the 100 best places to live in the United States, ranking it among the top 100 in 2007, 2009 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017.
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) twelve 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.