Golden is a home rule municipality, and is the seat of Jefferson County. The population is around 20,000.
Golden was founded in 1859 during the gold rush in the area, and was named after prospector Thomas Golden. The community was originally called Golden City. Golden City served as the territorial capital of Jefferson from 1860 to 1861, and the territorial capital of Colorado from 1862 to 1867. Golden competed with Denver to be the most important town in Colorado, losing the battle when Denver completed a railroad spur to the Transcontinental Railroad in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Golden became a manufacturing center in the late 1800s, in addition to continuing to support mining in the Rocky Mountains.
Golden is home to the Colorado School of Mines, which is called the "World's Foremost College of Mineral Engineering". The school was founded in 1873 under the auspices of the Episcopal Church, and became a territorial school in 1874. The school provided an education in engineering, mining, and technology to supply employees for the mining industry working in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Today, the college still teaches science, technology, and math in the STEM fields, and does not teach economics, arts, or humanities.
The Jefferson County Courthouse, on Jefferson County Road.
The postmodern courthouse was built in 1993.
The Jefferson County Human Services Center, on Jefferson County Road. The structure was built in 1990.
Simon Guggenheim Hall, on Illinois Street along Kafadar Commons. The structure was built in 1905 and is the central building of the Colorado School of Mines.
Berthoud Hall, on Illinois Street. The structure was built in 1937.
Coolbaugh Hall, on 14th Street. The structure was built in 1952.
Stratton Hall, on 14th Street. The structure was built in 1904.
CoorsTek Center for Applied Science & Engineering, on 16th Stree. The structure was built in 2017.
Hill Hall, on 15th Street at Kafadar Commons. The structure was built in 1956, and had an addition completed in 1998.
The Hall of Engineering, on 15th Street. The structure was built in 1894, and is the oldest building on the Colorado School of Mines campus.
An apartment building on 19th Street. The building was originally the old Jarvis Hall for the Colorado School of Mines, and was built in 1878.
The Herman Coors House, on Arapahoe Street. The house was built in 1919.
The Foothills Art Gallery, on 15th Street at Washington Avenue. The gallery was built in 1872 as the First Presbyterian Church.
The Rubey House, on Washington Avenue. The house was built in 1899.
A house on Washington Avenue.
Businesses on Washington Avenue.
The Dove Inn, on 14th Street. The bed & breakfast was built in 1868.
The Coors Brewery, on 13th Street.
The brewery began in 1873, and is now a subsidiary of Molson Coors Beverage Company.
The Colorado National Guard Armory, on 13th Street at Arapahoe Street. The armory was built in 1911, and is supposedly the largest cobblestone building in the world.
The Astor House Hotel, on 12th Street. The hotel was built in 1867, and is the oldest stone hotel in Colorado. It is now a museum.
The Buffalo Rose restaurant, on Washington Avenue at 12th Street.
The original section of the building dates to 1871, which makes it the oldest commercial building in Golden. This section is exposed inside the restaurant.
A welcome arch stretches over Washington Avenue between 11th & 12th Streets. The arch was installed in 1949.
A building on Washington Avenue.
The Ace Hi Tavern, on Washington Avenue. The structure was built in 1879 as an opera house. The tavern opened in 1961.
The Table Mountain Inn, on Washington Avenue.
The hotel was built in 1924, and its architectural style was changed to Pueblo Revival in 1993.
A business on Washington Avenue.
Buildings on Washington Avenue.
The Everett Block, on Washington Avenue. The structure was built in 1873.
The Loveland Building and Coors Building, on Washington Avenue. The Coors Building, on the right, was built in 1906 by Adolph Coors as a bottling plant and saloon.
The Loveland Building was built in 1866, and originally served as the territorial capitol, until 1867. It is now a bar.
Buildings on Washington Avenue.
A hotel on 11th Street.
Clear Creek goes through Golden, on its way from the Rocky Mountains to where it empties into the South Platte River near Commerce City, northeast of Denver.
"Howdy Folks", a statue of Buffalo Bill Cody, in the median of Washington Avenue. The statue was dedicated in 2000. In the background is the Clear Creek Bridge, built in 2003.
The E.E. Stewart Block, on 10th Street at Washington Avenue. The structure was built in 1892.
The American Mountaineering Center, on 10th Street. The structure was built in 1923, and was originally Golden High School.
The Barnes Mansion, on Water Street. The house was built in 1865.
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