Louisville, Colorado

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.

Coal from the Northern Coalfield was sub-bituminous (low grade) and could not be transported long distances because of problems with self-combustion. Mining generally took place in the winter months since that was the period that demanded fuel for heating. During the summers, the miners played in local baseball leagues, with the home field named "Miners Field".

A great deal of mythology has arisen around the stories of tunnels that connected saloons throughout the city, but these have proven to be unfounded and undocumented. Instead, during labor conflicts, many citizens found refuge in dirt basements to avoid errant bullets being fired from mine compounds into the city. From 1910 to 1914, the Northern Colorado Coalfields were in the midst of a strike by the United Mine Workers and the Rocky Mountain Fuel Company based on working conditions, pay, and working hours. When miners walked out on the Hecla Mine northeast of Louisville, the company hired the Baldwin–Felts Detective Agency to guard the mine compound. A machine gun and spotlight were placed in a tower on the Hecla property, and when miners took out their frustration by shooting their guns at the compound, the detectives responded by returning their fire by randomly firing at the town. The northernmost engagement of the Colorado Coalfield War occurred in Louisville between a small contingent of Colorado National Guard and Baldwin-Felts, led by Captain Hildreth Frost against strikers following the Ludlow Massacre in April 1914.

Eventually, the coal remaining in the Northern Coalfield became increasingly uneconomical to mine, and the last coal mines operating in Louisville closed in the 1950s.

In 2001, the city changed from a statutory city and became a home rule city. The home rule debate came about when Xcel Energy announced plans to replace old power line poles with much larger steel towers. While the city wanted the power lines to be buried, it discovered it lacked the authority to force Xcel to do this or even to create a taxing district to fund such.

Marshall Fire

Main article: 2021–2022 Boulder County fires

In late December 2021, the Marshall Fire raged through the parched lands near Boulder, Colorado. Marshall Fire is the most destructive in Colorado's history. 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cpr.org/2022/01/19/identity-final-person-missing-marshall-fire-bone-fragments/|title=Identity of final person missing from Marshall fire confirmed as investigators uncover bone fragments

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 20.7 km2, of which 20.4 km2 is land and 0.3 km2, or 1.35%, is water.

Demographics

There were 7,216 households, out of which 41% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56% were married couples living together, 9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31% were non-families. 22% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.6 and the average family size was 3.1.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 29% under the age of 18, 6% from 18 to 24, 36% from 25 to 44, 23% from 45 to 64, and 6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $69,945, and the median income for a family was $92,121. Males had a median income of $57,159 versus $36,659 for females. The per capita income for the city was $31,828. 3% of the population and 2% of families were below the poverty line. 2% of those under the age of 18 and 6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.--

Economy

Rogue Wave Software, a software development company, and the Space Systems component of Sierra Space, a prime systems integrator for commercial spacecraft, formerly was located in Louisville.

Arts and culture

Louisville's historical downtown includes Steinbaugh Pavilion, 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

References

1. "Active Colorado Municipalities". [[Colorado.
2. "Colorado Counties". [[Colorado.
3. (December 1, 2004). "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". [[Colorado.
4. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
5. United States Census Bureau. "Louisville city; Colorado".
6. "ZIP Code Lookup". [[United States Postal Service]].
7. {{GNIS. 2410884
8. "Explore Census Data".
9. Conarroe, Carol, ''The Louisville Story.'' Louisville, CO: Conarroe, 1978.
10. "Louisville Times December 26, 2001 — Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection".
11. "How big was the Marshall Fire? Comparing the Colorado blaze to past destructive events".
12. (December 30, 2021). "Colorado Wildfires Burn Hundreds of Homes, Force Evacuations".
13. (March 7, 2021). "Videos show Marshall Fire started by 2 separate ignition points less than a mile apart".
14. "$12 million donated to Boulder County Wildfire Fund". Kusa.com.
15. (December 30, 2021). "2 missing, 991 homes destroyed in Marshall Fire".
16. (December 30, 2021). "Colorado Wildfires Burn Hundreds Of Homes, Force Evacuations".
17. (January 3, 2022). "$12 million donated to Boulder County Wildfire Fund".
18. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Louisville city, Colorado". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder.
19. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau.
20. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
21. (June 20, 2006). "Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2005". [[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division.
22. "Louisville Recreation & Senior Center". Louisvillerecreation.com.
23. "The Downtown Louisville Street Faire". Louisville Downtown Business Association.
24. "Louisville Farmers Market". Real Farmers Markets.
25. "Trails and Maps".
26. Tomtas, Justyna. (February 21, 2025). "AdventHealth spends $34 million buying land off US 36". [[Denver Business Journal]].
27. Low, Rob. (March 8, 2024). "4 hospital investigations find 'no serious wrongdoing,' despite patient suicide".