The city of Steamboat Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county
seat and the most populous city of Routt County, Colorado, United States. As of
the 2010 census, the city population was 12,088.
The city is an internationally known winter ski resort destination. The
Steamboat Springs tourism industry is highlighted by Steamboat Ski Resort,
which is on Mount Werner in the Park Range just east of the town. It also
contains the much smaller Howelsen Ski Area.
It is located in the upper valley of the Yampa River, along U.S. Highway 40 just
west of the Continental Divide and Rabbit Ears Pass.
History The area surrounding Steamboat Springs
was originally inhabited by the Yampatikas Utes, who hunted in the
valley during the summer. Trappers began to move through the area during the
first decades of the 19th century. James Harvey Crawford, the founder of
Steamboat Springs, first arrived in the spring of 1874. The Crawford family
moved there in 1876, and for the first five years were the sole permanent
residents of the town. The native Utes were forcibly removed from the area to a
reservation in Utah by the U.S. Army starting in 1879. Milestones in the
development of the pioneer town included the first sawmill in 1873, incorporation
of the town in 1900, and the arrival of the railroad in 1909. The economy of the
region was originally based on ranching and mining, which still have a large
presence in the county. Steamboat is home to natural hot springs
that are located throughout the area. Upon first hearing a chugging sound,
early trappers believed that a steamboat was coming down the river. When the
trappers saw that there was no steamboat, and that the sound was coming
from a hot spring, they decided to name the spring Steamboat Springs.
Originally, skiing was the only method of transportation during harsh and snowy
Rocky Mountain winters. In turn, the popularity of skiing as a winter pastime
catalyzed development of the town and other communities all over the Rocky
Mountains. In 1913, Carl Howelsen, a Norwegian, moved to town and introduced
ski jumping. Howelsen built the first jump on Howelsen Hill, now part of the
Howelsen Ski Area. He also founded the annual Winter Carnival, a celebration
still held each winter. The festival includes ski racing and jumping, dog
sledding, and chariot events down Lincoln Avenue, the city's main street.
Light shows on both Mount Werner and Howelsen Hill are highlights.
The Steamboat Ski Resort was largely established by two local men, Jim Temple
and John Fetcher. Temple led the effort to develop the area. Fetcher, a local
rancher, was the main designer and builder. The resort opened on what was
then called Storm Mountain in 1963. In 1974, The Industrial Company was
started in Steamboat Springs and has since grown into one of the largest
industrial construction companies in the United States with revenues of
approximately $2 billion in 2007. The company is one of the largest employers
in Routt County and has more than 9,000 employees worldwide.
In 1993, the City Council of Steamboat Springs, Colorado conducted a poll of
its residents to choose a new name for the bridge that crossed the Yampa River
on Shield Drive. With 7,717 votes, the winning name was "James Brown Soul
Center of the Universe Bridge". The bridge was officially dedicated in
September 1993, and James Brown appeared at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the
event. = Historical buildings=
Historical buildings in Steamboat Springs include:
Christian Science Society, at 7th and Oak, was built of logs in 1934 and is
now listed on the National Register of Historical Places.
The Crawford House, at 12th and Crawford, was built of local stone in
1894 by the founder of Steamboat, James Harvey Crawford, and is now listed on
the National Register of Historical Places.
Geography and climate According to the United States Census
Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.1 square miles, all of it land except
for the Yampa River. The Yampa Valley and surrounding area
contain several geothermal hot springs. The city is named after the Steamboat
Spring, located near the present-day library and the old train depot. The
spring itself was so named because its bubbling sounded like a steamboat to
early settlers. Unfortunately, the construction of the railroad, which
passes right next to the Steamboat Spring, silenced the chugging sound in
1908. Locals take pride in the name of their town, as evidenced by the
humorously named Steamboat Yacht Club, a local restaurant formerly located on the
Yampa River, but has since been closed. It has since been reopened under a
different name. Though there are no steamboats in the
town, except for an allegorical "steamboat" playground in West Lincoln
Park, the area does offer two hot springs that are open to the public. The
largest is at the Old Town Hot Springs, with multiple pools and two slides.
Located in the hills a few miles out of town is Strawberry Park Hot Springs,
with two pools and natural rock features. Strawberry Park Hot Springs
offers excellent stargazing opportunities due to the lack of ambient
light. The Yampa River flows through the middle
of town. Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,815 people, 4,084 households, and
2,082 families residing in the city. The population density was 976.1 people per
square mile. There were 6,373 housing units at an average density of 633.8 per
square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 96.88% White, 0.13% African
American, 0.33% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.73%
from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any
race were 3.13% of the population. There were 4,084 households out of which
26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married
couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband
present, and 49.0% were non-families. Additionally, 27.0% of all households
were made up of individuals and 3.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of
age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was
2.84. In the town the population was spread
out with 18.7% under the age of 18, 13.8% from 18 to 24, 40.1% from 25 to
44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 4.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The
median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 123.6 males. For
every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 128.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $54,647, and the median income
for a family was $65,685. Males had a median income of $35,536 versus $28,244
for females. The per capita income for the city was $31,695. About 2.7% of
families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4%
of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over.
Skiing, river sports and cycling Steamboat Springs offers excellent
skiing opportunities and has been the locale of world-class skiing
competitions, including competitions for the 1989 and 1990 Alpine Skiing World
Cup. The Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club has brought forth many successful
skiers, and the Steamboat Ski Resort attracts a large number of visiting snow
aficionados. Snow tubing is offered at night during the ski season.
The Yampa river is a popular conduit for water sports like fishing, rafting,
tubing, and kayaking. The 4-mile grade II-III whitewater run through town ends
with two surfable holes. One is called D-Hole; the other one—near the library,
close to the Steamboat Spring—is named Charlie's Hole or C-Hole for short,
after local kayaker Charlie Beavers. Beavers started kayaking at age 12, was
the first to explore a number of rivers, and successfully contended in
playboating competitions. He died in a non-boating accident in 2002. The hole
and some kayaking events were dedicated to him.
Every year on the first weekend of June, Steamboat Springs organizes the Yampa
River Festival. It includes a kayak rodeo which attracts national and
international world class playboaters. Additional events include but are not
limited to a downriver race which is Colorado's only upstream slalom race,
and The Crazy River Dog Contest, in which dogs retrieve sticks from the
river and may pass a whitewater section. One of the winter’s most popular
on-mountain events is the annual mid-January Cowboy Downhill.
The defunct ski area Stagecoach is about twenty miles south of Steamboat. It
lasted two ski seasons, closing in 1974 In 2011, Steamboat Spring’s was
recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as a Gold Level Bicycle
Friendly Community. In 2013 Steamboat Springs will host another stage of the
USA Pro Cycling Challenge, a multi-stage professional cycling race, which draws
over 1 million onsite reviewers and was recently nominated by Cycling News as
the World’s Best Stage Race. Transportation
Steamboat Springs owns and operates Bob Adams Field, a 4,300-foot asphalt
runway, located on Elk River Road that is available to smaller private aircraft
and general aviation. For larger commercial flights, the city is served
by Yampa Valley Airport which is located approximately 25 miles to the west near
Hayden, CO via U.S. 40. Yampa Valley Airport is served on seasonal basis
during the winter months by American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United
Airlines, all of which provide mainline jet service, and also has year round
flights to and from Denver operated by United Express which flies regional jet
and turboprop aircraft on the route. Notable people
Debbie Armstrong, alpine skier and Olympic gold medalist; lives in
Steamboat Springs Nelson Carmichael, mogul skier and
Olympic bronze medalist; born in Steamboat Springs
James Harvey Crawford, founder of Steamboat Springs; soldier, farmer,
pioneer, cattleman, miner, land developer, and politician
Shannon Dunn-Downing, freestyle snowboarder, Olympic bronze medalist and
4-time Winter X-Games medalist; raised in Steamboat Springs
Taylor Fletcher, Nordic combined skier; competed in his first Olympic Winter
Games in Vancouver in 2010 Arielle Gold, Olympian and World
Champion snowboarder; born in Steamboat Springs
Taylor Gold, Olympian snowboarder; born in Steamboat Springs
Billy Kidd, alpine skier and Olympic silver medalist; moved to Steamboat
Springs in 1970 and serves as the Director of Skiing for the Steamboat Ski
Resort Caroline Lalive, alpine skier and
two-time Olympian; attended the Lowell Whiteman School and lives in Steamboat
Springs Todd Lodwick, Nordic combined skier,
Olympic silver medalist and a two-time World champion; born in Steamboat
Springs Verne Lundquist, American Sportscaster;
resides in Steamboat Springs Travis Mayer, freestyle skier and
Olympic silver medalist; moved to Steamboat Springs to attend the Lowell
Whiteman School Carey McWilliams, author, editor, and
lawyer known for progressive ideas; born in Steamboat Springs
Robin Olds, ace fighter pilot and WWII/Vietnam fighter group commander;
retired in Steamboat Ryan Max Riley, freestyle skier and
humorist; attended the Lowell Whiteman School in Steamboat
Reese Roper, singer and songwriter; born in Steamboat Springs
Andrew Sisco, baseball player; born in Steamboat Springs
Johnny Spillane, Nordic combined skier, three-time Olympic silver medalist and a
World champion; born in Steamboat Springs
Steven Ray Swanson, engineer and a NASA astronaut
Alvin P. Wegeman, Nordic combined skier; helped to develop the Steamboat Springs
area for skiing Buddy Werner, Olympic alpine skier who
had Mount Werner named in his honor in 1965, following his death in an
avalanche; born and raised in Steamboat Springs
Gordon Wren, ski jumper; last lived and died in Steamboat Springs
Marvin L. Crawford,, Nordic Combined Skier; 1954 FIS World Championships in
Sweden, 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina, Italy. Co-Founder of the Steamboat Ski
Area. Inducted into the Colorado Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame, 1981.
E. Gary Crawford,, Nordic Combined Skier; 1980 and 1988 Winter Olympics in
Lake Placid, NY and Calgary, Canada. 1982 World Ski Championships in Olso,
Norway. Sister cities
Steamboat Springs has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities
International: Saas-Fee, Switzerland
San Martin de los Andes, Argentina See also
Outline of Colorado Index of Colorado-related articles
State of Colorado Colorado cities and towns
Colorado municipalities Colorado counties
Routt County, Colorado Fish Creek Falls
Steamboat Ski Resort Yampa River
Yampa River Botanic Park Mount Werner
Park Range References
External links City of Steamboat Springs
Steamboat Springs Chamber of Commerce Steamboat Springs, Colorado at DMOZ