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Leadville -- The highest incorporated city in the United States
Most folks around here agree that Leadville and Lake County are great places to live and work. At 10,430 feet above sea level, Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States. This particular piece of information seems to be the determining factor as to whether you would like living here or not. There are a great deal of outdoor activities to be found around Leadville -- rock climbing, whitewater kayaking, rafting, backpacking, gold metal trout fishing, and mountaineering in the summer -- downhill skiing, snowboarding, ice fishing, snow mobiling, cross-country skiing, tubing, and any other activity that depends on snow in the winter (we have snow about 7 or 8 months of the year). Leadville is one of those places that pretty much everyone in the west has probably visited, passed through, or at least heard of. We have a rich, 123 year "old west" history that includes the likes of Doc Holiday, Molly Brown, boom towns, mining, and all of the western lore of movie fame. Leadville is not for everyone, however. It is relatively small and the nearest major civilization is 30 minutes away. Let's do this, here is a list of Leadville and Lake County facts so you can decide if coming to school here is the right choice for you. General Leadville was incorporated in 1878 and is the county seat and only incorporated area within Lake County. The unincorporated village of Twin Lakes is located in the southern part of the county. Most of the buildings in the 70 square block Leadville National Historic District were built between 1880 and 1905. Location Leadville is located in the geographic center of the state of Colorado on US Highway 24, approximately 103 miles west of Denver and 129 miles northwest of Colorado Springs. All of the major highways in Lake County have been designated by the State of Colorado and the U.S. Department of Transportation as the Top of the Rockies Scenic and Historic National Byway. Highway 24 North is also the Tenth Mountain Division Memorial Highway. All highways are maintained for safe, year-round travel making Leadville and Lake County easily accessible. One exception is Highway 82 to Aspen which is only open in the summer, making the trip to Aspen much longer in the winter. Physical Information and Climate Leadville's Elevation: 10,152 feet above sea level. Lake County's Highest Point: 14,433 feet on the summit of Mt. Elbert Lake County's Lowest Point: 9,007 feet, near the town of Twin Lakes Topography: Leadville is situated in a high mountain valley in which the headwaters of the Arkansas River originate. The valley lies between the Sawach Range containing Colorado's two highest peaks, to the west, and the Mosquito Range, with north America's highest mountain pass to the east. Population in 1990: Leadville, 2,629; Lake County, 6,007. Size: Leadville, 1.1 square miles; Lake County, 383 square miles. Climate: Average days of sunshine, 310; average snowfall annually, 200 inches with snow on the ground from the end of October to the middle of May. Summer: A typical summer day is sunny and bright with high temperatures in the 70's and evening lows in the 40's. Brief thunder showers are common in the afternoons. Winter: A typical winter day is sunny and bright with highs in the mid 30's and lows in the single digits. Snowstorms generally occur in the evening and are sometimes heavy. Highways are well-maintained, however, vehicles with front or 4-wheel drive and snow tires are recommended. Chains are seldom, if ever, necessary. Temperatures: January - High = 30.1, Low = 4.8; July - High = 72.3, Low = 40.4 (all temperatures in degrees Fahrenheit) Location: Leadville is centrally-located in the Rocky Mountains. The mileage to the surrounding towns are listed on the map below.
Additional Information: For more information on Leadville, please visit these fine web sites:
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Last modified: May 04, 2007 |
