The City of Longmont is a home rule municipality located in Boulder and Weld counties,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. Longmont is located northeast of the county seat of Boulder and north-northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

. Longmont's population was 98,885 as of the 2020 U.S. Census. Longmont is the 14th most populous city in the state of Colorado. Longmont is named after Longs Peak, a prominent mountain named for explorer

Stephen H. Long Stephen Harriman Long (December 30, 1784 – September 4, 1864) was an American army civil engineer, explorer, and inventor. As an inventor, he is noted for his developments in the design of steam locomotives. He was also one of the most pro ...

that is clearly visible from Longmont, and "mont", from the French word "montagne" for mountain.

History

Longmont was founded in 1871 by a group of people from

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

. Originally called the Chicago-Colorado Colony, led by president

Robert Collyer Robert Collyer in 1880 Robert Collyer in 1903 Robert Collyer (December 8, 1823 – November 30, 1912) was an English-born American Unitarian clergyman. Biography Collyer was born in Keighley, Yorkshire, England, on December 8, 1823; the fam ...

, the men sold memberships in the town, purchasing the land necessary for the

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

with the proceeds. As the first planned community in Boulder County, the city streets were laid out in a grid plan within a square mile. The city began to flourish as an agricultural community after the Colorado Central Railroad line arrived northward from Boulder in 1877. During the 1940s, Longmont began to grow beyond these original limits. In 1925, the Ku Klux Klan gained control of Longmont 's City Council in an election. They began construction of a large

pork-barrel project ''Pork barrel'', or simply ''pork'', is a metaphor for the appropriation of government spending for localized projects secured solely or primarily to bring money to a representative's district. The usage originated in American English, and i ...

, Chimney Rock Dam, above Lyons and marched up and down Main Street in their costumes. In the 1927 election they were voted out of office, and their influence soon declined. Work on Chimney Rock Dam was abandoned as unfeasible, and its foundations are still visible in the St. Vrain River. In 1955, United Airlines Flight 629 exploded over Longmont, killing 44 passengers and crew. During the 1960s, the federal government built the

Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center "Denver Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZDV), (radio communications, "Denver Center") is one of 22 US Area Control Centers. It is located at 2211 17th Ave, Longmont, Colorado, United States. The primary responsibility of Denver Center is sequenc ...

in Longmont, and IBM built a manufacturing and development campus near Longmont. As agriculture waned, more high technology has come to the city, including companies like Seagate and Amgen; Amgen closed its Longmont campus in 2015. In April 2009, the GE Energy Company relocated its control solutions business to the area. The downtown along Main Street, once nearly dead during the 1980s, has seen a vibrant revival in the 1990s and into the 21st century. During the mid-1990s, the southern edge of Longmont became the location of the first New Urbanist project in Colorado, called Prospect New Town, designed by the

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

s Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk. Longmont was the site of Colorado's first library, founded in 1871 by

Elizabeth Rowell Thompson Elizabeth Rowell Thompson (1821 – 1899) was an American philanthropist. Biography Thompson was born in Lyndon, Vermont on February 21, 1821 to Samuel Rowell and Mary Atwood. Her paternal grandmother was Hannah Duston. Born to a farming family, ...

, though it lasted up to a year before its collection of 300 books was lost. Following this, Longmont also was the site of one of Carnegie's libraries with the single-story structure being opened in 1913. It remained open until August 7, 1972 when, due to overcrowding with approximately 22,000 books within the space, it was closed just a week before the new library that had been constructed next door was opened. In May 2013, the Longmont City Council voted to finance and build out its own municipal gigabit data fiber-optic network, known as NextLight, to every house and business over a three-year period starting in late 2013. :''Further information on Longmont's history, se
The Official City of Longmont History
and th
Longmont Museum & Cultural Center
''

Geography

Longmont is located in northeastern Boulder County at . The city extends eastward into western Weld County.

U.S. Highway 287 U.S. Route 287 (US 287) is a north–south (physically northwest–southeast) United States highway. At long, it is the second longest three-digit U.S. Route, behind US 281. It serves as the major truck route between Fort Worth and Ama ...

(Main Street) runs through the center of the city, leading north to Loveland and south to downtown Denver. State Highway 119 passes through the city south of downtown and leads southwest to Boulder and east to

Interstate 25 Interstate 25 (I-25) is a major Interstate Highway in the western United States. It is primarily a north–south highway, serving as the main route through New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. I-25 stretches from I-10 at Las Cruces, New Mexic ...

. The elevation at City Hall is above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardise ...

St. Vrain Creek St. Vrain Creek (often known locally as the St. Vrain River) is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed March 25, 2011 ...

, a tributary of the South Platte River, flows through the city just south of the city center. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Longmont has a total area of , of which is land and , or 5.30%, is water.

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

system, Longmont has a cold semi-arid climate, abbreviated "Bsk" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Longmont was on July 7, 1973 and June 27, 1994, while the coldest temperature recorded was on January 16, 1930.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 86,270 people living in the city (2019 estimate: 97,261). The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 3,294 people per square mile. There were 35,008 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was: * 83.3%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

* 0.9% African American * 1.0% Native American * 3.2% Asian * 0.1% Pacific Islander * 8.6% from other races * 2.9% from two or more races. * Hispanic or Latino of any race were 24.6% of the population. There were 33,551 households, of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.15. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.6% under the age of 20, 6.3% from 20 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. The median income for a household in the city was $58,698, and the median income for a family was $70,864. Males had a median income of $51,993 versus $41,025 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $29,209. About 11.1% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 21.4% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over. In 2011 Longmont was rated the 2nd safest city in Colorado.

Education

Longmont is home to the Boulder County Campus of Front Range Community College, the

St. Vrain Valley School District The St. Vrain Valley School District is the local school district for Longmont, Colorado, United States, and several nearby communities. It is the seventh largest district in the state. Schools Stand-alone preschools * Spark! Discovery Preschool ...

, and to a number of private schools. Longmont is also home to the

Master Instructor Continuing Education Program (MICEP) The Master Instructor Continuing Education Program (MICEP) is the world's largest voluntary accreditation program for aviation educators and is based on advanced professional standards and peer review. The program is administered by Master Instruct ...

a voluntary accreditation program for aviation educators. There is also a municipal public library. there was deliberation over whether to establish a library district and to have the library publish news. That year the library's director stated, in the words of Corey Hutchins of the '' Columbia Journalism Review'', "lacks resources and hasn’t kept up with the city’s growth".

Transportation

Longmont is part of the RTD transit district that provides local and regional bus service to Denver and Boulder. Outside of RTD, Longmont is connected to

Fort Collins A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facer ...

, Loveland, and Berthoud via
FLEX
regional bus service. In 2012, Longmont was recognized by the

League of American Bicyclists The League of American Bicyclists (LAB), officially the League of American Wheelmen, is a membership organization that promotes cycling for fun, fitness and transportation through advocacy and education. A Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organiz ...

as a silver-level bicycle-friendly community. Longmont is one of 38 communities in the United States to be recognized with this distinction. It is the only city in Colorado placed at the silver level that is not a major tourist center or a university city. Vance Brand Airport is a public-use airport owned by the city. It currently has no scheduled passenger flights, but it is popular for general aviation.

Media

The Longmont Leader (formerly the Longmont Observer) is the local daily newspaper. The ''

Longmont Times-Call The ''Longmont Daily Times-Call'', known under different combinations of these names, is a daily newspaper published for Longmont, Colorado, United States. It carries local, regional, national and world news and republishes most of its stories from ...

'', while bearing the city's name, is published from Boulder and is operated by Alden Global Capital of New York City. Longmont's radio stations include KRCN,

KGUD KGUD (90.7 MHz) is a non-commercial, non-profit FM radio station licensed to Longmont, Colorado. The station is owned and operated by Longmont Community Radio. It airs an easy listening/ adult standards radio format, supported by listener dona ...

, and KKFN. Sports radio is broadcast on

KKSE-FM KKSE-FM (92.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Broomfield, Colorado, and serving the Denver metropolitan area and Northern Colorado. KKSE-FM airs a sports talk format branded as "Altitude Sports 92.5 FM." KKSE-FM has studios on So ...

from a tower about southeast of Longmont. Also located nearby is KDFD, a Fox News Radio affiliate with a conservative talk format. The KDFD (760 AM) transmitter site is about east of Boulder. NPR programming can be heard on Colorado Public Radio stations KCFR from Denver, and KCFC (AM) in Boulder. The NPR affiliate KUNC from the Fort Collins- Greeley market can also be heard in Longmont. Longmont is also served by

Pacifica Radio Pacifica may refer to: Art * ''Pacifica'' (statue), a 1938 statue by Ralph Stackpole for the Golden Gate International Exposition Places * Pacifica, California, a city in the United States ** Pacifica Pier, a fishing pier * Pacifica, a conceiv ...

affiliate KGNU, a non-commercial community radio station from Boulder.

Economy

According to the City's 2020 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the top employers in the city are: In addition, Longmont supports a thriving craft brewing industry as well as many recreational and travel-related businesses. Local breweries include two of the nation's largest craft brewers, Left Hand and Oskar Blues, as well as many others. To service the transportation needs of brewery patrons, the local Brew Hop Trolley offers a hop-on-hop-off brewery tour for a fixed price. Longmont is known for its 'maker' community. Longmont also features a Saturday Farmers Market. Due to its proximity to the

Rocky Mountain National Park Rocky Mountain National Park is an American national park located approximately northwest of Denver in north-central Colorado, within the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The park is situated between the towns of Estes Park to the east and ...

, Longmont is home to many hotels, restaurants, and other businesses that cater in part to the tourists visiting the park each year. One recreational business that calls Longmont home is Mile Hi Skydiving, which is one of the largest skydiving facilities in the state of Colorado. Longmont is also home to Saul, the World's Largest Sticker Ball at StickerGiant, a custom sticker and label printing company on the city's east side. Other businesses support skiing and other snowsports, bicycling, and rock climbing.

Government

This is a list of mayors of Longmont.

Central Presbyterian Church, Longmont, CO IMG 5221

Mountain lake west of Longmont, CO IMG 5237

Longmont, CO, Performing Arts Center IMG 5233

Fire department

The Longmont Fire Department was established in its current form in 1908. The history of the department can be traced back to the creation of the ''W. A. Buckingham Hook & Ladder Company'' in 1879. the department operates from six stations throughout the city.

Longmont Fire Department Station 1 The Longmont Fire Department Station 1 is a former fire station in Longmont, Colorado, United States. Constructed in 1907, it remained in use as a fire station until 1971. The fire station is owned by the City of Longmont but is now leased to the ...

was built in 1907, used by the department until 1971, and listed in

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

in 1985.

Notable people

Valarie Allman Valarie Carolyn Allman (born February 23, 1995) is an American track and field athlete specializing in the discus throw. She won the gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics. At the 2022 World Athletics Championships, she won a bronze medal, which ...

, Discus Gold Medalist in the 2020 Tokyo, Japan Olympics * Greg Biekert, American football player and coach (played football for Longmont High School) * David Bote, baseball player *

Vance D. Brand Vance DeVoe Brand (born May 9, 1931) is an American naval officer, aviator, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. He served as command module pilot during the first U.S.-Soviet joint spaceflight in 1975, and as commander of t ...

, former astronaut *

Elizabeth A. Fenn Elizabeth Anne Fenn (born September 22, 1959) is an American historian. Her book '' Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People'', won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for History. She serves as the Walter S. and Lucienne Driskill ...

, Pulitzer Prize winning historian, author of '' Encounters at the Heart of the World: A History of the Mandan People'' (lives in Longmont). *

John R. Kelso John Russell Kelso (March 23, 1831 – January 26, 1891) was a nineteenth-century American politician, author, lecturer and school principal from Missouri. Biography He was born in Franklin County, Ohio in a log cabin and had five siblings ...

, congressman and author (lived and died in Longmont) * Kody Lostroh, 2009 Professional Bull Riders World Champion *

Mr. Money Mustache Mr. Money Mustache is the website and pseudonym of -year-old Canadian-born blogger Peter Adeney. Adeney retired from his job as a software engineer in 2005 at age 30 by spending only a small percentage of his annual salary and consistently investin ...

, financial blogger * David Pauley, baseball pitcher * Jack Reynor, Irish actor, born in Longmont * Kristen Schaal, comedian and actress, grew up in Longmont * Dan Simmons, author (1990 Hugo Award winner) * Kimiko Soldati, diver, she competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics, born in Longmont * Fred Stone, stage and film actor IMDb Database
retrieved 23 February 2019 * William Oxley Thompson, president of Miami University of Ohio, president of

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best pu ...

Ed Werder Ed Werder (born May 3, 1960 in Longmont, Colorado) is an American sports reporter. He is the Dallas-based bureau reporter for ESPN, Werder is a reporter for the network's NFL coverage, and contributes to shows such as ''SportsCenter'', ''NFL Li ...

, ESPN television commentator (born in Longmont)

Sister cities

Longmont has established a

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

relationship with: * Chino, Nagano, Japan * Ciudad Guzmán,

Jalisco Jalisco (, , ; Nahuatl: Xalixco), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Jalisco ; Nahuatl: Tlahtohcayotl Xalixco), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Federal En ...

, Mexico * Northern Arapaho Tribe, Wind River Reservation, Wyoming

References

External links

City of Longmont official website

CDOT map of the City of Longmont

History of Longmont

''Longmont Times-Call''

Longmont Channel 8
( public-access television station) {{authority control Cities in Boulder County, Colorado Cities in Weld County, Colorado Cities in Colorado 1871 establishments in Colorado Territory Populated places established in 1871