Superior is a

statutory town A statute is a formal written enactment of a legislative authority that governs the legal entities of a city, state, or country by way of consent. Typically, statutes command or prohibit something, or declare policy. Statutes are rules made by ...

Boulder County, Colorado Boulder County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado of the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 330,758. The most populous municipality in the county and the county seat is Boulder. Boulder County comprises ...

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 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, with a small, uninhabited segment of land area extending into Jefferson County. According to the 2020 census, the population of the city was 13,094.

History

Superior's history is one of coal mining. The first mines in the area were developed in the late 19th century. Coal was discovered on the Hake family farm in 1894, and recollections of members of pioneer families in Superior, including the Hakes and Autreys, are preserved as part of the Maria Rogers Oral History Program at the Carnegie Library for Local History in Boulder, Colorado. The town was reportedly named after its superior quality of coal. Mining was the major force in Superior's history until the Industrial Mine closed in 1945. Subsequently, many people moved out of the area and the Town evolved into a quiet ranching and farming community. Superior's population hovered around 250 until the late 1990s, when

subdivisions Subdivision may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Subdivision (metre), in music * ''Subdivision'' (film), 2009 * "Subdivision", an episode of ''Prison Break'' (season 2) * ''Subdivisions'' (EP), by Sinch, 2005 * "Subdivisions" (song), by Rush ...

were built in the town and the population rose dramatically to 9,011 by 2000.

Recent events

Marshall Fire On December 30, 2021, the Marshall Fire, the most destructive fire in Colorado's history, destroyed over 1000 homes in Superior, the neighboring city of Louisville, and portions of unincorporated Boulder County. In Superior, approximately 378 homes (14% of the single-family homes in the town) were destroyed and 58 were damaged, 7 commercial properties were destroyed and 30 damaged, and there were 2 fatalities. The fire started in Boulder County land to the west and was driven by wind gusts across extremely dry grasses and fuels before reaching the town. It spread rapidly and unexpectedly, prompting the temporary evacuation of 13,000 people in Superior and 21,000 in Louisville. The cause of the fire has not been officially announced, pending an investigation. However, an incident report filed by a ranger with Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks identified two ignition points for the fire. The first ignition point was a shed that began to burn at approximately 11:30AM MST, 30 December 2021. The second ignition point was upwind from the first, and started around noon of the same day on "western side of the Marshall Mesa trailhead." Vigorous recovery and rebuilding efforts were underway as of April 2022, supported in part by a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster declaration and numerous local government and nonprofit organizations.

Geography

Superior is located at (39.93119, −105.159085). It is bordered by the city of

Louisville Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

to the northeast, the city of Broomfield to the east and south,

Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge The Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge is National Wildlife Refuge in the United States, located approximately northwest of Denver, Colorado. The refuge is situated west of the cities of Broomfield and Westminster and situated north of the ...

to the south, and Boulder Countybr>open space
to the west.

U.S. Highway 36 U.S. Route 36 (US 36) is an east–west United States highway that travels approximately from Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado to Uhrichsville, Ohio. The highway's western terminus is at Deer Ridge Junction, an intersection i ...

, also known as the Denver-Boulder Turnpike, runs along the northeast boundary of the town, and Colorado Route 128A runs along the south. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

as of 2021, Superior has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Amenities and recreation

Parks and open space comprise about 31% of Superior's land area as of 2022 ( of parks and designated open space, which includes owned natural space, natural space under conservation easements, and developed open space). Recreational trails (on-road, hard, and soft) extend for . Recreational amenities include 13 playgrounds, 6 pickleball courts, 4 tennis courts, 3 multipurpose fields, 3 baseball/softball fields, 2 outdoor pools, 3 basketball courts, 2 sand volleyball courts, 1 dog park, 1 bike park, 1 skate park, and 1 disk golf course. Th
Superior Community Center
serves as a public venue for diverse uses.

Demographics

As of the

2020 United States census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, there were 13,094 people and 4,424 households in Superior. Additional demographic information is available from th
US Census profile of Superior
an
US Census Quick Facts about Superior
Data here are from the 2020 census and 2020 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates for 2016-2020. Age distribution estimates showed 5.6% of the population under age 5, 29.2% under age 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% 65 or older. Females were 50.9% of the population, and the median age was 36.3 years. The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the town was 76.1%

White White is the 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 reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

alone, 69.9% White alone and not Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian alone, 6.9%

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

, and 3.6% two or more races, with less than 1% in any other category. A language other than English was spoken at home by 20.1% of the population. Family and household characteristics included 65.0% married-couple families, 13.0% family households with a male householder and no spouse present, and 16.9% family households with a female householder and no spouse present. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.36. Housing characteristics estimates indicated 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 . Of the 5,025 housing units, 61.5% were owner-occupied. The median value of owner-occupied housing units for 2016-2020 was $603,600. The median gross rent for the same period was $2,060. The median income for a household (in 2020 dollars) for 2016-2020 was $126,600 +/- $15,678, and median

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 ...

was $50,932. The employment rate was 75.3%. About 4.0% of the population were living 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 t ...

, and 3.6% were without health care coverage. Education characteristics of residents 25 years and over were that 94.9% were high school graduates, 76.2% held a bachelor's degree or higher, and 33.2% held a graduate or professional degree.

Education

Superior is part of the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) and is home to two public schools
Superior Elementary
an
Eldorado PK-8
The home public high school is Monarch High School in neighboring Louisville. Nearby institutions of higher education include the

University of Colorado at Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sy ...

, Naropa University in Boulder, and

Front Range Community College Front Range Community College (FRCC) is a public community college with multiple campuses in Colorado. It has campuses in Westminster, Longmont, and Fort Collins, as well as centers in Brighton and Loveland. It is the largest community college ...

campuses in Longmont and Westminster.

In popular culture

Sections of the 1985 movie '' American Flyers'' were filmed in Superior.

Notable people

Marcelo Balboa Marcelo Balboa (born August 8, 1967) is an American former professional soccer who played as a defender in the 1990s for the United States national team, becoming its captain. He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. After retiring ...

– soccer star * Josh Sims – Lacrosse player

References

External links

Town of SuperiorCDOT map of SuperiorSuperior Observer
(Superior's Weekly Newspaper)

{{authority control Towns in Boulder County, Colorado Towns in Jefferson County, Colorado Towns in Colorado Denver metropolitan area