Frisco is a
home rule municipality
Statutory city may refer to:
* Statutory city (Austria), an Austrian municipality acting as a district administrative authority
* Statutory city (Czech Republic), a Czech city with special privileges
* Statutory city (United States), a city in the ...
located in
Summit County,
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...
, United States. The population was 2,913 at the
2020 census.
Frisco is a part of the
Breckenridge, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area
Summit County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 31,055. The county seat and largest town is Breckenridge. Summit County comprises the Breckenridge, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. ...
. It is a popular town among skiers from around the world. Four major ski resorts are located in close proximity to Frisco:
Copper Mountain,
Breckenridge,
Keystone, and
Arapahoe Basin.
History
Founded in 1873 (and officially chartered in 1879) by Henry Recen, Frisco was built because of the
Colorado Silver Boom
The Colorado Silver Boom was a dramatic expansionist period of silver mining activity in the U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each st ...
, which began in 1879. Frisco was incorporated on December 3, 1880.
The town's name comes not from
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, California but, rather, the
St. Louis–San Francisco Railway, commonly known as the Frisco, in an attempt to lure the rail line to the town. (
Frisco, Texas
Frisco is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Collin County, Texas, Collin and Denton County, Texas, Denton counties. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex (DFW) and about from both Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth In ...
, is also named after the railroad.)
At one point Frisco became the sixth wealthiest county in the United States, however by 2025 wealth inequality and housing costs in the area had become so extreme that many workers there, ranging from ski instructors to emergency room nurses, were forced into homelessness even despite continuing to maintain their jobs. Homeless employees of local ski resorts are permitted to sleep in their cars in local lots only if they can prove their employment.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , is water.
Frisco is located along the coast
Lake Dillon
Dillon Reservoir, sometimes referred to as Lake Dillon, is a large fresh water reservoir located in Summit County, Colorado, United States, south of I-70 and bordered by the towns of Frisco, Silverthorne, and Dillon. It is a reservoir for t ...
, a
reservoir
A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation.
Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...
constructed between 1961 and 1963 that now covers the original town of
Dillon. Across the water to the east are the new town of Dillon,
Silverthorne, and
Keystone. To the southeast is
Breckenridge.
Demographics
2020 census
As of the
2020 census, there were 2,913 people, 1,380 households, and 733 families residing in the town. There were 3,349 housing units.
2000 census
As of the
2000 census, there were 2,443 people, 1,053 households, and 527 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,727 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.36%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 0.08%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.20%
Native American, 0.90%
Asian, 0.61% from
other races, and 1.84% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 3.48% of the population.
There were 1,053 households, out of which 18.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 3.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 49.9% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.66.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 14.2% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 44.9% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 5.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 137.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 139.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $62,267, and the median income for a family was $70,556. Males had a median income of $36,989 versus $29,766 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the town was $31,232. About 1.7% of families and 7.2% 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 5.0% of those under age 18 and 9.6% of those age 65 and older.
Arts and culture
Frisco was the location of the first official state BBQ challenge in 1993. The event is held annually, and benefits non-profits. In the last fifteen years (to 2012), the event has raised over $500,000. The event moved to Copper Mountain in 2023 and will not continue.
Infrastructure
Intercity transportation is provided by both
Bustang
Bustang is an intercity bus service in the U.S. state of Colorado. Service began in 2015 and originally traveled between Denver and Colorado Springs, Fort Collins, and Glenwood Springs. Service has since been expanded to connect Grand Junction ...
and Summit Stage. Frisco is along Bustang's West Line, which goes from Denver to Grand Junction and back. Summit Stage provides free transportation between Silverthorne, Frisco, Breckenridge, and others.
Notable people
*
Michelle Black, novelist
*
Jon Kreamelmeyer (1947-present), skier, coach
Sister cities
*
Nishikawa,
Yamagata, Japan - since August 29, 1990
See also
*
Dillon Reservoir
Dillon Reservoir, sometimes referred to as Lake Dillon, is a large fresh water reservoir located in Summit County, Colorado, United States, south of I-70 and bordered by the towns of Frisco, Silverthorne, and Dillon. It is a reservoir for th ...
*
Frisco Schoolhouse in the Frisco Historic Park
*
Gore Range
*
Tenmile Range
The Tenmile Range is a mountain range in U.S. state of Colorado. The range is an extension of the Mosquito Range which is part of the Rocky Mountains. The two ranges are effectively the same range. They are split only by the Continental Divide ...
*
White River National Forest
References
External links
Town of Frisco – Official Website
{{authority control
Towns in Summit County, Colorado
Towns in Colorado