Empire, Colorado

Custom Search

Empire is a former mining settlement on the north side of Clear Creek Valley. The big business here used to be silver mining. These days, the big business is centered around tourism with US Highway 40 passing through town on its way to Berthoud Pass.

There is a story about the poet Vachel Lindsay: his family had a vacation spot in Empire and he would sometimes walk there from Illinois to visit, doing farm work and chanting poems as he made his way. Empire is also the home of the original Hard Rock Cafe, except that this original was first opened in 1934 and catered to local hardrock miners.

Fast Facts about Empire, Colorado:

Empire, Clear Creek County, Colorado 80438
Incorporated: April 12, 1882
Elevation: 8,615'
Latitude: 39.7610°N
Longitude: 105.6833°W
Resident Racial Breakdown:
White Non-Hispanic: 92.7%
Hispanic: 3.7%
Native American: 4.2%
Two or More Races: 2.0%
Education:
High School or Higher: 86.9%
Bachelor's Degree or Higher: 19.8%
Graduate or Professional Degree: 3.4%

2007 Estimates:
Population: 327
Males: 173
Females: 154
Median Resident Age: 39.9 Years
Estimated Median Household Income: $43,814
Estimated Median Home Value: $152,105
Population Density: 1,295 People per Square Mile
2008 Cost of Living Index for Empire: 83.6
Major Industries:
Lodging & Food Services, Construction, Mining, Government, Entertainment & Recreation, Educational Services, Health Care, Professional Services, Waste Management Services
Unemployed: 3.6%

Text is available for re-use under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.

Back to the top