Silverthorne, Colorado facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Silverthorne, Colorado
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Silverthorne seen from Ptarmigan Peak. In the background Buffalo Mountain is on the left, while Red Mountain and Mount Silverthorne are located adjacent to each other to the right.
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Location of Silverthorne in Summit County, Colorado.
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Colorado |
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| County | Summit County | |
| Incorporated | September 5, 1967 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Home rule municipality | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 10.54 km2 (4.07 sq mi) | |
| • Land | 10.37 km2 (4.00 sq mi) | |
| • Water | 0.17 km2 (0.07 sq mi) | |
| Elevation | 2,680 m (8,790 ft) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 4,402 | |
| • Density | 417.65/km2 (1,081.6/sq mi) | |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) | |
| ZIP codes |
80497 (Post-office box), 80498
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| Area code(s) | 970 | |
| FIPS code | 08-70525 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 2413288 | |
| Website | Town of Silverthorne | |
The Town of Silverthorne is a town located in Summit County, Colorado. It is a "home rule municipality," which means it has the power to govern itself on local matters. According to the 2020 Census, about 4,402 people live in Silverthorne.
Contents
History of Silverthorne
Silverthorne was named after Judge Marshall Silverthorn. He was a judge in the miners' court in Breckenridge. Judge Silverthorn first came to the area as a prospector. In 1881, he claimed a piece of land along the Blue River.
He officially owned the land by April 1882. However, he was disappointed because he did not find much gold there. After he died in 1887, his daughters inherited the land. It was then sold many times to different mining companies. In 1953, Clayton Hill bought the property. He divided it into smaller plots for homes and shops.
Silverthorne became a temporary camp for workers. This was during the building of the Dillon Reservoir from 1961 to 1963. Later, it became a popular stop along Interstate 70. The town officially became a municipality on April 5, 1967. Since then, Silverthorne has grown bigger by adding nearby areas several times.
Since 2016, Silverthorne has hosted the Silverthon Games. This is an annual competition with different individual and team events. It ends with a popular race called the Hummingbird Circle.
Geography and Mountains
Silverthorne is located in a beautiful area. To the west, you can see the Gore Range mountains. To the east is the Continental Divide. The two most noticeable mountains are Buffalo Mountain and Red Mountain. Other mountains around the valley include Ptarmigan, Tenderfoot, and Ten Mile Peaks.
The United States Census Bureau says the town covers about 3.2 square miles (8.3 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.
Climate and Weather
Silverthorne has a mountain climate. This means it has warm days in summer but cold nights all year. Winters are cold and snowy.
| Climate data for Silverthorne (1981–2010, extremes 1910-2018) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 61 (16) |
60 (16) |
63 (17) |
76 (24) |
80 (27) |
87 (31) |
89 (32) |
87 (31) |
84 (29) |
77 (25) |
65 (18) |
61 (16) |
89 (32) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 31.7 (−0.2) |
33.9 (1.1) |
39.6 (4.2) |
47.3 (8.5) |
57.3 (14.1) |
67.9 (19.9) |
74.0 (23.3) |
71.9 (22.2) |
64.9 (18.3) |
53.5 (11.9) |
40.2 (4.6) |
31.5 (−0.3) |
51.1 (10.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 1.8 (−16.8) |
4.0 (−15.6) |
11.7 (−11.3) |
18.8 (−7.3) |
27.3 (−2.6) |
33.7 (0.9) |
39.0 (3.9) |
38.2 (3.4) |
30.7 (−0.7) |
22.0 (−5.6) |
12.6 (−10.8) |
3.8 (−15.7) |
20.3 (−6.5) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −44 (−42) |
−45 (−43) |
−38 (−39) |
−25 (−32) |
−8 (−22) |
11 (−12) |
22 (−6) |
20 (−7) |
4 (−16) |
−17 (−27) |
−30 (−34) |
−46 (−43) |
−46 (−43) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 0.81 (21) |
0.92 (23) |
1.01 (26) |
1.26 (32) |
1.31 (33) |
1.25 (32) |
1.95 (50) |
1.93 (49) |
1.42 (36) |
0.90 (23) |
0.93 (24) |
0.86 (22) |
14.55 (371) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 14.7 (37) |
15.7 (40) |
16.5 (42) |
15.8 (40) |
5.6 (14) |
0.7 (1.8) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
1.4 (3.6) |
6.6 (17) |
14.1 (36) |
15.0 (38) |
106.1 (269.4) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.04 in) | 6.7 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 7.9 | 7.2 | 6.4 | 9.1 | 10.2 | 7.5 | 5.9 | 6.7 | 6.6 | 88.2 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.4 in) | 9.5 | 8.7 | 9.4 | 8.5 | 3.3 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 | 3.7 | 8.1 | 8.9 | 61.2 |
| Source: NWS NOWDATA —data from Dillon 1E 1981-2010 | |||||||||||||
Population Changes Over Time
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1970 | 400 | — | |
| 1980 | 989 | 147.3% | |
| 1990 | 1,768 | 78.8% | |
| 2000 | 3,196 | 80.8% | |
| 2010 | 3,887 | 21.6% | |
| 2020 | 4,402 | 13.2% | |
The population of Silverthorne has grown a lot since 1970. In that year, only 400 people lived there. By 2020, the number had increased to 4,402 people. This shows that more and more people are choosing to live in Silverthorne.
Famous People from Silverthorne
Many interesting people have lived in or were born in Silverthorne. Here are a few:
- Red Gerard (born in 2000) is an Olympic gold medalist snowboarder. He won a gold medal in slopestyle snowboarding at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
- Tieghan Gerard (born in 1993) is a popular food blogger. She is known for her website called Half Baked Harvest.
- Dan Gibbs (born in 1976) is a politician. He has served as a state legislator in Colorado.
- Sarah Hirshland (born in 1975) is the chief executive officer of the United States Olympic Committee. This organization helps prepare U.S. athletes for the Olympic Games.
- Mike Potekhen (born in 1979) is a professional race car driver.
See also
In Spanish: Silverthorne (Colorado) para niños
