Steamboat Springs, known as Ski Town USA, is a city located in Routt County, Colorado. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 9,815. It is the county seat of Routt County. The town is an internationally known winter resort destination, highlighted by the Steamboat Ski Resort, which is on Mount Werner in the Park Range just east of the town. It also contains the much smaller Howelsen ski area. It is located in the upper valley of the Yampa River, along U.S. Highway 40 just west of the continental divide at Rabbit Ears Pass.
Steamboat Springs is located at 40°28'35" North, 106°49'36" West (40.476379, -106.826654).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.1 km2 (10.1 mi2). 26.0 km2 (10.1 mi2) of it is land and none of it is covered by water.
The Yampa Valley and surrounding area contain several geothermal hot springs. The city is named after the Steamboat Spring, located near the present day library, whose bubbling sounded like a steamboat to the early white settlers. There are 2 public springs in Steamboat that are open to the public. The biggest is at the Steamboat Health and Rec center with multiple pools and a slide. The most natural (including many of the visitors after dark) is Strawberry Park Hot Springs a few miles out of town in mountains with 2 pools and complete darkness so you can relax under the stars.
As of the census of 2000, there are 9,815 people, 4,084 households, and 2,082 families residing in the city. The population density is 377.1/km2 (976.1/mi2). There are 6,373 housing units at an average density of 244.8/km2 (633.8/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 96.88% White, 0.13% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.73% from other races, and 1.32% from two or more races. 3.13% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 4,084 households out of which 26.4% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% are married couples living together, 6.0% have a female householder with no husband present, and 49.0% are non-families. 27.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 3.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.35 and the average family size is 2.84.
In the city the population is spread out with 18.7% under the age of 18, 13.8% from 18 to 24, 40.1% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 4.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 123.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 128.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $54,647, and the median income for a family is $65,685. Males have a median income of $35,536 versus $28,244 for females. The per capita income for the city is $31,695. 7.2% of the population and 2.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 4.4% of those under the age of 18 and 3.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
The area was originally inhabited by the Yampatika Utes, who hunted in the valley during the summer. Trappers began to move into the area in the first decades of the 19th Century. Ranchers soon followed, and the area still contains a large ranching community. The Utes were forcibly removed from the area to a reservation in Utah by the U.S. Army starting in 1879.
Skiing was used very early on in the development of the town, as well as all over the Rocky Mountains, since it was largely the only way for people to get around in the winter. In 1913 Carl Howelsen, a Norwegian, moved to town and introduced ski jumping, building a jump on Howelsen Hill. He also started the annual Winter Carnival, a celebration still held each winter that includes ski racing and jumping, dog sled and chariot events, as well as skiing light shows on both Mount Werner and Howelsen Hill at night.
The Steamboat Ski Resort was largely started by two men, Jim Temple and John Fetcher. Temple headed up the effort to build the area and Fetcher, a local rancher, was the main designer and builder. It opened on the then called Storm Mountain in 1963.
Source:
SteamboatSpringsCO.com
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