Crested Butte, Colorado
Encyclopedia
Crested Butte is a Home Rule Municipality in Gunnison County, Colorado
, United States. A former coal mining
town now called "the last great Colorado ski town," Crested Butte is a destination for skiing
, mountain biking
, and a variety of other outdoor activities. The population was 1,487 at the 2010 census.
The Colorado General Assembly
has designated Crested Butte the wildflower
capital of Colorado.
. However, they were quickly displaced when white explorers first entered the area. The first Caucasians
to explore the valley were beaver trappers, followed by surveyors. Captain John Gunnison
, after whom Gunnison County
is named, was one of the early explorers to enter the area.
In the 1860s and 1870s coal
and silver
mines began to open in the surrounding area, and many little mining towns formed. However, when silver mining hit on hard times, many of these towns failed. Crested Butte was in a better position to survive because it served as a supply town to the surrounding area.
The other industry that supported Crested Butte was ranching.
When the coal mines closed, the town began to shrink, and eventually the local high school
was closed. Students had to travel to Gunnison
to go to high school. The town did not revive until a ski area was built on Crested Butte Mountain
in the 1960s. From the 1960s to 1990, the Crested Butte public school only facilitated K-5 students, while 6th grade and higher attended school in Gunnison. In 1990 Crested Butte offered middle school in the railroad depot building. In 1992 a new middle school was completed which allowed the public school to facilitate grades K through 8. Finally in 1997, a new facility for the Crested Butte Community School was completed. This included the addition of a public high school.
In 1993 the Crested Butte Academy opened in Crested Butte, bringing a private high school into town. However, on 9 July 2008, the academy was closed permanently due to financial difficulties that had plagued its entire existence.
U.S. Energy Corp. owns rights to mine molybdenum
on Mount Emmons ("Red Lady") near Crested Butte, and as molybdenum prices rise, the town is fighting to prevent a molybdenum mine from being opened.
In 1977 W Mitchell was elected mayor of Crested Butte, Colorado, where he stopped AMAX (now Freeport-McMoRan) from building a billion-dollar molybdenum mine on Mount Emmons. Because of his battle against the anticipated environmental impact, Mitchell is known as the man who "saved a mountain."
On 25 April 2011, Thomson Creek Metals announced that it had terminated its Option Agreement with U.S. Energy Corp. to acquire an interest in the Mount Emmons molybdenum project. Although US Energy continued to maintain its commitment to moving the project forward on its own behalf, the withdrawal of Thomson Creek Metals was heralded as a major victory in the township of Crested Butte in its battle against the proposed molybdenum mine.
or snowboarding
at nearby Crested Butte Mountain Resort
in Mount Crested Butte
. Backcountry skiing in the surrounding mountains is some of the best in Colorado. The mountain, Crested Butte, rises to 12162 feet (3,707 m) above sea level. The ski area base is at 9375 feet (2,857.5 m). 14 lifts serve 1058 acre of terrain. 448 acre of the terrain are double black runs. The large amount of extreme skiing
terrain at Crested Butte has attracted the US Extreme Skiing Championships and the X Games
. The longest run on Mount Crested Butte is 2.6 miles (4.2 km) long.
The town of Crested Butte itself has a Nordic Center which has an ice skating rink as well as many miles of groomed cross-country skiing
trails.
is claimed to have started. The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame
is located in Crested Butte. Other popular summer activities in Crested Butte include hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, whitewater rafting and kayaking, 4 wheeling, disc golfing and fishing. The best bike trail for moderate to expert mountain biking is 401, just outside of town.
, the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival
, Alpenglow Concert Series, Festival of the Arts and Ball Bash during summer; and Fall Fest, Vinitok and Paragon Peoples' Fair during fall.
, the town has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), all of it land. Crested Butte lies at an elevation
of 8885 feet (2,708.1 m) above sea level.
Crested Butte is served by the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport
in nearby Gunnison, Colorado
.
of 2000, there were 1,529 people, 692 households, and 253 families residing in the town. The population density
was 2,183.1 people per square mile (843.4/km²). There were 930 housing units at an average density of 1,327.9 per square mile (513.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.19% White, 0.26% African American, 0.92% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. 2.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 692 households out of which 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.9% were married couples
living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 63.3% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.69.
In the town the population was spread out with 13.5% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 55.6% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 1.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 124.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 131.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,250, and the median income for a family was $49,118. Males had a median income of $27,386 versus $23,073 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $26,789. 11.4% of the population and 2.7% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 3.5% of those under the age of 18 and 0.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
ski movie Snowball Express
starring Dean Jones
and Harry Morgan
. 1970's musicians Brewer & Shipley
wrote and performed a song called "Crested Butte" dedicated to the town. Crested Butte is the birthplace and hometown of Heidi Montag
of MTV's The Hills
.
James Cameron
's movie Avatar has very tangible parallels to Crested Butte with regard to both mining issues and environmental coexistence. The individual responsible for leading the fight against the proposed molybdenum mine on Mount Emmons in the late 1970s, former mayor W Mitchell is wheelchair-bound, just like the protagonist in Cameron's film. James Cameron has spent a lot of time at his wife Suzy Amis
's cabin in Crested Butte.
Gunnison County, Colorado
Gunnison County is the fifth most extensive of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado in the United States. The county population was 15,324 at the 2010 census. The county was named for John W. Gunnison, a United States Army officer and captain in the Army Topographical Engineers, who surveyed...
, United States. A former coal mining
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
town now called "the last great Colorado ski town," Crested Butte is a destination for skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
, mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
, and a variety of other outdoor activities. The population was 1,487 at the 2010 census.
The Colorado General Assembly
Colorado General Assembly
The Colorado General Assembly is the state legislature of the State of Colorado.-Constitutional definition:The Colorado Constitution establishes a system of government based on the separation of powers doctrine with power divided among three "departments": executive, legislative and judicial...
has designated Crested Butte the wildflower
Wildflower
A wildflower is a flower that grows wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. Yet "wildflower" meadows of a few mixed species are sold in seed packets. The term "wildflower" has been made vague by commercial seedsmen who are interested in selling more flowers or seeds more...
capital of Colorado.
History
The East River Valley where Crested Butte is located was once used as a summer residence by Ute Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. However, they were quickly displaced when white explorers first entered the area. The first Caucasians
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
to explore the valley were beaver trappers, followed by surveyors. Captain John Gunnison
John W. Gunnison
John Williams Gunnison was an American military officer and explorer.-Biography:Gunnison was born in Goshen, New Hampshire in 1812. He graduated from West Point in 1837, second in his class of fifty cadets. His military career began in Florida, where he spent a year in the campaign against the...
, after whom Gunnison County
Gunnison County, Colorado
Gunnison County is the fifth most extensive of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado in the United States. The county population was 15,324 at the 2010 census. The county was named for John W. Gunnison, a United States Army officer and captain in the Army Topographical Engineers, who surveyed...
is named, was one of the early explorers to enter the area.
In the 1860s and 1870s coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
mines began to open in the surrounding area, and many little mining towns formed. However, when silver mining hit on hard times, many of these towns failed. Crested Butte was in a better position to survive because it served as a supply town to the surrounding area.
The other industry that supported Crested Butte was ranching.
When the coal mines closed, the town began to shrink, and eventually the local high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
was closed. Students had to travel to Gunnison
Gunnison, Colorado
The historic City of Gunnison, a Home Rule Municipality, is the county seat and the most populous city of Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,854. It was named in honor of John W...
to go to high school. The town did not revive until a ski area was built on Crested Butte Mountain
Crested Butte Mountain Resort
Crested Butte Mountain Resort is a ski resort located at Mount Crested Butte in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States.Crested Butte Mountain Resort opened in 1960 and has since developed a long and unique history. Known for offering extreme and diverse terrain, the mountain is considered one of...
in the 1960s. From the 1960s to 1990, the Crested Butte public school only facilitated K-5 students, while 6th grade and higher attended school in Gunnison. In 1990 Crested Butte offered middle school in the railroad depot building. In 1992 a new middle school was completed which allowed the public school to facilitate grades K through 8. Finally in 1997, a new facility for the Crested Butte Community School was completed. This included the addition of a public high school.
In 1993 the Crested Butte Academy opened in Crested Butte, bringing a private high school into town. However, on 9 July 2008, the academy was closed permanently due to financial difficulties that had plagued its entire existence.
U.S. Energy Corp. owns rights to mine molybdenum
Molybdenum
Molybdenum , is a Group 6 chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42. The name is from Neo-Latin Molybdaenum, from Ancient Greek , meaning lead, itself proposed as a loanword from Anatolian Luvian and Lydian languages, since its ores were confused with lead ores...
on Mount Emmons ("Red Lady") near Crested Butte, and as molybdenum prices rise, the town is fighting to prevent a molybdenum mine from being opened.
In 1977 W Mitchell was elected mayor of Crested Butte, Colorado, where he stopped AMAX (now Freeport-McMoRan) from building a billion-dollar molybdenum mine on Mount Emmons. Because of his battle against the anticipated environmental impact, Mitchell is known as the man who "saved a mountain."
On 25 April 2011, Thomson Creek Metals announced that it had terminated its Option Agreement with U.S. Energy Corp. to acquire an interest in the Mount Emmons molybdenum project. Although US Energy continued to maintain its commitment to moving the project forward on its own behalf, the withdrawal of Thomson Creek Metals was heralded as a major victory in the township of Crested Butte in its battle against the proposed molybdenum mine.
Winter
The primary winter activity in Crested Butte is skiingSkiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
or snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
at nearby Crested Butte Mountain Resort
Crested Butte Mountain Resort
Crested Butte Mountain Resort is a ski resort located at Mount Crested Butte in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States.Crested Butte Mountain Resort opened in 1960 and has since developed a long and unique history. Known for offering extreme and diverse terrain, the mountain is considered one of...
in Mount Crested Butte
Mount Crested Butte, Colorado
Mount Crested Butte is a Home Rule Municipality in Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. Mount Crested Butte is the home of the Crested Butte Mountain Resort. The population was 801 at the 2010 census. ZIP code 81225 serves post office boxes for Mount Crested Butte and for neighboring Crested...
. Backcountry skiing in the surrounding mountains is some of the best in Colorado. The mountain, Crested Butte, rises to 12162 feet (3,707 m) above sea level. The ski area base is at 9375 feet (2,857.5 m). 14 lifts serve 1058 acre of terrain. 448 acre of the terrain are double black runs. The large amount of extreme skiing
Extreme skiing
Extreme skiing is skiing performed on long, steep slopes in dangerous terrain. The sport is performed off-piste.The French coined the term 'Le Ski Extreme' in the 1970s...
terrain at Crested Butte has attracted the US Extreme Skiing Championships and the X Games
X Games
The X Games is a commercial annual sports event, controlled and arranged by US sports broadcaster ESPN, which focuses on action sports. The inaugural X Games was held in the summer of 1995 in Rhode Island....
. The longest run on Mount Crested Butte is 2.6 miles (4.2 km) long.
The town of Crested Butte itself has a Nordic Center which has an ice skating rink as well as many miles of groomed cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
trails.
Summer
Crested Butte is one of the locations where mountain bikingMountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...
is claimed to have started. The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame
Mountain Bike Hall of Fame
The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and Museum is located in Crested Butte Colorado. The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and Museum was founded in 1988 to chronicle the history of mountain biking....
is located in Crested Butte. Other popular summer activities in Crested Butte include hiking, backpacking, rock climbing, whitewater rafting and kayaking, 4 wheeling, disc golfing and fishing. The best bike trail for moderate to expert mountain biking is 401, just outside of town.
Festivals
Crested Butte hosts a number of unique festivals and parades throughout the year. These include Torchlight, New Years, Winter Carnival, Butte Bash College Ski Week and Mardi Gras during the winter months; Extreme Board Fest, Slushuck and Flaushink during spring; the Crested Butte Bike Week, Music Festival, 4th of JulyIndependence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
, the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival
Crested Butte Wildflower Festival
The Crested Butte Wild Flower Festival is a week long event that takes place annually in July in Crested Butte, Colorado, USA. The flower focused festival includes hikes, tours, workshops and performances, and raises awareness of environmental issues, including the importance of preserving wild...
, Alpenglow Concert Series, Festival of the Arts and Ball Bash during summer; and Fall Fest, Vinitok and Paragon Peoples' Fair during fall.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²), all of it land. Crested Butte lies at an elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 8885 feet (2,708.1 m) above sea level.
Crested Butte is served by the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport
Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport
Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport , also known as Gunnison County Airport, is a public airport located at the southern edge of Gunnison, Colorado...
in nearby Gunnison, Colorado
Gunnison, Colorado
The historic City of Gunnison, a Home Rule Municipality, is the county seat and the most populous city of Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,854. It was named in honor of John W...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,529 people, 692 households, and 253 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 2,183.1 people per square mile (843.4/km²). There were 930 housing units at an average density of 1,327.9 per square mile (513.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.19% White, 0.26% African American, 0.92% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 0.46% from two or more races. 2.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 692 households out of which 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 63.3% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.69.
In the town the population was spread out with 13.5% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 55.6% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 1.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 124.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 131.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,250, and the median income for a family was $49,118. Males had a median income of $27,386 versus $23,073 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $26,789. 11.4% of the population and 2.7% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 3.5% of those under the age of 18 and 0.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
In popular culture
Crested Butte was the setting and main filming location for the Walt DisneyWalt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
ski movie Snowball Express
Snowball Express
Snowball Express is a 1972 screwball comedy film made by Walt Disney Productions about a man who leaves his desk job to run a hotel left to him by his uncle.-Plot:...
starring Dean Jones
Dean Jones (actor)
Dean Carroll Jones is an American actor. Jones is best known for his light-hearted leading roles in several Walt Disney movies between 1965 and 1977, most notably The Love Bug.-Early years:...
and Harry Morgan
Harry Morgan
Harry Morgan is an American actor. Morgan is well-known for his roles as Colonel Sherman T. Potter on M*A*S*H , Pete Porter on both Pete and Gladys and December Bride , Detective Bill Gannon on Dragnet , and Amos Coogan on Hec Ramsey...
. 1970's musicians Brewer & Shipley
Brewer & Shipley
Brewer & Shipley were an American folk rock music duo of the late 1960s through 1970s, consisting of singer-songwriters Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley. They were known for their intricate guitar work, vocal harmonies and socially conscious lyrics. Their greatest success was the song "One Toke Over the...
wrote and performed a song called "Crested Butte" dedicated to the town. Crested Butte is the birthplace and hometown of Heidi Montag
Heidi Montag
Heidi Blair Pratt is an American media personality and singer. She came to prominence with her starring role on the MTV reality series The Hills from 2006 to 2010. Montag has also appeared on I'm a Celebrity.....
of MTV's The Hills
The Hills
The Hills is a reality television series which originally aired on MTV from May 31, 2006 until July 13, 2010. The show uses a reality television format, following the personal lives of several young adults living in Los Angeles, California, but tends towards a narrative format more commonly found...
.
James Cameron
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
's movie Avatar has very tangible parallels to Crested Butte with regard to both mining issues and environmental coexistence. The individual responsible for leading the fight against the proposed molybdenum mine on Mount Emmons in the late 1970s, former mayor W Mitchell is wheelchair-bound, just like the protagonist in Cameron's film. James Cameron has spent a lot of time at his wife Suzy Amis
Suzy Amis
Susan Elizabeth "Suzy" Amis is an American former film actress and former model.-Career:Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Amis first worked as a Ford model before she began acting in the 1980s. She made her feature film debut in the 1985 comedy film Fandango, opposite Kevin Costner...
's cabin in Crested Butte.
External links
- Crested Butte: Tourism Association
- Town of Crested Butte website
- Crested Butte newspaper
- Crested Butte Mountain Resort
- KBUT
- Crested Butte Photos at Western Mining History
- Crested Butte Mountain Theatre
- Crested Butte Music Festival
- Peak Property Management, Crested Butte