Longmont, Colorado | |
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 The Longmont Safety and Justice Center | |
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  Longmont Location of the City of Longmont in theUnited States | |
| Coordinates:40°10′18″N105°6′33″W / 40.17167°N 105.10917°W /40.17167; -105.10917 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Colorado |
| Counties[2] | Boulder County Weld County |
| City[1] | Longmont |
| Founded | 1871 |
| Incorporated | November 15, 1885[3] |
| Named after | Stephen Harriman Long andLongs Peak |
| Government | |
| • Type | Home rule municipality[1] |
| • Mayor | Joan Peck[4] (List) |
| Area | |
• Total | 78.74 km2 (30.40 sq mi) |
| • Land | 74.49 km2 (28.76 sq mi) |
| • Water | 4.26 km2 (1.64 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1,518 m (4,981 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 98,885 |
| • Density | 1,305.70/km2 (3,381.70/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Longmonter[citation needed] |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−6 (MDT) |
| ZIP Codes[8] | 80501–80504 |
| Area code(s) | 303/720 |
| FIPS code | 08-45970 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2410869[6] |
| Website | www |
Longmont is ahome rule municipality located inBoulder andWeld counties,Colorado, United States. Its population was 98,885 as of the2020 U.S. Census[update].[9] Longmont is located northeast of the county seat ofBoulder. It is named afterLongs Peak, a prominent mountain that is clearly visible from the city (mont means "mountain" in French).[10]
Longmont was founded in 1871 by a group of people fromChicago, Illinois. Originally called theChicago-Colorado Colony, led by presidentRobert Collyer, the men sold memberships in the town, purchasing the land necessary for thetown hall with the proceeds. As the first planned community in Boulder County, the city streets were laid out in agrid plan within asquare mile. The city began to flourish as anagricultural community after theColorado Central Railroad line arrived northward from Boulder in 1877.
In 1925, theKu Klux Klan gained control of Longmont's City Council in an election. They began construction of a largepork-barrel project, Chimney Rock Dam, above Lyons and marched up and down Main Street in their costumes. In the 1927 election they were voted out of office, and their influence soon declined. Work on Chimney Rock Dam was abandoned as unfeasible, and its foundations are still visible in the St. Vrain River.[11][12]
In 1955,United Airlines Flight 629 exploded overWeld County,Colorado 8 miles east of Longmont, killing 44 passengers and crew.[13]
During the 1960s, the federal government built theDenver Air Route Traffic Control Center in Longmont, andIBM built a manufacturing and development campus near Longmont. Longmont Foods was a turkey processor that once supplied turkey products throughout the United States. For example, turkey hot dogs with the Longmont Foods label were sold throughout the US. In 1950 they constructed a large plant on southern Main St. that received trucks full of live turkeys. The company was eventually purchased byButterball and then closed 2011.[14]As agriculture waned, more high technology has come to the city, including companies likeSeagate andAmgen; Amgen closed its Longmont campus in 2015. In April 2009, theGE Energy Company relocated its control solutions business to the area.[citation needed]
Thedowntown along Main Street, once nearly dead during the 1980s, has seen a vibrant revival in the 1990s and into the 21st century. During the mid-1990s, the southern edge of Longmont became the location of the firstNew Urbanist project in Colorado, calledProspect New Town, designed by thearchitectsAndrés Duany andElizabeth Plater-Zyberk.
Longmont was the site of Colorado's first library, founded in 1871 byElizabeth Rowell Thompson, though it lasted up to a year before its collection of 300 books was lost. Following this, Longmont also was the site of one of Carnegie's libraries with the single-story structure being opened in 1913. It remained open until August 7, 1972, when, due to overcrowding with approximately 22,000 books within the space, it was closed just a week before the new library that had been constructed next door was opened.[15]
In May 2013, the Longmont City Council voted to finance and build out its own municipal gigabit datafiber-optic network, known as NextLight, to every house and business over a three-year period starting in late 2013.
Longmont is located in northeastern Boulder County and extends eastward into western Weld County.U.S. Highway 287 (Main Street) runs through the center of the city, leading north 16 miles (26 km) toLoveland and south 34 miles (55 km) to downtown Denver.State Highway 119 passes through the city south of downtown and leads southwest 15 miles (24 km) to Boulder and east 5 miles (8 km) toInterstate 25.
The elevation at City Hall is 4,978 feet (1,517 m) abovesea level.St. Vrain Creek, a tributary of theSouth Platte River, flows through the city just south of the city center.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, Longmont has a total area of 27.6 square miles (71.6 km2), of which 26.2 square miles (67.8 km2) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.8 km2), or 5.30%, is water.[16]
According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Longmont has a coldsemi-arid climate, abbreviatedBsk on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Longmont was 106 °F (41 °C) on July 7, 1973, and June 27, 1994, while the coldest temperature recorded was −38 °F (−39 °C) on January 16, 1930.[17]
| Climate data for Longmont, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 75 (24) | 79 (26) | 85 (29) | 91 (33) | 100 (38) | 106 (41) | 106 (41) | 104 (40) | 101 (38) | 92 (33) | 83 (28) | 78 (26) | 106 (41) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 63.4 (17.4) | 67.0 (19.4) | 74.8 (23.8) | 81.8 (27.7) | 89.2 (31.8) | 97.2 (36.2) | 100.6 (38.1) | 97.8 (36.6) | 94.0 (34.4) | 84.2 (29.0) | 72.2 (22.3) | 64.3 (17.9) | 101.4 (38.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 44.5 (6.9) | 46.8 (8.2) | 56.8 (13.8) | 63.2 (17.3) | 72.7 (22.6) | 83.9 (28.8) | 90.8 (32.7) | 87.8 (31.0) | 80.3 (26.8) | 66.2 (19.0) | 53.5 (11.9) | 44.8 (7.1) | 65.9 (18.8) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 29.4 (−1.4) | 32.0 (0.0) | 41.5 (5.3) | 47.8 (8.8) | 57.1 (13.9) | 67.2 (19.6) | 73.1 (22.8) | 70.8 (21.6) | 63.0 (17.2) | 49.5 (9.7) | 38.5 (3.6) | 29.6 (−1.3) | 50.0 (10.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 14.4 (−9.8) | 17.1 (−8.3) | 26.1 (−3.3) | 32.3 (0.2) | 41.4 (5.2) | 50.5 (10.3) | 55.4 (13.0) | 53.7 (12.1) | 45.8 (7.7) | 32.9 (0.5) | 23.5 (−4.7) | 14.5 (−9.7) | 34.0 (1.1) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −8.7 (−22.6) | −3.5 (−19.7) | 6.2 (−14.3) | 17.0 (−8.3) | 30.3 (−0.9) | 40.5 (4.7) | 48.3 (9.1) | 46.3 (7.9) | 30.1 (−1.1) | 18.6 (−7.4) | 3.1 (−16.1) | −7.7 (−22.1) | −15.9 (−26.6) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −38 (−39) | −36 (−38) | −26 (−32) | −7 (−22) | 18 (−8) | 29 (−2) | 38 (3) | 37 (3) | 18 (−8) | −5 (−21) | −16 (−27) | −32 (−36) | −38 (−39) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 0.56 (14) | 0.57 (14) | 1.17 (30) | 2.04 (52) | 1.97 (50) | 1.75 (44) | 1.69 (43) | 1.95 (50) | 1.26 (32) | 1.04 (26) | 0.75 (19) | 0.46 (12) | 15.21 (386) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 5.8 (15) | 3.8 (9.7) | 5.6 (14) | 3.1 (7.9) | 0.2 (0.51) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.3 (0.76) | 1.1 (2.8) | 6.1 (15) | 6.2 (16) | 32.2 (81.67) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 3.7 | 4.5 | 5.1 | 7.5 | 10.1 | 8.3 | 6.1 | 7.4 | 6.3 | 5.4 | 4.9 | 3.0 | 72.3 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 2.0 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 13.4 |
| Source 1: National Weather Service (mean maxima and minima 1971–2000)[17] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (average snowfall/snowy days 1981–2010)[18][19] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 773 | — | |
| 1890 | 1,543 | 99.6% | |
| 1900 | 2,201 | 42.6% | |
| 1910 | 4,256 | 93.4% | |
| 1920 | 5,848 | 37.4% | |
| 1930 | 6,029 | 3.1% | |
| 1940 | 7,406 | 22.8% | |
| 1950 | 8,099 | 9.4% | |
| 1960 | 11,489 | 41.9% | |
| 1970 | 23,209 | 102.0% | |
| 1980 | 42,942 | 85.0% | |
| 1990 | 51,555 | 20.1% | |
| 2000 | 71,093 | 37.9% | |
| 2010 | 86,270 | 21.3% | |
| 2020 | 98,885 | 14.6% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 98,630 | [20] | −0.3% |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[21] | Pop 2010[22] | Pop 2020[23] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 54,599 | 59,772 | 64,916 | 76.80% | 69.28% | 65.65% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 363 | 661 | 900 | 0.51% | 0.77% | 0.91% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 408 | 413 | 447 | 0.57% | 0.48% | 0.45% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 1,236 | 2,696 | 3,490 | 1.74% | 3.13% | 3.53% |
| Pacific Islander alone (NH) | 31 | 40 | 65 | 0.04% | 0.05% | 0.07% |
| Some Other Race alone (NH) | 76 | 108 | 514 | 0.11% | 0.13% | 0.52% |
| Mixed Race or Multi-Racial (NH) | 822 | 1,389 | 4,096 | 1.16% | 1.61% | 4.14% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 13,558 | 21,191 | 24,457 | 19.07% | 24.56% | 24.73% |
| Total | 71,093 | 86,270 | 98,885 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of thecensus[24] of 2010, there were 86,270 people living in the city (2019 estimate: 97,261). Thepopulation density was 3,294 inhabitants per square mile (1,272/km2). There were 35,008 housing units. The racial makeup of the city was:
There were 33,551 households, of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.6% under the age of 20, 6.3% from 20 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years.
The median income for a household in the city was $58,698, and the median income for a family was $70,864. Males had a median income of $51,993 versus $41,025 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $29,209. About 11.1% of families and 14.7% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 21.4% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.
In 2011 Longmont was rated the second safest city in Colorado.[25]
Longmont is home to the Boulder County Campus ofFront Range Community College, theSt. Vrain Valley School District, and to a number of private schools. Longmont is also home to theMaster Instructor Continuing Education Program (MICEP) a voluntary accreditation program for aviation educators.
There is also a municipal public library. As of 2019[update] there was deliberation over whether to establish a library district and to have the library publish news. That year the library's director stated, in the words of Corey Hutchins of theColumbia Journalism Review, "lacks resources and hasn’t kept up with the city’s growth".[26]
Longmont has bus service to Denver and Boulder as part of theRTD transit district. Longmont is connected toFort Collins,Loveland, andBerthoud via aFLEX regional bus service.
As of 2024[update], theFasTracks project plans to extend RTD's commuter railB Line to Longmont, which could be completed in the early 2040s.
In 2012, Longmont was recognized by theLeague of American Bicyclists as a silver-levelbicycle-friendly community. Longmont is one of 38 communities in the United States to be recognized with this distinction. It is the only city in Colorado placed at the silver level that is not a major tourist center or auniversity city.[27]
Vance Brand Airport is a public-use airport owned by the city. It currently has no scheduled passenger flights, but it is popular for general aviation.[28]
TheLongmont Leader (formerly theLongmont Observer)[29] is the local daily newspaper.
TheLongmont Times-Call, while bearing the city's name, is published from Boulder and is operated by Alden Global Capital of New York City.[30]
Longmont'sradio stations includeKRCN,KGUD, andKKFN. Sports radio is broadcast onKKSE-FM from a tower about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Longmont. Also located nearby isKDFD, aFox News Radio affiliate with aconservative talk format. The KDFD (760 AM) transmitter site is about 15 miles (24 km) east of Boulder.
NPR programming can be heard onColorado Public Radio stationsKCFR from Denver, andKCFC (AM) in Boulder. The NPR affiliateKUNC from the Fort Collins-Greeley market can also be heard in Longmont.
Longmont is also served byPacifica Radio affiliateKGNU, a non-commercialcommunity radio station from Boulder.
According to the city's 2020 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report,[31] the top employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Vrain Valley Schools | 3,543 |
| 2 | City of Longmont | 1,625 |
| 3 | Seagate Technology | 1,430 |
| 4 | Intrado | 755 |
| 5 | Longmont United Hospital | 671 |
| 6 | UC Health Longs Peak Hospital | 540 |
| 7 | McLane Western | 460 |
| 8 | Federal Aviation Administration | 422 |
| 9 | Circle Graphics | 400 |
| 10 | AveXis | 354 |
In addition, Longmont supports a thriving craft brewing industry as well as many recreational and travel-related businesses. Local breweries include two of the nation's largest craft brewers,[32]Left Hand andOskar Blues, as well as many others. To service the transportation needs of brewery patrons, the local Brew Hop Trolley offers a hop-on-hop-off brewery tour for a fixed price. Longmont is known for its 'maker' community.[33] Longmont also features a Saturday Farmers Market.
Due to its proximity toRocky Mountain National Park, Longmont is home to many hotels, restaurants, and other businesses that cater in part to the tourists visiting the park each year. One recreational business that calls Longmont home is Mile Hi Skydiving, which is one of the largest skydiving facilities in the state of Colorado. Longmont is also home to Saul, the World's Largest Sticker Ball at StickerGiant,[34] a custom sticker and label printing company on the city's east side. Other businesses support skiing and other snowsports, bicycling, and rock climbing.
Longmont's median household income was $89,720 per year in 2022. The largest industries in Longmont as of 2022 are manufacturing (7,188 people); professional, scientific, and technical services (6,533 people); and retail trade (6,066 people).[35]
Longmont is ahome rule municipality. Its currentcity charter was adopted in 1961, and has been amended numerous times since.[36][37] Longmont is governed by a seven-member City Council, which consists of the directly-elected mayor of Longmont and six additional councilmembers.[38] Of the six councilmembers, three are elected from one of threewards, and three are elected from the cityat-large.[39] The mayor is elected for a term of two years, and each councilmember is elected for a term of four years.[38] Regular city elections in Longmont are held on the first Tuesday in November of odd-numbered years.[40] The officials elected at each regular city election alternate between (1) the mayor, the councilmembers from Wards One and Three, and one councilmember elected at-large, and (2) the mayor, the councilmember from Ward Two, and two councilmembers elected at large.[37]
Longmont operates under acouncil-manager system of government, with a city manager acting as the city's chief administrative officer.[41] The city manager is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the City Council.[37]
This is a list of individuals who have served as mayor of Longmont.[42]
| Mayor | Term |
|---|---|
| L. H. Dickson | 1881–1885 |
| George T. Dell | 1885–1887 |
| Charles H. Baker | 1887–1888 |
| John B. Thompson | 1888–1889 |
| Ira L. Herron | 1889–1890 |
| Frank Stickney | 1890–1892 |
| John A. Buckley | 1892–1894 |
| Neil C. Sullivan | 1894–1896 |
| George W. Coffin | 1896–1897 |
| Willis A. Warner | 1897–1898 |
| Frank M. Downer | 1898–1899 |
| Frank M. Miller | 1899–1901 |
| John A. Donovan | 1901–1903 |
| Samuel C. Morgan | 1903–1905 |
| Charles A. Bradley | 1905–1909 |
| Frank P. Secor | 1909–1911 |
| Rae H. Kiteley | 1911–1921 |
| James F. Hays | 1921–1927 |
| Fred W. Flanders | 1927–1929 |
| Earl T. Ludlow | 1929–1931 |
| Ray Lanyon | 1931–1943 |
| Fred C. Ferguson | 1943–1947 |
| George A. Richart | 1947–1949 |
| Otto F. Vliet | 1949–1957 |
| Richard C. Troxell | 1957–1959 |
| Albert Will | 1959–1961 |
| Ralph R. Price | 1961–1969 |
| Alexander Zlaten | 1969–1971Pro Tem |
| Wade Gaddis | 1971–1973 Pro Tem |
| Austin P. Stonebreaker | 1973–1974 |
| Alvin G. Perenyi | 1975–1977 |
| George F. Chandler | 1977 Pro Tem |
| E. George Patterson Jr. | 1977–1979 |
| Robert J. Askey | 1979–1981 |
| William G. Swenson | 1981–1985 |
| Larry Burkhardt | 1985–1987 |
| Alvin E. Sweney | 1987–1989 |
| Fred Wilson | 1989–1993 |
| Leona Stoecker | 1993–2001 |
| Julia Pirnack | 2001–2007 |
| Roger Lange | 2007–2009 |
| Bryan L. Baum | 2009–2011 |
| Dennis L. Coombs | 2011–2017 |
| Brian Bagley | 2017–2021 |
| Joan Peck | 2021–Present[4] |
In theColorado House of Representatives, Longmont is split between the 11th and 19th House districts, which are currently represented by RepresentativesKaren McCormick (D) andDan Woog (R), respectively.[43][44] In theColorado State Senate, Longmont is a part of the 17th Senate district, which has been unrepresented since the resignation of former SenatorSonya Jaquez Lewis (D) on February 17, 2025.[45][46] At the federal level, Longmont is a part ofColorado's 2nd congressional district, which is currently represented in theUnited States House of Represenatives by CongressmanJoe Neguse (D).[47][48]
The Longmont Fire Department was established in its current form in 1908. The history of the department can be traced back to the creation of theW. A. Buckingham Hook & Ladder Company in 1879.[49]
As of 2020[update] the department operates from six stations throughout the city.Longmont Fire Department Station 1 was built in 1907, used by the department until 1971, and listed in theNational Register of Historic Places in 1985.[50]
Longmont has established asister city relationship with:
Chino,Nagano, Japan
Ciudad Guzmán,Jalisco, MexicoMunicipalities and communities ofBoulder County, Colorado,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
Municipalities and communities ofWeld County, Colorado,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
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| Trading posts | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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