Clear Creek County is a county in Colorado, United States, in the Rocky Mountains west of Denver along the Interstate 70 corridor. It had a population of 9,397 at the 2020 census and covers 396 square miles (1,030 km2) centred near 39°41′N 105°38′W.<\/p>\n
Georgetown is the county seat, and its postal code is 80444. The county has four incorporated municipalities (Idaho Springs, Georgetown, Empire and Silver Plume) plus several unincorporated communities and census-designated places. Clear Creek County is in the Mountain time zone; its FIPS code is 08019.<\/p>\n
Clear Creek County has four incorporated towns and cities and a handful of unincorporated mining-era communities and census-designated places (CDPs) strung along Clear Creek and its side gulches. CDP is a Census Bureau designation for a populated place with no city government of its own; Unincorp. marks a named locality with no formal boundary.<\/p>\n
| Place<\/th>\n | Type<\/th>\n | Pop.<\/th>\n | ZIP<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho Springs<\/td>\n | City<\/td>\n | 1,916<\/td>\n | 80452<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Georgetown<\/td>\n | City · seat<\/td>\n | 1,046<\/td>\n | 80444<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Empire<\/td>\n | Town<\/td>\n | 318<\/td>\n | 80438<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Silver Plume<\/td>\n | Town<\/td>\n | 219<\/td>\n | 80476<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Downieville-Lawson-Dumont<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 80436<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Dumont<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 80436<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lawson<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 80436<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Downieville<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | 80436<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Blue Valley<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Brook Forest<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Echo Hills<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Floyd Hill<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Pine Valley<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Saint Marys<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Upper Bear Creek<\/td>\n | CDP<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Upper Witter Gulch<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Bakerville<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Alice<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Lamartine<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Freeland<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Graymont<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |
| Berthoud Falls<\/td>\n | Unincorp.<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n | —<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n Downieville, Lawson and Dumont are three older mining camps that merged administratively into the single census-designated place Downieville-Lawson-Dumont; each name is still used locally for its own stretch of the valley. Bakerville, Alice, Lamartine, Freeland and Graymont are former silver-mining sites along the Clear Creek and Fall River drainages above Georgetown, some now reduced to a handful of cabins.<\/p>\n ZIP Codes<\/h2>\nThe smaller CDPs and unincorporated clusters higher on the mountainsides — Blue Valley, Brook Forest, Echo Hills, Pine Valley, Saint Marys and the Upper Bear Creek and Upper Witter Gulch areas — use the ZIP code of their nearest post office town rather than a code of their own.<\/p>\n Geography<\/h2>\nClear Creek County sits in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, straddling the Continental Divide at its western edge. Clear Creek, the county’s namesake stream, cuts a narrow canyon through the middle of the county from Loveland Pass down to Idaho Springs and on toward Golden. Terrain is almost entirely mountainous, with peaks including Grays Peak and Torreys Peak — both above 14,000 feet — on the Summit County line. The county borders Jefferson County to the east, Gilpin County to the northeast, Park County to the south, Summit County to the west and Grand County to the northwest.<\/p>\n Demographics<\/h2>\nClear Creek County had 9,397 residents at the 2020 census. Idaho Springs and Georgetown are the two largest communities, together accounting for roughly a third of the county’s population, with the rest spread across smaller mountain subdivisions and CDPs. Colorado’s statewide median household income is $92,911 (2023 ACS); a verified county-level figure for Clear Creek is not available here. Population density is about 24 people per square mile, reflecting the steep, largely unbuildable terrain.<\/p>\n Economy & Local Life<\/h2>\nTourism and outdoor recreation drive much of the local economy: Loveland Ski Area and Echo Mountain Resort operate within the county, and rafting outfitters run the Clear Creek whitewater course through Idaho Springs each summer. Mining shaped the county’s early economy and left a lasting mark on its towns; the Argo Gold Mine and Mill and the Georgetown Loop Historic Mining & Railroad Park are now heritage attractions rather than working operations. Interstate 70 traffic to and from the ski areas also supports a service and hospitality sector along the corridor.<\/p>\n History<\/h2>\nClear Creek County was one of the original 17 counties created by the Colorado Territorial legislature on November 1, 1861, and takes its name from Clear Creek, the stream that runs through it. Silver and gold strikes in the 1860s and 1870s built Georgetown and Idaho Springs into boomtowns; Georgetown in particular grew wealthy enough on silver mining to earn the nickname “the Silver Queen of Colorado” before the Panic of 1893 ended the boom. The Georgetown Loop Railroad, a narrow-gauge line built in 1884 to climb the steep grade to Silver Plume, is now preserved as a heritage railroad.<\/p>\n Getting There<\/h2>\nInterstate 70 runs the length of the county and is the main route in and out; U.S. Highway 6 and U.S. Highway 40 provide older, slower alternatives through the canyon and over Berthoud Pass.<\/p>\n
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