Empire, Colorado: ZIP 80438
Population: 635 | Median Income: $55,044 | Median Home Value: $218,200
About Empire
Empire sits in Clear Creek County at 8,616 feet, tucked into what locals call a star-shaped valley carved by Clear Creek, about 45 miles west of Denver. US Highway 40 runs straight through town on its way up to Berthoud Pass, which means Empire has been a through-road for travelers since long before the interstate existed. Most people blow past on the way to Winter Park. That is their loss.
The town's origins go back to 1860, when gold prospectors arrived during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush and set up camp in what they called Valley City. In the fall of that same year, miners struck silver here, and this discovery stands out in the historical record as the first true fissure lode discovered in Colorado. The settlement was renamed Empire City in 1861, a nod to New York State (the Empire State), where many of the early miners had come from. The post office shortened the name to simply Empire in 1866, and the town was formally incorporated on April 12, 1882.
What Makes Empire Unique
The boom years were something remarkable. By September 1862, Empire City was described in period accounts as having 70 buildings with hundreds of men working the surrounding mines. The town was so prosperous that the nearby camp of Georgetown actually slumped during the winter of 1862-63, with men, money, and attention flowing toward Empire instead. Georgetown eventually eclipsed Empire as the regional center, but Empire never disappeared entirely.
What kept Empire going long after gold and silver lost their luster was molybdenum. The Urad mine, just outside of town, began molybdenum production in 1914. When that operation closed in the 1960s, deeper exploration revealed another major ore body. The Henderson Mine came online in 1976 and produced its billionth pound of molybdenum in 2010, a staggering figure from a facility that operated for over a century combined with its predecessor.
Empire also carries a small piece of American pop-culture trivia. The Hard Rock Cafe on 18 East Park Avenue opened here in 1934, decades before the globally recognized chain of the same name launched in London in 1971. Empire's version was named for hard rock miners, not rock music, and it has no connection to the chain. The building now houses the Guanella Pass Brewing taproom.
Living in Empire
With a median home value of $218,200 and a median household income around $55,044, Empire falls well below the Colorado statewide median home price, which makes it an attainable foothold in the mountains for people who want to live close to the Rockies without paying resort-town prices. The tradeoff is real: the town has fewer than 400 permanent residents (345 per the 2020 census), no major grocery store, and mountain winters that are long and unforgiving at this elevation.
That said, Empire's location is genuinely convenient for outdoor recreation and daily necessities. Idaho Springs is roughly 8 miles east on I-70, with grocery stores, restaurants, and services. Denver is about 45 miles away. Winter Park ski resort is accessible via Berthoud Pass on Highway 40 in one direction, and the Georgetown area is just a few miles in the other. If you are after mountain life with a reasonable commute corridor, Empire is worth a close look.
Things to Do
Guanella Pass Brewing Located at 18 East Park Avenue in the historic Hard Rock Cafe building, the Guanella Pass Brewing taproom brings craft beer to one of Empire's oldest commercial structures. It is a solid reason to stop rather than pass through.
Jones Pass Guides Operating out of the mountains above Empire, Jones Pass Guides runs snowcat skiing and riding across 2,500 acres of terrain between 10,500 and 12,500 feet in elevation. Guides are available seven days a week during the winter season, and trips include powder demo skis, safety gear, and lunch at the end of the day.
Bill Moore Lake Trail One of the most scenic hikes accessible from Empire, this trail climbs toward an alpine lake above treeline with views of the surrounding Continental Divide peaks, including James Peak and Parry Peak.
PAW Trail Less than a mile west of town off US 40, this ADA-accessible trail is 481 feet long and was built to showcase the history of the old wagon road over Berthoud Pass. It is a short walk with good interpretive content, suitable for visitors of any ability level.
Minton Park Turn down Main Street just past Town Hall to reach this park on Clear Creek. It has a playground, picnic shelter, horseshoe pits, and open space along the creek.
Urad Lake The reservoir near the former Urad mine site offers fishing and wildlife viewing in a high-altitude setting that sees relatively little traffic compared to more publicized Front Range lakes.
Easterseals Rocky Mountain Village Camp Located near Empire, this fully accessible camp serves more than 1,200 children and adults with disabilities throughout the year with swimming, horseback riding, zip-lining, hiking, and overnight camping.
Schools
Empire does not operate its own school buildings. Students attend schools in the Clear Creek School District RE-1, which serves the county from facilities primarily in Idaho Springs. The district runs a K-12 program with small class sizes and strong outdoor education components that reflect the mountain setting.
Local Insights
Walking through Empire is a quick trip through Colorado's mining past. The current Town Hall dates from 1898. South of it stands the original log schoolhouse from the early 1860s, one of the oldest surviving structures of its kind in the county. The Peck House, a colonial-style building at the south end of Park Avenue, was built in 1862 by James and Mary Grace Parsons Peck and later became Colorado's oldest inn. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Red Man Hall, a white two-story structure on Park Avenue, was built in 1898 by the Improved Order of Red Men.
Empire's population has oscillated dramatically over the decades, peaking near 423 in 1980 and falling to 282 by 2010 before ticking back up to 345 in 2020. It is a town that has survived the end of gold mining, the end of silver mining, and the eventual wind-down of large-scale molybdenum extraction. Each era left something behind, and those layers are still visible if you spend more than five minutes here.
Explore the Empire Community Board
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