Longmont is a Home Rule Municipality in Boulder County and Weld County in the U.S. state of Colorado. Longmont is located northeast of the county seat of Boulder and 33 miles (53 km) north-northwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver.
Longmont's population was 86,270 at the time of the 2010 U.S. Census.[5] Longmont is the 13th most populous city in the state of Colorado.
The word "Longmont" comes from Longs Peak, a prominent mountain named for explorer Stephen H. Long that is clearly visible from Longmont, and "mont", from the French word for mountain.
History
Longmont was founded in 1871 by a group of people from Chicago, Illinois. Originally called the Chicago-Colorado Colony, the men sold memberships in the town and with the proceeds purchased the land necessary for the town hall. As the first planned community in Boulder County, the city streets were laid out in a grid plan in a square mile. The city began to flourish as an agricultural community after the building of the Colorado Central Railroad line arrived northward from Boulder in 1877. During the 1940s, Longmont began to grow beyond these original limits.
During the 1960s the federal government built an air traffic control center in Longmont, and IBM built a large factory near Longmont. As agriculture waned, more high technology has come to the city, including companies like Seagate and Amgen. In April 2009, the GE Energy Company relocated its control solutions business to the area.
The downtown 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 first New Urbanist project in Colorado, called Prospect New Town, designed by the architects Andrés Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk.
The Longmont City Council in May 2013 voted to finance and build out its own municipal gigabit data fiber-optic network to every house and business over a three-year period starting in late 2013.
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Further information on Longmont's history, see The Official City of Longmont History and the Longmont Museum & Cultural Center.
Geography
Longmont is located in northeastern Boulder County at .[6] The city 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) to Loveland 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) to Interstate 25.
The elevation at City Hall is 4,978 feet (1,517 m) above sea level. St. Vrain Creek, a tributary of the South Platte River, flows through the city just south of the city center.
According to the U.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.[5]
Demographics
As of the census[7] of 2010, there were 86,270 people residing in the city. The population density was 3,262.3 people per square mile (1,259.7/km²). There were 27,394 housing units at an average density of 1,257.0 per square mile (485.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was:
There were 26,667 households out 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 27.9% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 97.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $51,174, and the median income for a family was $58,037. Males had a median income of $40,978 versus $29,582 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,409. About 5.9% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.6% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Longmont is home to the Boulder County Campus of Front Range Community College.
Longmont public schools are part of the St. Vrain Valley School District.
Longmont also offers a variety of private schools.
Longmont is also home to the Master Instructor Continuing Education Program (MICEP) the "world's largest voluntary accreditation program for aviation educators and is based on advanced professional standards and peer review."[8]
Transportation
Longmont is part of the RTD transit district that provides local and regional bus service to Denver and Boulder.
Outside of RTD, Longmont is connected to Fort Collins, Loveland, and Berthoud via a FLEX regional bus service.
In 2012, Longmont was recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as a silver-level bicycle-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 a university city.[9]
Media
The Longmont Times-Call is the local daily newspaper.
Longmont's radio stations include KRCN, KGUD, and KKFN. Country music is broadcast on KWOF from a tower about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Longmont. Also located nearby is KKZN with a progressive talk format. The KKZN transmitter site is about 15 miles (24 km) east of Boulder.
NPR programming can be heard on Colorado Public Radio stations KCFR from Denver, and KCFC in Boulder. The NPR affiliate KUNC from the Fort Collins-Greeley market can also be heard in Longmont.
Longmont is also served by Pacifica Radio affiliate KGNU, a non-commercial community radio station from Boulder.
Economy
Downtown Longmont
Another glimpse of downtown Longmont
According to the Longmont Area Economic Council,[10] the top eleven employers in Longmont are:
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St. Vrain Valley Schools (regional school district) with 4875 employees
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Longmont United Hospital with 1282 employees
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Seagate Technology with 1160 employees
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The City of Longmont with 814 employees
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Amgen with 789 employees
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Intrado with 762 employees
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The Federal Aviation Administration with 540 employees
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DigitalGlobe with 437 employees
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McLane Western with 425 employees
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Butterball, formerly ConAgra, operates a turkey processing plant that closed in December 2011[11]
Government
This is a list of mayors of Longmont.[12]
Reservoir west of Longmont
Longmont Performing Arts Center
Former St. Stephen's Church (1881) now houses the St. Vrain Historical Society in Longmont.
Notable people
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Greg Biekert, professional football player (played football for Longmont High School[13])
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Vance D. Brand, former astronaut[14]
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John R. Kelso, congressman and author (lived and died in Longmont)[15]
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David Pauley, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers[16]
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Jack Reynor, Irish actor (born in Longmont)
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Kristen Schaal, comedian and actress, grew up in Longmont[17]
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Dan Simmons, author (1990 Hugo Award winner)[18]
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William Oxley Thompson, pastor of Central Presbyterian Church (Longmont), president of Longmont Presbyterian College, president of Miami University of Ohio, president of Ohio State University
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Ed Werder, ESPN television commentator (born in Longmont)
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Mr. Money Mustache, financial blogger and inventor of the terms "Badassity" and "Complainypants"
Sister cities
Longmont is a sister city of these municipalities:
See also
References
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^ a b "Active Colorado Municipalities".
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^ "Colorado Municipal Incorporations".
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^ "US Board on Geographic Names".
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^ "ZIP Code Lookup" (
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^ a b "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Longmont city, Colorado". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
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^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990".
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^ "American FactFinder".
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^ https://articles/Master_Instructor_Continuing_Education_Program_(MICEP)
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^ Wegrzyn, Magdalena. "Longmont More Bike-Friendly Than Ever". Longmont Times Call Newspaper. Longmont Times Call Newspaper. Retrieved May 15, 2012.
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^ Longmont Area Economic Council (October 2009). "LONGMONT AREA TOP EMPLOYERS" (PDF). Retrieved August 25, 2010.
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^ Wallace, Alicia (June 28, 2008). "Butterball cuts 209 jobs in Longmont". Daily Camera. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
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^ "Mayors of Longmont since 1881". City of Longmont. November 13, 2007. Retrieved May 2, 2009.
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^ "Looking back at Colorado's best".
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^ "Astronaut Bio: V.D. Brand".
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^ "KELSO, John Russell".
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^ "David Pauley Stats, Bio, Photos, Highlights".
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^ The Kooky Monster – The Age, March 13, 2008. Retrieved on May 16, 2008.
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^ Evans, Clay (February 7, 2007). "Myth and madness in the frozen north". Boulder Daily Camera. Retrieved February 19, 2010.
External links
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City of Longmont official website
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CDOT map of the City of Longmont
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History of Longmont
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Longmont Times-Call (local newspaper)
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Longmont Channel 8 (public-access television station)
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Visit Longmont (Longmont Area Visitors Association)
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Free Range Longmont (Longmont News Blog)
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