Louisville

History

The town of Louisville dates back to the start of the Welch Mine in 1877, the first coal mine in an area of Boulder and Weld counties known as the Northern Coalfield. The town was named for Louis Nawatny, a local landowner who platted his land and named it for himself. Incorporation came several years later in 1882. The Northern Coalfield proved to be highly productive, and eventually, some 30 different mines operated within the current boundaries of Louisville, though not all at the same time. During the years of peak production (1907–09), 12 mines were in operation in Louisville, including the Acme Mine whose two million tons of coal came from directly beneath the center of town. The presence of many independent mining companies in Louisville saved the town from becoming a "company town", wholly owned and dominated by a single mining company. In late December 2021, the Marshall Fire raged through the parched lands near Boulder, Colorado. The Marshall Fire would prove to be the most destructive in Colorado's history to date. The fire impacted City of Louisville, Town of Superior and unincorporated Boulder County areas. Within Louisville, 553 homes were destroyed with an additional 45 damaged. Over 21,000 people in Louisville and 13,000 in Superior were ultimately evacuated while the fire was spreading due to unusual 100-mile-per-hour winds. Additionally, two people died in the fire. The cause of the fire has not been officially announced, pending an investigation. However, an incident report filed by a ranger with Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks identified two ignition points for the fire. The first ignition point was a shed that began to burn at approximately 11:30AM MST, December 30, 2021. The second ignition point was upwind from the first, and started…

Geography

Louisville is located in southeastern Boulder County. U.S. Highway 36 (the Denver-Boulder Turnpike) forms the southwestern border of the city. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.35%, is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• House Finch

  Haemorhous mexicanus (P.L.Statius Müller, 1776) · Aves
  61,543
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  54,015
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  50,170
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  50,104
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  47,737
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  44,484
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  43,901
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  41,921

Largest nearby schools

• Boulder High School
  High · BOULDER · 2,074 students · 20.3:1 ratio
• Fairview High School
  High · BOULDER · 1,880 students · 21.6:1 ratio
• Centaurus High School
  High · LAFAYETTE · 1,525 students · 18.8:1 ratio
• Monarch High School
  High · LOUISVILLE · 1,523 students · 20.9:1 ratio
• Peak to Peak Charter School
  Other · LAFAYETTE · 1,450 students · 19.3:1 ratio
• Niwot High School
  High · NIWOT · 1,355 students · 24.2:1 ratio
• Meadowlark School
  Elementary · ERIE · 725 students · 18.6:1 ratio
• Monarch K-8 School
  Elementary · LOUISVILLE · 715 students · 15.9:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2025-06-13
  7 km SE of Erie, Colorado
• M 2.5 — 2020-10-24
  2 km ESE of Georgetown, Colorado
• M 2.9 — 2019-03-30
  7 km NE of Greeley, Colorado
• M 3 — 2016-11-06
  8 km ENE of Greeley, Colorado
• M 2.7 — 2016-11-06
  8 km ENE of Greeley, Colorado
• M 2.6 — 2016-08-23
  2 km SSE of Eaton, Colorado