Silverthorne, Colorado

Silverthorne, Colorado
Silverthorne, Colorado
Town
	Silverthorne seen from Ptarmigan Peak. In the background Buffalo Mountain is on the left, while Red Mountain and Mount Silverthorne are located adjacent to each other to the right.
	Logo
	Location of Silverthorne in Summit County, Colorado.
	Coordinates: 39°38′18″N 106°04′35″W / 39.63833°N 106.07639°W
Country	United States
State	Colorado
County	Summit County
Incorporated	September 5, 1967
Government
• Type	Home rule municipality
Area
• Total	10.54 km2 (4.07 sq mi)
• Land	10.37 km2 (4.00 sq mi)
• Water	0.17 km2 (0.07 sq mi)
Elevation	2,680 m (8,790 ft)
Population (2020)
• Total	4,402
• Density	420/km2 (1,100/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP codes	80497 (Post-office box), 80498
Area code	970
FIPS code	08-70525
GNIS feature ID	2413288
Website	Town of Silverthorne

The Town of Silverthorne is a home rule municipality in Summit County, Colorado. According to the 2020 Census, the population of the city is 4,402.^[5]

History

The town was named for Judge Marshall Silverthorn who served as the judge of the miners' court in Breckenridge. The judge first came to town as a prospector and claimed a section of the Blue River in 1881. After patenting his claim in April 1882, he was disappointed to find the gold to be sparse and the claim a poor bet. The land passed to his daughters on his death in 1887 and was then sold several times to various mining companies. In 1953 Clayton Hill bought the property and subdivided it for homes and stores.^[7]

Silverthorne served as a makeshift camp for workers during the construction of the Dillon Reservoir from 1961 to 1963, and later as a stop along Interstate 70. It was eventually incorporated on April 5, 1967.^[2]

The city has expanded several times since incorporation by annexation.

Since 2016, the town of Silverthorne has hosted the Silverthon Games, an annual competition featuring a seasonally-based slate of individual and team events, culminating with the heavily spectated Hummingbird Circle race.^[8]

Geography

Silverthorne is situated between the Gore Range to the west and the Continental Divide to the east. The two most visible mountains are Buffalo and Red Mountains. Also surrounding the valley are Ptarmigan, Tenderfoot, and Ten Mile Peaks.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²), of which, 3.2 square miles (8.3 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) of it (0.94%) is water.

Climate

Silverthorne has a highland-influenced subpolar climate (Köppen (Dfc) with warm summer days, cold nights year round, as well as cold and snowy winter days.

Climate data for Silverthorne (1981–2010, extremes 1910-2018)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	61 (16)	60 (16)	63 (17)	76 (24)	80 (27)	87 (31)	89 (32)	87 (31)	84 (29)	77 (25)	65 (18)	61 (16)	89 (32)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	31.7 (−0.2)	33.9 (1.1)	39.6 (4.2)	47.3 (8.5)	57.3 (14.1)	67.9 (19.9)	74.0 (23.3)	71.9 (22.2)	64.9 (18.3)	53.5 (11.9)	40.2 (4.6)	31.5 (−0.3)	51.1 (10.6)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	1.8 (−16.8)	4.0 (−15.6)	11.7 (−11.3)	18.8 (−7.3)	27.3 (−2.6)	33.7 (0.9)	39.0 (3.9)	38.2 (3.4)	30.7 (−0.7)	22.0 (−5.6)	12.6 (−10.8)	3.8 (−15.7)	20.3 (−6.5)
Record low °F (°C)	−44 (−42)	−45 (−43)	−38 (−39)	−25 (−32)	−8 (−22)	11 (−12)	22 (−6)	20 (−7)	4 (−16)	−17 (−27)	−30 (−34)	−46 (−43)	−46 (−43)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	0.81 (21)	0.92 (23)	1.01 (26)	1.26 (32)	1.31 (33)	1.25 (32)	1.95 (50)	1.93 (49)	1.42 (36)	0.90 (23)	0.93 (24)	0.86 (22)	14.55 (371)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	14.7 (37)	15.7 (40)	16.5 (42)	15.8 (40)	5.6 (14)	0.7 (1.8)	0 (0)	0 (0)	1.4 (3.6)	6.6 (17)	14.1 (36)	15.0 (38)	106.1 (269.4)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.04 in)	6.7	6.5	7.5	7.9	7.2	6.4	9.1	10.2	7.5	5.9	6.7	6.6	88.2
Average snowy days (≥ 0.4 in)	9.5	8.7	9.4	8.5	3.3	0.4	0	0	0.7	3.7	8.1	8.9	61.2
Source: NWS NOWDATA —data from Dillon 1E 1981-2010