About Breckenridge. Breckenridge, Colorado is a popular ski resort in the Rocky Mountains. The year round population of Breckenridge is about 31,000 with permanent residents, but our single day population...
The year round population of Breckenridge is about 31,000 with permanent residents, but our single day population can go up by 30,000. It depends on the work force. Our work force is about 7000. We have an influx of people who come to work in the winter during ski season on our historic Main Street. We have 180 shops and 80 restaurants in and around the Main Street area.
We boast 300 days per year of sunny weather, so it's great to walk to all the shops and restaurants. In the summer the average daytime temperature is 70. We have a very dry climate, so 70 doesn't feel the same here as it does in Dallas. The average daytime temperature in April is 48. We are only a couple of thousand feet shy of two miles above sea level, so there are some high altitude precautions that people need to consider when coming to Breckenridge. Our elevation is what allows 70 degrees in the summer with several inches of snow in winter. You should always be aware of the elevation and make sure you wear sunscreen. Drink plenty of water prior to and during your trip because that kind of helps the acclimation process, and limit alcohol consumption if possible. If you feel lethargic or short of breath, rest and drinking of water can help. It's not uncommon to have a headache or nausea when you get here, but if it continues, let your connoisseur know and get medical attention. You don't always know how altitude would affect a person. Some people aren't affected at all.
Breckenridge is known for two distinct things. First, we were a gold camp in the 1800s and the only place in Colorado to really do any gold mining. There is a lot of silver and mineral mining in Colorado, but we are specifically known for gold. The largest gold nugget ever found here was 13.5 lbs. It was called Tom's Baby because Tom Grobes who found the nugget wrapped it in a bundle and walked into town. After the gold era, we had about 300 people in town from the 1940s to the early 1960s. We then discovered what is now referred to as "white gold," because in 1963 Breckenridge Ski Resort opened. It's the second most popular ski resort in North America today. We have 170 historic points of interest here and are only seven miles long and two miles wide.
We're a Victorian town. Many people use that term to describe an architectural style, however Victorian is not really a style but a period in history. The Victorian era dates from about 1840 to 1900. Breckenridge was founded in 1859 during the industrial revolution. We basically say it's a Victorian town because of the architecture of a lot of our buildings.
