Beaver Creek

Beaver Creek is little more than a rest stop in the western part of the state. It is also the home of Western State University, the smallest campus of the state's unified college system.

Demographics

Like a lot of western mountain towns that got their start as mining camps, Beaver Creek was built on a rather diverse population of immigrants, notably Irish, Chinese, Italians, Romanians, Mexicans and Germans. A small neighborhood consisting of three African-Americans families was established as well, recently emancipated after the American Civil War.

History

Beaver Creek started as a small mining camp in the mid-Nineteenth Century when "purple" gold was discovered, a gold-copper ore with a reddish hue. Silver and copper mines were also established, and the region grew to include some logging as well. Ore and timber processing, came by the turn of the century. In 1902, a land grant established the Western State School of Natural Resources. By the 1920's, the population leveled out and has only fluctuated by a few thousand residents over the decades. During World War I and II, small manufacturing also came to the town. But by the 1980's, several of the mines had ceased production, and logging had become unprofitable compared to other timber producing areas in the U.S. and Canada.
Today, Beaver Creek is more of a way-point along the highway between larger towns. Some small manufacturing of tractor parts still exists. The college was incorporated into the statewide university system and was renamed Western State University, the smallest of the state's college campuses.

Geography

The town has seven major areas that are distinct.

1. Old Town: The original mining camp. It was the central part of the city and served as its downtown until the building of the interstate highway shifted economic activity north of the river
2. Limerick: originally an Irish neighborhood, its St. Patrick's Church remains one of the most distinguished landmarks
3. Chinatown: originally set up by Chinese immigrants, the neighborhood also welcomed the first black families to the town
4. Aliceville: the posh neighborhood of a bygone mining era, still containing many elegant "mansions" in the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Century style
5. Little Europa: Many immigrants from Europe, including Italian, Romanian, and German families, settled in this district
6. College District: the neighborhoods surrounding Western State University are populated mostly by college students
7. Newrise: the newest area of Beaver Creek sprung to life with the building of the interstate highway in the 1960's. Over the next couple of decades, economic activity shifted dramatically here and is now the new downtown center of the city.

Population

32,543 residents (does not include students of WSU)

Included Locations

• Western State University