GOLDEN, Colo. — This week, Denver7 | Your Voice is heading west to a place where you are always greeted with a hearty, "Howdy, folks!" when visiting the main drag.
Originally constructed in 1949, the Welcome Arch in Golden spans Washington Avenue and is one of the most recognizable features in Golden’s historic downtown commercial area. Another world-famous business sits just two blocks east of the avenue: the Coors Brewing Company. And just a few blocks south of that is the Colorado School of Mines.
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Golden is a hotbed of activity, buzzing with students, tourists, and those who call the small town at the base of the Colorado Rockies home.
Denver7 popped into the iconic Windy Saddle Café to hear directly from the people who live there, listen to their concerns, and learn how they view the community and where they hope the future takes them.
For DeAnn Wieber, who founded Windy Saddle Café with her husband, the past 18 years running the café have flown by.
“Everything’s from scratch,” Wieber explained. “It’s fresh. We have a great breakfast menu. We have burritos. There’s one thing we’ve never taken off the menu — it’s our most popular and it’s been on there for 18 years — it’s called the Thunderbird. It’s shaved turkey with chipotle mayo and avocado.”
She knew Golden would become home as soon as she arrived.
“I started a café in Wisconsin prior to this,” Wieber said. “We found Golden and Golden was like a Midwest town to us. There’s not a lot of towns that have this — the quality — everything you need in one town.”
WELCOMED TOURISM
For many who live and work in the Front Range city, Golden truly is as good as gold.
Jerry Devitt, a retired attorney, has lived there for 50 years and took some time to sit down with Denver7's Russell Haythorn at the café. We asked what it is about Washington Avenue that makes it such an attractive place to him.
“We have a lot of locals, but also, it's a big tourist attraction in the summer," Devitt answered. "And, you know, everyone coming from (the Colorado School of) Mines and parents visiting... I came out from (Washington) D.C. to work for Johns Manville, and I just found the area very, very nice. The city and its people have, over the years, done a very good job, worked very hard at it — at remaining independent. Not becoming a suburb but really establishing its own identity and maintaining that identity.”
Golden is home to a bunch of breweries, trails, parks and museums that bring in folks from the Denver metro area and beyond. Washington Avenue draws in crowds every weekend — rain or shine — who pop into the restaurants, local shops, art galleries and more. And of course, there is the iconic Goldens in Goldens, which brings in hundreds of golden retrievers downtown. Off the beaten path, there's also Lookout Mountain's trails and the nearby Windy Saddle Park.
According to a recent study, the city reported that visitor-related spending in Golden totaled almost $168 million in 2022, and contributed nearly $6 million to the city's tax revenue. That year, the city welcomed about 5.75 million visitors.
Lora Knowlton shared with Denver7 that she believes Golden embraces its tourism.
“Do you get overwhelmed by it?” Denver7's Haythorn asked.
“We can at times — when there's big celebrations in town, big events," she said.
CONCERNS ABOUT AFFORDABILITY
Like many places around the Denver metro area, affordability is part of the discussion when talking about living in Golden.
Dominyka Reventaite is a barista at Windy Saddle, as well as a full-time student.
Denver7 wanted to hear about the challenges for young people, like Reventaite, living in a popular and active community like Golden.
Not surprisingly, she said it is quite expensive.
“I drive on 6th Avenue and I don't really like it when it's busy and then I come to work and I can't find parking," she said. "I would say that's probably one of the biggest things. If you come to work later than 8 o'clock or so on a weekend morning, you're not really guaranteed a spot.”
We heard similar concerns from Audrey Faricy who is graduating from the Colorado School of Mines this month.
"A lot of my friends are asking, ‘Where do we live? Do we live alone?’ The housing market is expensive,” she said. “Also, the job market is hard right now. I have quite a few friends who don't have a job lined up, which is just another stressor of, ‘What do you do next?’”
Denver7 wanted to know if the pains are similar to what Denver has experienced in recent years.
“People are actually paying a lot more for homes if they really want the home,” said Vicki Schwarz, a local realtor. "But yet, then there's other homes that are sitting on the market. So, it is a confusing market. During COVID, we had less than 3,500 homes in the Denver metro area on the market. Today, we have over 11,000.”
According to Zillow, the average rent in Golden is $2,250 and the average home price is about $850,000.
Similar issues exist for store owners. Wieber explained that there is a vacant storefront a few doors down from her cafe.
“Are the only ones who are going to be able to afford that the chains?" she asked. "Can the mom-and-pop shops still survive in a community this big?”
THE PRICE OF POPULARITY — PARKING
With more visitors seeking to explore the small Front Range city and residents trying to enjoy their own home, lack of available parking can become an obstacle.
Schwarz called it "definitely one of our biggest challenges."
When we talked with Wieber, the cafe founder, she echoed a similar sentiment.
“I worry about the safety of people walking around,” she said. “Our streets get so crowded. I’m always worried about the people not paying attention and walking through the traffic or whatever.”
Coors Brewery, which many people said they consider the cornerstone of the community, has its own parking lot and then shuttles people to the complex.
Most of the downtown area and 100th Street corridor has paid parking. Plus, neighborhoods around downtown have specific residential area permits for parking.
However, parking garages typically have open space, the city's website reads. Availability at those garages is available online here.
WHAT GIVES GOLDEN ITS GLOW?
Different people are drawn to different parts of Golden.
As a Mines student, Faricy said she remembers hearing that the Colorado School of Mines was a STEM-focused school, and that feeling like a draw to her.
But that wasn't the only part about Golden that she loves.
“Just the location — being so close to the mountains," she explained. "The town kind of reminds me of a Hallmark movie."
Just outside of downtown is Lookout Mountain, the Buffalo Bill Museum, Golden Gate Canyon State Park, North and South Table Mountain Parks and Red Rocks Amphitheatre. And downtown itself is home to the Golden History Museum, Clear Creek White Water Park, Coors, The Golden Mill, and a slew of other spots to grab some food, drinks or sunshine.
We asked about news coverage of the Golden area, if Denver7 can do anything differently when it comes to covering the community, and what these residents thought about us sitting at a local coffee shop and inviting their conversation.
“What you’re doing here is really what's important to get a sense of what the community is about, and how people are feeling,” Levitt said.
“I think what you’re doing here is perfect,” Wieber added. “The more you get into the community and talk to the community, the more is revealed.”
Knowlton, who said she enjoys watching Denver7, said she appreciates having a contact to share the good news happening in her community.
Reventaite echoed the importance of positive news, saying she often sees negativity when she opens her phone to see the latest updates.
“The people are golden,” Knowlton said. “The people are truly golden, yeah. Thank you for coming to Golden.”
“Everybody has a story,” Wieber said. “Thank you for listening to ours.”
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