County: Summit
Coverage Area (Total): 5.0 sq. miles
Elevation: 9,600 ft.
Population: 4,537
Cities/Towns covered in local Names and Numbers Phone Book: Alma, Blue River, Breckenridge, Como, Copper Mountain, Dillon, Fairplay, Frisco, Hartsel, Jefferson, Keystone, Kremmling, Leadville, Montezuma, Peak Seven West, Silverthorne, Twin Lakes
Breckenridge was founded in 1859 as "Breckinridge." Pro-Union residents later changed the name to "Breckenridge" when the man the town was named after (John C. Breckinridge) served as a brigadier general with the Confederate army during the Civil War. The town's early days were spent prospering from the Pikes Peak Gold Rush of 1859, with the Breckenridge mining district producing approximately 31,000 kilograms of gold during its time.
Today, Breckenridge Ski Resort (known as "Breck") is considered one of the most popular ski resorts in the world. It first opened in 1961 and services ski slopes across four peaks on the Ten Mile Range of the Rocky Mountains. During the 2010-11 ski season, the resort boasted numbers of more than 1.6 million skier visits. It is perennially ranked in the Top 10 Best Resorts in the U.S. by SKI Magazine.
Breckenridge maintains a variety of attractions including: