New Castle, Colorado

"The Fastest Growing Community on the Western Slope"

Located near the White River National Forest, one of the top five forests nationwide for total recreational opportunities, New Castle is the perfect location for outdoor enthusiasts. The Town of New Castle is just 10 miles west of Glenwood Springs along the I-70 corridor. With the Colorado River flanking the town and mountains all around, New Castle is nestled in it’s own little valley of scenic beauty.

As history tells it, the discovery of coal in the surrounding mountains led to the incorporation of New Castle in 1888. Before that it was known as Chapman and even before that, Grand Buttes. Samuel Wraith, a superintendent of one of the largest coal mines in the area, named the town after New Castle, England – his birthplace.

By 1896 the population of New Castle had quickly grown as the areas coal mining industry was firmly established. Houses and businesses were built as the population grew to 2,000. The coal being taken from the surrounding mines, although high-grade, contained high levels of methane gas. Tragedy rocked the little town of New Castle on three occasions in less than 20 years as the dangerous gases caused explosions in the mines, killing men and eventually ending all sizable coal production. Even with the miners and their families moving away to find other work, the town continued to prosper as it then turned to cattle raising, mineral prospecting, agriculture and sawmills.

New Castle offers premier education opportunities, including the centrally located Kathryn Senor Elementary School. It was built in 1997 and the Colorado Department of Education has recognized the school and given it high performance credits. For students in grades 5 through 8, Riverside School offers a fantastic learning atmosphere. In 2005 Coal Ridge High School opened its doors and in 2006 a bond issue was approved to fund construction of a new middle school (grades 5-8) and reform Riverside School into an alternate elementary for New Castle students.

New Castle has remained a small community throughout the years, but has continued to grow, more rapidly in recent years. The Denver Post has named New Castle as "the fastest growing community on the Western Slope". New Castle has grown from 1,976 in 2000 to 3,458 in 2006. Population is currently projected to reach 4,471 by 2011 due to construction in Castle Valley and Lakota Canyon, Town Infill, Riverside Village Development and competing regional absorption. Even with its recent growth and new construction, you can still walk the streets and find reminders of the past. And, if you look at the surrounding mountains, you can see evidence on the hillsides of the fires that still burn within the abandoned mines.

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