Additionally, Coors Brewing Company, CoorsTek, Spyderco, Software Bisque, American Mountaineering Center, and Colorado Railroad Museum are located in the city.

It is the birthplace of the Jolly Rancher, a candy bought out by the Hershey Foods Corporation, and home to Yeti Cycles.

Established during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush, Golden City quickly became a leading economic and political center of the region.

[citation needed] Colorado City, a small town to the south of Denver, became the new temporary territorial capital, but saw only one short event at this location.

This status was quickly revoked, however, as on August 4, 1862, the territorial government voted formally to move back to Golden.

[9] While the town lost much of its populace and leading citizenry during the Civil War for several reasons (ranging from military to economic), Golden City became capital of the federally recognized Colorado Territory on August 2, 1862, continuing as such until 1867.

[10] Between 1862 and the early 1870s a fierce railroad competition developed between Denver, ten miles (16 km) to the east, and Golden.

[13] Golden, having then sidetracked into servicing various close by mountain communities, continued to fall behind the pace set by the Denver railroad, and by 1870, officially lost the race to Cheyenne.

[citation needed] Golden City became the "Lowell of the West", a regional center of trade and industry that boasted at various times three flour mills, five smelters, the first railroad into the Colorado mountains, the Coors Brewery, brick works, the only paper mill west of Missouri, clay and coal mines, and more.

[citation needed] Golden became even more connected through mass transit, with two trolley lines extending to Denver, while the movie theater gradually took the place of the opera house for downtown entertainment.

Downtown revitalization efforts began in the 1920s with its first streetscape and ornamental lighting project and urban renewal on its north and east, anchored by new senior high and grade schools.

The School of Mines gained a worldwide academic reputation, Coors rapidly came to the forefront of the national and international brewing and ceramics industries, and the city modernized with a recreation center, paved streets and more.

[citation needed] After World War II, Golden boomed, rapidly gaining population, size and economy.

In 1959, the town nearly tripled in geographic size overnight when it annexed large properties to the south, including the new Magic Mountain theme park, one of the earliest entertainment attractions of its kind.

A number of new subdivisions were built and public infrastructure was modernized, including new buildings for the senior high school, city hall, recreation center, library, museum and central fire and police stations.

[citation needed] The decline in the price of petroleum and near-simultaneous failure of several downtown anchors placed the central business district into recession in the 1980s.

The 150-year-old Buffalo Rose Bar and Grill[16] is the longest-surviving[17] Colorado gold rush-era business and remains a popular music venue for touring rock and blues bands.

Golden High School competes in various sports in 5A competition in Colorado, and its football program dates as far back as the 1890s.

The Colorado School of Mines competes primarily in NCAA Division II athletics in a variety of sports including football (dating to 1888), baseball and basketball.

[citation needed] Golden is a home rule municipality of the city form of statutory government in Colorado.

[citation needed] The main part of Golden is laid out upon a historic street grid system running on an approximately northwest–southeast axis, aligned with Clear Creek upon which the heart of the city was established.

Outlying subdivisions of Golden consist of their own, often curvilinear street systems, with varying degrees of connection to the rest of the city.

State Highway 93 (SH 93), which traces its roots to the 1860s, continues north through the western part of the city from the canyon and northward towards Boulder.

West Colfax Avenue, the historic US 40, runs on an approximately northeast–southwest route through the southern end of the city and turns westward up Mt.

[citation needed] Golden is part of the network of the Regional Transportation District which provides bus and light rail service throughout the Denver metropolitan area.

[citation needed] At the same time the W Line opened, a Community Call-n-Ride bus launched in Golden, offering flexible service along with regular stops within the city itself.

The new bus system was designed to complement the light rail, extending the transit service into the whole community, including the downtown corridor.

[19]Notable individuals who were born in or have lived in Golden include engineer and historian Edward L. Berthoud,[20] brewer Adolph Coors,[21] photographer Gertrude Käsebier,[22] and Gudy Gaskill, the driving force behind the creation of the Colorado Trail.