Golden is a census-designated place (CDP) located between the towns of Cedar Crest and Madrid in Santa Fe County, New Mexico, United States.

The area remained quiet for decades until several large companies began to put money into the mines, bringing in numerous workers, and followed by many individual prospectors.

Officially formed in 1879, Golden was selected as the center of the new gold-mining district and soon grew to support several saloons, businesses, a school, and even a stock exchange.

[5] Golden is located along the Turquoise Trail Scenic Byway and is about ten miles north of the Sandia Park junction on NM-14.

Today, Golden has seen a small rebirth as new residents have moved into the area, building new homes and restoring others, but still it remains a sleepy village with vivid reminders of its more robust past.