Prospect

est. 1868

the town of prospect is located in gold county, colorado. founded during the gold rush of 1859, in a valley of the eagle mountain range of the southern rockies, the town slowly built up along the quartz river and was officially chartered nine years later in 1868. with a current population of 16,821 people and a vision plan, the core of the former mining town has been beautifully preserved. the prospect national historical district runs primarily along main street with colorfully painted buildings from the 1880s and '90s, including housing, shops, galleries and restaurants. with its small town charm, seasonal events and activities, prospect has become a popular year-round tourist destination in recent years.

neighborhoods. downtown expand_more buy: $500k-$1.5m rent: bluebird theater (film), carriage house pre-school, margaret brown elementary school, prospect fire department (main), prospect high school, prospect theater (performing arts), st. barbara's catholic church, st. barbara's school, st. john the baptist episcopal church, st. paul's united methodist church, united states postal service, william bent middle school downtown is a designated national historic district, and takes in the streets on a traditional grid for about 4 blocks east of main street. the downtown area is home to some of the most prestigious addresses in the town. you'll find beautiful victorians and restored mining cottages here. the heights expand_more buy: $500k-$750k rent: businesses. to the north of pinewood is the heights, developed in the 1980s. many locals under the age of 40 grew up in the heights and the houses there are a lot less cookie cutter in appearance than those in overlook. north valley expand_more buy: $200k-$500k rent: colorado state patrol post, gold county community college, north valley co-op (grocery), north valley elementary school, north valley sanitation (water treatment), prospect fire department (north), prospect recycling center, st. joseph's medical center, valley electric co-op although primarily residential, you can find several businesses throughout the north valley along the western side of state highway 18, including the electricity co-op and the water treatment plant which provide basic utilities for the entire valley. overlook expand_more buy: $500k-$1.5m rent: life church, the independent school, prospect fire department (west), temple beth-el most locals who were looking to buy into newer homes moved into the overlook neighborhood as developers began to build up the neighborhood in the early 2000s. it developed just to the west of west prospect. there are a few condo units available, but most of what's available in overlook are single family homes for rent or sale. pinewood expand_more buy: $200k-$500k rent: businesses. one of prospect's oldest neighborhoods, pinewood was originally home to prospect's more affluent residents. while there are still a number of victorians throughout the neighborhood, modern housing built up around them beginning in the 1940s. ridgeview expand_more buy: $1m-$2m rent: businesses. the neighborhood of ridgeview prides itself on its perfectly manicured lawns, so much so that it's one of the few communities in prospect with a homeowners assosciation. located to the northwest of downtown, ridgeview is made up of single family homes that were recently constructed, ranging from 3 to 8 bedrooms sawmill district expand_more buy: $300k-$500k rent: $800-1.8k the collective (co-living apartments), the lumberyard (lofts and pop-up retail space), wagner mill (apartments and townhomes) a revitalized former industrial area, you'll find a mix of residental and retail buildings in the sawmill district. while the original mill was refurbished and turned into a mix of apartments and townhomes, its lumberyard was developed into a mix of lofts and retail space. many of the original mill houses were lost in a fire in the 1960s, but the process to rebuild them began in 2010 to offer residents of prospect affordable housing. the old mill houses are typically no larger than 1 bedroom, 1 bath with a small backyard - but if you're lucky one with 2 bedrooms will go on the market. skyline ridge expand_more buy: $5m-$15m rent: businesses. also known as "the estates", skyline ridge is home to most of prospect's seasonal residents, local celebrities, and those who can afford to live within the gated neighborhood on the ridge. located to the northeast of downtown, skyline ridge offers its residents a quiet getaway. south valley expand_more buy: $500k-$3m rent: prospect fire department (south), prospect municipal airport beginning where main street meets state highway 18 again, the south valley is primarily farm and ranch land with a few residential areas that have sprung up along the highway as land's become available. if you take the turnoff for airport road, you'll find the prospect municipal airport tucked behind a field full of cattle. west prospect expand_more buy: $300k-$500k rent: gold county courthouse and jail, gold county motor vehicle office, the link (shared workspace), little river pre-school, prospect municipal court, prospect police department, prospect public library, prospect recreation center, prospect riverwalk center, riverside lofts, town hall, valley credit union similar to the sawmill district, west prospect suffered from fires in the 1960s. beginning in 2001, however, the town began to work toward modernization and started developing the land for new construction. in addition to the many civic buildings that were funded by grants, west prospect is where you'll find a mix of stand-alone businesses, apartments, condos and modern custom homes.

schools. school location type grades mascot colors carriage house pre-school downtown private pk n/a n/a little river pre-school west prospect private pk n/a n/a north valley elementary school north valley public pk, k-5 elks margaret brown elementary school downtown public k-5 lions william bent middle school downtown public 6-8 owls the independent school overlook private k-12 cougars prospect high school downtown public 9-12 golden eagles st. barbara's school (catholic) downtown private pk, k-12 canaries gold county community college north valley public 2 year bighorns colorado state university - prospect west prospect public 4 year bucks

surrounding area. the city of capitol expand_more located 51 miles north of prospect in union county, capitol is a ski resort town with a year-round population of 3,084 people according to the 2010 census. in the late '90s, the city became a popular retreat for celebrities - many of whom pass through prospect on their way to the resorts in the winter. agate lake expand_more located to the west of prospect, agate lake can only be accessed by trail (6 mile hike roundtrip from trailhead located 1 mile north of town). this lake is small and surrounded by wooded area, making it perfect for swimming. the lake is named for the agates that can sometimes be found on its shores. crystal lake expand_more located to the southwest of prospect at the base of crystal peak, crystal lake can only be accessed by trail (5.6 mile hike roundtrip from trailhead located 2 miles outside of town). although a result of the area's mining history, the water in the lake is so clear that it looks more shallow than it is. with over half a mile of rocky beach, there are no trees around the lake but there are plenty of places to stop and camp just off of the trail. eagle lake expand_more located 62 miles southeast of prospect, eagle lake has a surface area of over 181 square miles and a shoreline of 65.1 miles. its deepest point is 1,580 feet with an average depth of 1,000 feet, making it both the largest and deepest lake in colorado. the water is clear and maintains a purity of 99.994% due in part to conservation efforts by the residents of gold county. there are several small communities that have sprung up around the lake, although with few year-round residents they're considered seasonal. quartz river expand_more located to the west of downtown prospect, the quartz river runs parallel to main street and state highway 18, dividing the central part of town into prospect and west prospect. the river's headwaters are a natural spring that's located 27 miles northeast of the town and has become a favorite destination of hikers. due to the picturesque nature of the spring, it's frequently referred to as "the grotto". gold county expand_more located in the heart of colorado's mineral belt, gold county is famous for both its mining and logging history, as well as the rich mineral deposits that can still be found today. many of the creeks, lakes, mountains, and other natural features found throughout the county are named for the minerals found in the area.

misc. where is prospect located? expand_more although prospect is completely fictional, we've decided to use the ghost town of ashcroft, colorado as a geographic bearing so that everyone has the ability to look up the local weather as needed. what's prospect like? are there any similar real life towns? expand_more we took a lot of inspiration for prospect from cities and towns like aspen, breckenridge, carmel, larson, south lake tahoe, taos, telluride, and more. our goal was to provide something for everyone, since you can't always achieve that in a real life setting. we see prospect as a progressive town in the heart of colorado that's doing what it can to make the american dream come true for those who live there. what's the town's cost of living? expand_more prospect's cost of living is fairly high, which is to be expected for a small town that thrives on tourism. to combat this, the "minimum wage" in prospect is also fairly high. recognizing that residents who are struggling to pay their bills are more likely to leave prospect, most business owners start entry level positions out at a minimum of $21 an hour on average ($43,680 yearly). this guarantees everyone who works 40 hours a week the ability to live comfortably, regardless of their job title. what's the town's main industries? expand_more after the gold and silver rush, the logging industry moved into the valley. when the mill shut down in the 1950s, the residents of prospect turned to farming and ranching. by the late 1990s, the residents of prospect realized that they were going to have to invest in their town to prevent it from going under. through the revitalization of downtown and the surrounding areas, as well as a clever marketing campaign, prospect began to draw in year-round revnue from tourism. while the farming and ranching industries are still active in prospect, the town's growth and prosperity primarily revolves around the tourists who arrive each season. what's there to do in spring/summer? expand_more spring/summer in prospect attracts outdoor enthusiasts with hiking trails, wildflowers, fly-fishing and white water rafting in the quartz river, mountain biking, nearby lakes for swimming and boating, three alpine slides, a roller coaster, and numerous events such as the town's annual fourth of july parade. what's there to do in fall/winter? expand_more while most people pass through on their way to capitol for skiing and snowboarding during fall/winter, there's still plenty to do in the town of prospect. cross-country skiing, dog sledding, fat bike racing, fly-fishing, ice climbing, soaking in natural hot springs, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and sleigh rides still attract plenty of tourists. between the months of november and march, however, prospect might be better known for its annual events and festivals - including its st. barbara's day celebrations, the prospect film festival, the valley film festival, the polar bear plunge in crystal lake, and more.