Old Town Historical Building Survey 2000

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"Old Town" Louisville Historical Building Survey Page 4 and Little Italy.3 Common ties quickly developed between the residents, however, and county directories indicate that by the early 1900s the varied nationalities were about equally distributed throughout the community. Although dependent primarily on coal for its economic survival, Louisville was fortunate in having both agriculture and the railroad as additional sources of revenue, providing stability to the growing community. In addition to supplying the coal mines, the town developed as a social and business center for the area farms, and by the latter 1890s, Louisville was able to boast both a creamery and cheese factory.' The railroad provided the means of bringing new commodities into Louisville, at the same time acting as the vehicle for exporting the area's coal and agricultural products. In later years, beginning in the early 1920s, Louisville became a destination dining center, establishing a reputation as the Italian food capital of Colorado. This economic diversity was to prove significant as the demand for coal decreased. While the production of coal dominated the economy of southeast Boulder County into the 1930s, by the late 1920s coal markets had begun to decline. Within the next ten years the need for coal decreased dramatically as the nation began using alternate fuels such as natural gas, oil, and hydroelectric power. By the end of World War II, Louisville's coal industry had bottomed out. The death blow for the area coal mines came in 1954, following the Burlington Northern Railroad's switch from coal power to diesel fuel. The 1950s and 1960s saw the rise of Louisville and southeast Boulder County as an established center for technological and electronic industries. In 1950, the National Bureau of Standards opened a main base of operations in Boulder. By the mid-1960s, it had become one of the area's largest employers, drawing many of its workers from Louisville. Other government facilities include the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant, opened by the Atomic Energy Commission in 1951, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research, in 1962. Beech Aircraft Corporation (1955), Ball Brothers Research Corporation (1957), Neodata (1963), International Business Machines (1965), and Storage Tek (1970), all located in close proximity to Louisville. This trend is continuing into the 21't century, as evidenced by Compaq Computer Corporations recently announced plans to open a storage -management software operation in Louisville in mid -September of 2000. Associated with these industries, Louisville has experienced a surge in population during the past two decades. Expanding out from its historic center, the city has grown rapidly, with farmland giving way to residential subdivisions and new commercial development. Today, with a population of more than 20,000 residents, the city is a refreshing blend of 3Carolyn Conarroe. The Louiseville Story, (Louisville: Louisville Times Inc.. 1978) p. 5. 4 Steven R. Whissen, "Louisville Historical Survey Report", August, 1982, p. 7.