Empire Colorado Map

About Empire, Colorado

Empire is a locality in Clear Creek County, Colorado, United States. It is a small community with a population of 672. The population density is 263.2 people per km². Empire is located at 39.7614°N, 105.6844°W. It observes the Mountain Time (America/Denver) timezone. ZIP code: 80438.

Empire unfolds as a high-altitude settlement where the vast, pale canvas of the plains abruptly buckles and rises into the formidable ramparts of the Front Range. It lies 24.6 miles west of Golden, CO (from Golden, CO: bearing 271°T), and is situated 19.1 miles west-southwest of Coal Creek. Here, the air thins to a crystalline clarity, carrying the scent of dry earth and distant pine, and the sun, at this elevation, seems to burn with a more insistent, unwavering gaze. The landscape is a study in contrasts: broad, sun-baked valleys cradle the town, while jagged peaks, often crowned with stubborn snow even in the height of summer, loom as a constant, dramatic backdrop. In autumn, the hillsides ignite with the fleeting, incandescent brilliance of aspen gold, a vibrant counterpoint to the enduring granite and the deep, somber green of the conifers. The bones of Empire are unmistakably those of a mining town, its early prosperity hammered out of the mountainside by prospectors and hardy souls seeking fortune in the earth's dark veins. Though the pickaxes have long since fallen silent, the echoes of that era linger in the sturdy, unpretentious architecture and the quiet resilience of its inhabitants. Today, the local economy draws sustenance from the surrounding natural beauty, with fly-fishing enthusiasts drawn to the trout-bright rivers that tumble from the high country, and a steady stream of travelers seeking the raw, unfiltered grandeur of the Rockies. The pace of life here is dictated less by the clock and more by the slow, inexorable turning of seasons and the enduring majesty of the mountains that cradle Empire.

About This Empire Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Empire, Colorado — switch between views using the small square in the bottom left-hand corner of the map. Coordinates: 39.761376, -105.684448. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service, with current observations and a 7-day forecast also powered by Open-Meteo. Real-time local news and world news feeds keep the page current, while a Wikipedia summary or an editorially written description provides background on Empire and Clear Creek County.

Detailed location data for Empire includes the ZIP code (80438), telephone area code (303, 720), county seat of Clear Creek County (Georgetown), and school district assignment (Clear Creek School District RE-1). These are among the most commonly searched location details for any US city or town.

Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity — ensuring the correct Empire is identified even where the name is shared across multiple counties or states. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.