Empire Colorado Map
Explore Empire, Colorado, with this interactive street and satellite map. You can “grab” the Empire, CO street map and move it around to re-centre it. You can change between standard map view and satellite map view by clicking the small square in the bottom left-hand corner of the map. You can use the zoom buttons on the lower right side of the map to zoom in or out to street-level detail.
This page also offers TOPO MAPS — the official USGS topographic sheets — plus USGS aerial imagery, a labelled USNG grid overlay, a distance and bearing tool, and a GPS grid-reference readout. See How to Use This Map below. You will find live weather, local and world news further down the page.
Interactive Map of Empire, Colorado
How to Use This Empire, Colorado Map
This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for Empire, Colorado. Use the Map and Satellite buttons above to switch between street map and aerial imagery views. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in or out, or scroll your mouse wheel while holding the Control key to zoom. On a touchscreen, use a two-finger pinch gesture to zoom in and out.
Click ⛶ Fullscreen to expand the map to fill your screen for a larger view. To return to the normal page view, press the Escape key on your keyboard, click the ✕ Exit Fullscreen button that appears above the map, or on a mobile device tap the back button (Android) or the close icon (iOS).
Drag the map to pan to any area of Colorado or beyond. Switch to Satellite view to see high-resolution aerial photography of Empire and surrounding areas, including streets, buildings, parks and waterways.
TOPO MAPS — NEW. Click the green 🔍 Search Maps button below the map to open a second map with a Base map row offering three choices. OSM is the standard OpenStreetMap street map. Topo shows the official USGS topographic maps from The National Map — contours, hydrography, land cover and shaded relief, the same mapping used for hiking, hunting and back-country navigation. Imagery shows USGS aerial photography, mostly 1-metre NAIP. The search box finds any US town, county or landmark by name, so you are not limited to Empire.
Reading the map like a paper quad. Click Grid to overlay the U.S. National Grid (USNG), labelled along the edges exactly as a printed topographic sheet is — at normal zoom the squares are one kilometre across, so you can read a six-figure grid reference by eye and judge distance directly off the map. Click Measure, then tap two points, to get the distance between them together with the grid bearing in degrees and mils, the true bearing, and the magnetic bearing to set on a compass.
Click 📍 My position to take a single GPS reading from your device. It marks where you are and reports your position as a USNG grid reference as well as plain latitude and longitude — USNG being the format FEMA and US search and rescue teams work from — with a Copy position button so you can paste it straight into a text message. It takes one reading and stops, rather than tracking continuously, to conserve your battery. Note that map tiles need cell coverage, but a GPS reading does not — your coordinates stay correct even where the map itself cannot load.
| City | Empire |
| State | Colorado (CO) |
| County | Clear Creek |
| Country | United States of America |
| Timezone | Mountain Time (America/Denver) |
| Latitude | 39.761376 |
| Longitude | -105.684448 |
| Population | 672 |
| Density | 263.2 /km² |
| Incorporated | N/A |
| ZIP Code(s) | 80438 |
| Area Code | 303, 720 |
| County Seat | Georgetown |
| School District | Clear Creek School District RE-1 |
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.
Nearby Outdoor Places
- Glenbrook Gallery (Gallery) — 0.0 mi, 034° NE
- Arapaho National Forest (National Forest) — 0.1 mi, 351° N · 721k acres
- Sheep Keep (assorted claims) (Local Recreation) — 0.4 mi, 010° N
- Jim Bridger (Public Artwork) — 0.4 mi, 273° W
- Georgetown State Wildlife Area (State Conservation Area) — 0.6 mi, 171° S
- Saxon Mountain (Local Conservation Area) — 1.4 mi, 165° S
- James Peak Wilderness (Wilderness Area) — 1.7 mi, 334° NW · 17k acres
- Georgetown WWA (State Conservation Area) — 2.1 mi, 191° S
- Capital Prize (Local Recreation) — 2.6 mi, 181° S
- Old Town Jail 1883 (Monument) — 3.9 mi, 191° S
- James Peak Protection Area (National) (National Conservation Area) — 4.1 mi, 318° NW · 18k acres
- Georgetown Loop Overlook (Viewpoint) — 4.5 mi, 198° S
- The Mailbox (Attraction) — 4.7 mi, 013° N
- Brewery Spring (Historic Castle / Fort) — 5.1 mi, 207° SW
- Roosevelt National Forest (National Forest) — 5.9 mi, 003° N · 814k acres
- Mount Evans Wilderness (Wilderness Area) — 6.5 mi, 181° S · 73k acres
- Clear Creek Rec Center (Monument) — 8.8 mi, 099° E
- Fire Station #1 (Museum) — 8.9 mi, 099° E
- Underhill Museum (Museum) — 9.0 mi, 099° E
- Ida Kruse McFarlane (Monument) — 9.4 mi, 074° E
- Central City Opera (Theatre) — 9.5 mi, 073° E
- Pittsburg Mine (Historic Ruins) — 9.9 mi, 080° E
- Hidee Gold Mine (Museum) — 9.9 mi, 080° E
- Echo Mountain (Attraction) — 10.3 mi, 121° SE
- Golden Gate Canyon State Park (State Park) — 11.3 mi, 075° E
- Mount Blue Sky Summit (Attraction) — 12.2 mi, 169° S
- Abyss Lake Scenic Area (Nature Reserve) — 12.4 mi, 173° S
- Cozens Ranch Museum (Museum) — 13.1 mi, 334° NW
- Magic Schoolbus (Historic Ruins) — 14.3 mi, 035° NE
- Arapaho National Recreation Area (National Recreation Area) — 16.5 mi, 355° N · 35k acres
Latest News: Empire
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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.
Search Maps opens a second, independent map. It searches OpenStreetMap for any US town, county or landmark by name; offers USGS topographic maps and USGS aerial imagery as base layers; overlays a labelled U.S. National Grid (USNG) so the map can be read like a printed topographic quad; measures distance and grid, true and magnetic bearings between any two points; and takes a single GPS fix reporting your position as a USNG grid reference and as latitude and longitude. Map tiles require cell coverage, but a GPS position does not, so the coordinates remain correct even where the map cannot load.
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.
| Page generated | September 2026 |
| Location data | SimpleMaps US Cities Database; coordinates matched to USGS GNIS definitive data |
| Map layers | Google Maps; © OpenStreetMap contributors; USGS The National Map topographic and aerial imagery (public domain); magnetic declination from NOAA NCEI (World Magnetic Model) |
| Wikipedia validation | Article content matched to USGS GNIS coordinates via Wikipedia geosearch API. Location verified by proximity — not name matching alone. |
