• Named by French Fur trappers in the 1860s for a hot spring near the Yampa River that sounded like a steamboat
• There are more than 150 mineral springs in the area
• James Crawford staked the first homestead in 1875
• City of Steamboat Springs was incorporated in 1900
• Hometown of 69 Winter Olympic athletes since 1932, more than any other town in the US
• Home to Howelsen Hill, Colorado's oldest ski area in continuous use (opened 1915)
• In the early 1900s Steamboat Springs was the largest exporter of cattle in the western United States
• Lincoln Avenue (US Highway 40), Steamboat Springs' main street was built wide to accommodate cattle drives
• Rodeo History dates back over 100 years
• Steamboat Springs weekly summer rodeo was named the "Small Town Outdoor Rodeo of the Year" by the ProRodeo Cowboys Association in 2002
• Holds oldest annual winter carnival west of the Mississippi River
• Home to Perry Mansfield Performing Arts School & Camp (opened 1913) attended by such performing artists as Dustin Hoffman, Julie Harris and Agnes de Mille
• One of the first 8 US cities to receive the Preserve America Community designation from the White House

Also called Ski Town, USA® and known for its World Class skiing facilities, Steamboat Springs was originally a summer resort.  Travelers in the early 1900s visited Steamboat Springs in the summer months for the natural hot springs and vast hunting and fishing opportunities.  Today, summer activities span the spectrum, with three championship golf courses, an indoor-outdoor tennis center, biking, hiking, kayaking, fly fishing, and horseback riding right in town.

ELEVATIONS:
Downtown: 6,695'
Steamboat Ski Area: Base: 6,900' Summit/Mt. Werner: 10,568'
Medicine Bow/Routt National Forest: 5,500' to 12,940'
Mt. Zirkel Wilderness: Fifteen peaks reach 12,000' with Mt. Zirkel the highest at 12,180'
Flat Tops Wilderness: Devil's Causeway 11,600'
Hahn's Peak Village: 8,128' Hahn's Peak Summit: 10,839'
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING:
Steamboat Springs lies against the western ridge of the Continental Divide and is nearly surrounded by National Forest, and Wilderness areas.  The Yampa River, which begins in the Flat Tops Wilderness, flows through downtown Steamboat Springs and eventually meets the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument.  Two ski areas, four Colorado State Parks, hot springs, lakes, rivers, and trail systems cater to a plethora of outdoor activities.