Central City Wedding

Central City is the county seat of Gilpin County, Colorado. The population was 515 at the 2000 census.

In 1859, during the Colorado Gold Rush, gold in paying quantities was discovered in a nearby gulch. By 1860 the population of Central City was 600[citation needed]. At its peak in population in 1900 around 3,000 people lived in Central City with close to 7,000 total in Gilpin County. Many Chinese lived in Central City during the early days working the placer deposits of Gregory Gulch. They were forbidden work in the underground mines. Most of them are believed to have returned to China after making their stake.

In its heyday to mark its success Central City commissioned an opera house from the noted Colorado architect Robert Saur Roeschlaub. The Central City Opera House continues to provide entertainment during the summer. Another Central City attaction is the Teller House with its Face on the Barroom Floor.