Central City

City in north-central Colorado, USA, in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, on Clear Creek, 48 km/30 mi northwest of Denver; seat of Gilpin County; population (1990) 335. Central City is a popular tourist destination.

Central City prospered during the 1860s after an 1859 gold strike, its population reaching 15,000. The railroad arrived in 1871, but with the depletion of the local gold deposits, it was nearly deserted by the early 20th century. The 1932 restoration of its opera house (built 1861) marked the beginning of Central City's popularity as a tourist attraction. Among its features are an 1867 narrow gauge railway, 19th-century gold mines, and a famous frontier hotel. There has been legalized gambling here since 1991. Central City is also the site of musical events, plays, and a summer opera festival.

Central City

City in east-central Nebraska, USA, on the Platte River, 37 km/23 mi northeast of Grand Island; seat of Merrick County; population (2000) 3,000. It is a processing and shipping point for dairy products and grain from the surrounding region.

Founded in 1864, Central City grew as a railroad junction. Formerly known as Lone Tree because it grew around a landmark in an otherwise treeless prairie region, it appears in the writing of Wright Morris, born here in 1910.