Superior is a statutory town in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, with a small, uninhabited segment of land area extending into Jefferson County. According to the 2020 census, the population of the city was 13,094.

Superior’s history is one of coal mining. The first mines in the area were developed in the late 19th century. Coal was discovered on the Hake family farm in 1894, and recollections of members of pioneer families in Superior, including the Hakes and Autreys, are preserved as part of the Maria Rogers Oral History Program at the Carnegie Library for Local History in Boulder, Colorado. The town was reportedly named after its superior quality of coal.

Mining was the major force in Superior’s history until the Industrial Mine closed in 1945. Subsequently, many people moved out of the area and the Town evolved into a quiet ranching and farming community. Superior’s population hovered around 250 until the late 1990s, when subdivisions were built in the town and the population rose dramatically to 9,011 by 2000.

– Updated 2022