Gilpin County is located in the heart of the Rocky Mountains in central Colorado. The two main towns in the county, Black Hawk and Central City, are two of the three "limited stakes gaming" towns in Colorado (the third being Cripple Creek in Teller County). Gambling was supposed to help preserve the legacy of these Victorian mining towns but, since it was legally allowed, almost every other business has fled town. And some of the casinos aren't doing all that well either.
Gilpin County contains 150 square miles of land and virtually no surface water. The county seat is Central City. The vast majority of the population lives in rural areas of the county.
