These three towns are part of what is called the “tri town area” or “Carbon Valley”.  Dacono was established in 1906, Fredrick in 1907 and Firestone in 1908.  All were originally coal mining camps attracting immigrants from Slavic countries, Latin America, and as far away as Italy, France, Turkey and Greece.  These mine camps were later named after land owners/first residents of the area.

The tri town area established its first weekly newspaper, the Frederick Press in 1908.  However, it was short lived and the press stopped in 1909.  It wasn’t until 1915 that the Carbon Star started a weekly press and ran until 1917.  From there, weekly news print was lost until 1921 with the start of the Coal Ridge News which changed to the Firestone Torch.  The light of the torch extinguished in 1930.  Today the Carbon Valley residents enjoy the weekly reports of the Farmer and Miner which has been running since 1932.  Although the Carbon Valley Farmer & Miner is still in print, many of today’s residents have the option of reading the news feed from the internet.  Ah, how things change.

Carbon Valley is located approximately 20 miles north of the Denver and is a short drive to Longmont, Boulder, Loveland and Fort Collins.  The residents here still enjoy the small town atmosphere and views of the Rocky Mountains from their parks, trails and backyards.  This area has seen a building boom in the late ninety’s and early 2000’s due to it affordability, comparatively low taxes and slow pace.  It is located within the St Vrain Valley School District.   Further, the area has established social organizations such as the Tri Town Moms Club. It is expected that this area will become another one of Colorado’s major population centers.