The Town of Breckenridge is the home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Summit County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 5,078 at the 2020 United States Census. Breckenridge is the principal town of the Breckenridge, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. The town also has many part-time residents, as many people have vacation homes in the area. The town is located at the base of the Tenmile Range. Since ski trails were first cut in 1961, Breckenridge Ski Resort has made the town a popular destination for skiers. Summer in Breckenridge attracts outdoor enthusiasts with hiking trails, wildflowers, fly-fishing in the Blue River, mountain biking, nearby Lake Dillon for boating, white water rafting, three alpine slides, a roller coaster, and many shops and restaurants up and down Main Street. The historic buildings along Main Street with their clapboard and log exteriors add to the charm of the town. Since 1981, Breckenridge has hosted the Breckenridge Festival of Film in September, while in January, the town has often been host to a screening of the Backcountry Film Festival. Also held in January is the Ullr Fest, a week of festivities celebrating snow and honoring the Norse god Ullr. There are many summertime attractions to enjoy in Breckenridge, most notably the annual Fourth of July parade. Name The first prospectors in the area built a stockade known as Fort Mary B named after Mary Bigelow who was the only white woman in the party. The town of Breckenridge was founded in November 1859 and named for prospector Thomas Breckenridge. In 1860, General George E. Spencer persuaded the citizens to change the spelling of the town's name to Breckinridge in honor of U.S. Vice President John Cabell Breckinridge in the hopes of gaining a post office. Spencer succeeded in his plan and the Breckinridge Post Office became the first post office between the Continental Divide and Salt Lake City. When Breckinridge accepted a commission as a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army in 1861, the town promptly changed its name back to the original Breckenridge. History Prospectors entered what is now Summit County (then part of Utah Territory) during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush of 1859, soon after the placer gold discoveries east of Breckenridge near Idaho Springs. Breckenridge was founded to serve the miners working rich placer gold deposits discovered along the Blue River.