Longmont 155 | Colorado 150 | United States 250
Celebrating 155 years of Longmont
Did you know 2026 marks not one, not two, but three significant anniversaries?
In 2026, Longmont turns 155, Colorado will celebrate 150 years of Statehood, and the United States will mark 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. These triplet milestones are a rare and exciting opportunity to unite with our community in celebration of our past and to imagine our future together.
In Longmont, we will mark these anniversaries by exploring the history of our city and by hosting commemorative events and activities.
Check out the Celebrations Calendar below, invite your friends and family to join in the fun, and follow along as we journey through history and celebrate together!
Celebrations Calendar
Longmont Legacy
with Erik Mason,
Longmont Museum Director
As we celebrate Colorado’s 150th birthday and 155 years since Longmont’s founding, we’re sharing special stories about Longmont’s history in this column by Longmont Museum Director Erik Mason. This month, we’re talking about the tech industry in Longmont.
Longmont started to become synonymous with high technology when the Federal Aviation Administration built an air traffic control center on 17th Avenue in 1962. Three years later, IBM announced plans to build a major facility between Boulder and Longmont, spurring decades of innovation.
Former IBM employees founded Storage Technology (later StorageTek) in 1969, which grew to become the largest employer in Boulder County by the 1980s, then hit bankruptcy, rebounded, and finally was sold. Another data storage company, MiniScribe, was founded in 1980 in the basement of a Longmont home and made hard drives for the growing personal computer industry. Pressure for profitability eventually led to financial fraud and sale to another tech company, Maxtor.
The successor to these and other data storage companies, Seagate, is still a leader in data storage, employing close to 1,000 people in Longmont.
In the Spotlight:
Historic Photos of Longmont’s High-Tech History
Captions:
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- Exterior of the Denver Air Traffic Control Center in Longmont.
- IBM’s Main plaza is shown in this aerial view of the front of the Administration building at IBM, circa 1969. (Photo by Leigh Wiener / Longmont Times-Call)
- Students enjoy computer class at Loma Linda Elementary School. Published in the Times-Call on February 2, 1992 (Staff photographer / Longmont Times Call)
- 2026 Photo of the Saint Vrain Valley School District Innovation Center at 33 Quail Road in Longmont
- Community members enjoy a July 4, 2025 drone performance created by students with the Innovation Center of St Vrain Valley School District Drone Performance Team.
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Explore More History with Longmont’s Virtual Tours
Women of Longmont Virtual Tour
Discover the lives of influential women who helped make Longmont the vibrant, community-focused town it is today.
Historic Downtown Virtual Tour
Enjoy historic photographs, text, and audio recordings that virtually walk you through more than a dozen downtown locations.
Latino History Virtual Tour
This tour explores Longmont’s Latino neighborhoods and heritage while honoring some of the many sacrifices, challenges and successes experienced by this remarkable community.
Is Sesquisemiquincentennial a real word?
It sure is! You may see “Sesquisemiquincentennial” used around the state of Colorado this year. In 2026, Colorado celebrates its 150th anniversary of statehood (sesquicentennial) and the United State’s 250th anniversary (semiquincentennial) since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Learn about more celebrations around the state on the History Colorado website.
Sesquicentennial + Semiquincentennial = Sesquisemiquincentennial
The City of Longmont, in collaboration with the American 250-Colorado 150 Commission, celebrates this unique anniversary year by looking back at Longmont’s 155 years of history. Follow this webpage to learn more about how you can celebrate with us, in person and online!
