Boulder

Pricing trends

Boulder's prices are the highest on the Front Range, with Mapleton Hill, Newlands and Chautauqua among the most expensive neighborhoods in the state. Martin Acres and Table Mesa ranches and university-area condominiums are the relative entry points, still well above the Denver median. The city-level table below carries the current numbers.

This community is not covered by the monthly Local Market Update tables on file. See the metro and area tables, or ask me for current comparables.

About Boulder

Boulder is the college and research town at the foot of the Flatirons, thirty miles northwest of Denver, with the University of Colorado, a cluster of federal labs and a tech economy of its own. Its growth boundary and the open space surrounding it have kept it compact and made its housing the most expensive on the Front Range. Buyers come for the trails, the Pearl Street Mall and a town that runs on bicycles, and they pay for all three.

Location

Boulder sits in the valley between the Flatirons and the plains along Boulder Creek, bounded on every side by city and county open space, with Louisville, Superior and Broomfield to the southeast along US 36, Longmont to the northeast and Nederland up Boulder Canyon. The Flatiron Flyer bus runs to Denver's Union Station in about forty-five minutes; US 36 is the drive.

History and background

Sources and caveats for this history

Housing and architecture

Mapleton Hill, Whittier and Newlands near downtown hold 1890s to 1920s Victorian and bungalow homes on tree-lined streets, with Chautauqua and University Hill's older houses south of the creek. The 1950s to 1970s built Martin Acres, Table Mesa and North Boulder's ranches, with Wonderland Hill and the newer Holiday and North Boulder neighborhoods adding 1980s to 2000s homes. Condominiums and townhomes are concentrated near the university, downtown and along 28th and 30th streets.

Parks and recreation

Chautauqua Park and the Flatirons trails, Mount Sanitas, the Boulder Creek Path, Eldorado Canyon State Park and more than 45,000 acres of city open space define the town. The Boulder Reservoir, the North and East Boulder recreation centers, Valmont Bike Park and the Flagstaff Mountain road serve residents year-round.

Dining, shopping and daily life

The Pearl Street Mall and the downtown blocks around it hold restaurants, the Boulder Theater, bookstores and boutiques, with the Hill, 29th Street and the Table Mesa and North Boulder centers adding more. The Boulder Farmers Market, the Dushanbe Teahouse and the Chautauqua Auditorium are landmarks, and the Boulder Valley School District and the university's Macky Auditorium and Folsom Field shape the calendar.