Cities of Boulder County

City of Boulder

Today, Boulder encompasses about 27 square miles at the foot of the Flatirons. The community is known for a ring of open space that has been built up around it over the past 20 years, as well as its role in Boulder County as a regional job center. The positions have been both a curse and a blessing for Boulder residents, who enjoy a healthy economy, but face more people on the roads, in child-care centers and standing in line at grocery stores.
Community concern about future growth has forced city planners to begin thinking about making the best of what's left in Boulder. In addition to a city-imposed 1 percent limit on housing growth, planners also are considering a long-term Transportation Master Plan with a goal of a zero percent increase of cars on Boulder roads.

Erie

Erie, a former coal town that straddles the Boulder-Weld county line about eight miles east of Boulder, is working to improve services and commercial opportunities for its residents. Many new housing subdivisions are being built.

Gunbarrel

Gunbarrel has been called a neighborhood of subdivisions. But there is one thing all these housing developments and condominium complexes share: breathtaking views of the Front Range.
Located about seven miles northeast of downtown Boulder, the community began as a 668-acre subdivision, built after the 1963 construction of IBM's plant near 63rd Street and the Diagonal Highway. The city of Boulder agreed to extend utility lines and to annex it within three to five years.
As more housing developed in Gunbarrel, businesses became attracted to the area, with its easy access to Boulder and services. The commercial area, including IBM, Celestial Seasonings and the Gunbarrel shopping center, have annexed to the city.

Lafayette

Lafayette, 11 miles east of Boulder, today boasts several shopping centers, industrial and business parks and residential subdivisions. A recreation center opened in October 1990, Indian Peaks Golf Course opened in August 1993, and in 1995 a new library was built.
The city has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, as evidence by its population, which has burgeoned from 3,000 nearly two decades ago to 23,197 people in the 2000 census.
As commercial growth boomed, the city's center shifted south from downtown, or Old Town, to what is called the Four Corners the intersection of U.S. 287 and South Boulder Road.
The city government is determined to create a broad industial and commercial base in Lafayette to improve the quality of life and provide more jobs in the city. Several upscale housing developments were built recently in southeast Lafayette.

Longmont

The city, sometimes referred to as a twin sister of Boulder, is located northeast of Boulder and covers 14.71 square miles. It is a bit smaller than Boulder because of the increased population brought to Boulder by the University of Colorado.
Longmont boasts a host of activities year-round, from rodeos and fairs to holiday parades. Boulder County residents often seek antiques and other bargains in Longmont to counter some of Boulder's high prices. There are new subdivisions being built around the perimeter of the existing neighborhoods. These are some of the most affordable homes being built in Boulder County.

Louisville

Louisville, with a population that has more than tripled since 1970, still retains its small-town feeling while aggressively pursuing commercial growth.
The city, southeast of Boulder, has a picturesque downtown neatly lined with famous Italian eateries and other restaurants. Neighborhoods are neat, residents are friendly, parks are cherished and the city's character and history are ample.
Major employers within Louisville are PorterCare Hospital-Avista, Storage Technology, Neodata and the city of Louisville.
Louisville is exceptionally proud of its quality of life. It has seen great growth in the past few years, with the addition of a hospital, an 18 hole golf course and a recreation center. The city has seen extensive commercial development in the past few years on the side of town that is just north of U.S. 36. A Mann 12 plex movie theater, chain restaurants, a Hotels and Inns, grocery stores, banks and other retail establishments have opened.

Lyons

Niwot

An unincorporated community of about 2 square miles, Niwot lies east of Colorado Hwy 119, better known as the Diagonal Highway. The town was named after Chief Niwot and means "left hand" in the Arapahoe Indian language.
According to recent estimates, Niwot proper has about 1,500 residences and 50 businesses. Antique stores, restaurants and restored and new buildings line Second Avenue in the old downtown area. Another shopping area, just southeast of Old Town Niwot, is known as Cottonwood Square.
Niwot's service area is considerably bigger, however, than the original plat and is bounded by the Meadowdale subdivision to the north, Somerset Estates to the south, Morton Heights to the east and the Diagonal to the west.
"Niwotians," as residents of the area call themselves, boast of being a town where residents know their neighbors and hold conmunity sporting and social activities, such as old-fashioned ice cream socials and town fairs.
The town is also trying to set its course for growth.

The Niwot Community Association