Front Range
Boulder County
30 Porch Notes tied to Boulder County — the local details that change from one part of Colorado to the next.
Places in this county
Money and taxes (2)
Money and taxes
Boulder taxed itself to buy open space and drew a 'blue line' on the map
In 1967 Boulder voters approved a sales tax dedicated to buying open space, and an earlier charter 'blue line' limited city water service up the mountainside, both shaping the city you see today.
Read note ->Money and taxes
Why two similar Boulder County homes can get different tax bills
A Colorado property tax bill is built from value, an assessment rate, and the mill levies of every district that overlaps the parcel, so neighbors can pay differently.
Read note ->Home and property (2)
Home and property
In the Boulder County foothills, the creek and the hillside both carry hazard
Steep foothills drainages in Boulder County can produce debris and mud flows in heavy rain, sometimes well beyond the mapped floodplain.
Read note ->Home and property
On the Boulder County foothills edge, defensible space comes before the smoke
Homes along the Boulder County foothills sit in the wildland-urban interface, where creating defensible space around the structure is part of normal ownership.
Read note ->Water and land (3)
Water and land
Some of Boulder County's tap water starts on the other side of the Divide
Many northern Front Range communities, including parts of Boulder County, receive some of their water from the Colorado-Big Thompson Project, which moves water under the Continental Divide to the eastern slope.
Read note ->Water and land
The Flatirons are tilted slabs of an old sandy plain
Boulder's signature Flatirons are slabs of Fountain Formation sandstone that were laid down flat, then tipped on edge when the Rocky Mountains rose.
Read note ->Water and land
Walker Ranch sits on billion-year-old rock above a fishing creek
Walker Ranch open space southwest of Boulder is built on ancient Boulder Creek granodiorite and offers fly fishing along South Boulder Creek.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire (8)
Outdoors and wildfire
Around Gross Reservoir, camping means designated sites only
The national forest around Gross Reservoir and Winiger Ridge in southwest Boulder County restricts camping to posted designated sites, not open dispersed camping.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Brainard Lake needs a reservation to park, not just an early start
Brainard Lake Recreation Area west of Ward uses a paid timed-entry reservation to park inside the gate during its summer season, with day-use options for those on foot or bike.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Eldora: Boulder County's Hometown Ski Mountain
Past Nederland sits Boulder County's only downhill ski area, a compact mountain with surprising bite, a strong Nordic center, and an uncertain new future under possible town ownership.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Eldorado Canyon State Park: a tight canyon with a weekend entry plan
Eldorado Canyon State Park near Boulder is a small, busy canyon known for sandstone climbing and creek fishing, and it uses timed vehicle entry on summer weekends.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
In the Boulder foothills, bears follow the trash
Black bears are common where Boulder County meets the mountains, and most conflicts trace back to trash and other food smells, so securing attractants is part of living here.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
Indian Peaks Wilderness has its own rules above the trailheads
The Indian Peaks Wilderness on Boulder County's western edge has special protections, including leashed-dog and overnight-permit rules, on top of regular national forest land.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
On Boulder County's high peaks, the clock matters as much as the trail
Summits like Mount Audubon in the Indian Peaks rise into open alpine tundra where summer thunderstorms often build by afternoon, so an early start is a safety tool.
Read note ->Outdoors and wildfire
The Boulder Creek Path is the town's front porch on the water
A 5.5-mile creekside path threads downtown Boulder, the library, and city parks, carrying commuters, tubers, and anglers from the canyon mouth out past 55th Street.
Read note ->Cars and driving (2)
Cars and driving
Boulder County's canyon roads ask more of a driver than the map suggests
The highways that climb from the plains into the Boulder County foothills are narrow, weather-exposed, and can close, so it helps to check conditions before a mountain trip.
Read note ->Cars and driving
The Peak to Peak Byway is the old high road through the mountain towns
The Peak to Peak Scenic and Historic Byway links Boulder County's mountain towns along the Front Range using state highways 7, 72, and 119.
Read note ->Local rules (2)
Local rules
Boulder County can landmark a historic home, which adds review
Boulder County designates historic landmarks in its unincorporated areas through a county program and advisory board, which can affect what an owner may change.
Read note ->Local rules
Boulder County is split between two big school districts
Boulder County is served mainly by two school districts, Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley, and which one a home falls in depends on its address, not just its town name.
Read note ->History and culture (11)
History and culture
Boulder County's mountain towns grew up around mining
Many of Boulder County's foothills and mountain communities trace their start to the hard-rock mining era, a story preserved at sites like Nederland and Caribou.
Read note ->History and culture
Boulder started as a supply town for gold miners in 1859
The city of Boulder began in 1859 as a base where miners outfitted before heading into the mountains, and it took its name from Boulder Creek.
Read note ->History and culture
Boulder's Chautauqua is a living piece of a national movement
The Colorado Chautauqua in Boulder, built in 1898 as a summer education and culture retreat, is a National Historic Landmark and still operates today.
Read note ->History and culture
Boulder's history includes a hard link to the Sand Creek Massacre
The City of Boulder publicly documents that a local company trained at Fort Chambers before taking part in the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre of Arapaho and Cheyenne people.
Read note ->History and culture
Eldorado Canyon went from resort destination to state park
Eldorado Canyon, just south of Boulder, drew resort visitors before it became a state park managed by Colorado Parks and Wildlife — and a climbing destination known far beyond Colorado.
Read note ->History and culture
Friday Nights Under the Stars at CU's Sommers-Bausch Observatory
On clear Friday nights when CU classes are in session, anyone can walk up to the Sommers-Bausch Observatory and look through a 20-inch telescope for free.
Read note ->History and culture
Gold Hill and Colorado's first mining districts began in Boulder County
Gold Hill, organized in 1859, was one of Colorado's earliest mining camps, and the small mountain towns of Boulder County still trace back to a handful of named mining districts.
Read note ->History and culture
Lafayette and Louisville grew up on coal, not gold
The eastern Boulder County towns of Lafayette, Louisville, Superior, and Marshall began as coal-mining communities, a very different heritage from the gold and silver camps in the mountains.
Read note ->History and culture
Longmont began as a planned colony organized in Chicago
Longmont began in the early 1870s as the Chicago-Colorado Colony, a planned town funded by selling memberships to settlers.
Read note ->History and culture
Lyons: a red-sandstone quarry town turned bluegrass home
Lyons quarried the red sandstone you see across CU Boulder, and today its St. Vrain festival grounds draw bluegrass fans from around the country.
Read note ->History and culture
Pearl Street sits inside Boulder's downtown historic district
Boulder's downtown core, including much of Pearl Street, is a recognized historic district, which shapes how its older buildings can be changed.
Read note ->