It is widely recognized that Boulder is a great place to live but the neighborhoods in Boulder are a bit hard to characterize. Boulder was developed over time in a piece-meal fashion. The result is that many of the neighborhoods are only a few hundred homes in size. It is common to have two adjacent neighborhoods developed at different times and have completely different characters and price ranges.
While this report is not comprehensive, it will give the reader valuable information from which to start understanding the real estate market in Boulder. Below is the official City of Boulder sub-community map that shows Boulder split into nine different segments.
Wonderland Hills/Dakota Ridge
This area is located in the far Northwest corner of Boulder. Wonderland Hills was developed in the 1970s and 1980s and Dakota Ridge/Northbriar Estates was developed in the 2000s.
Wonderland Hills got its start in the early 1970s as a new high-end development. It was designed to be a “luxury” suburb of Boulder that provided proximity to both the foothills and the vibrant downtown scene…mountain living without all that pesky driving. The Wonderland Hills area features a mix of condos and single-family homes. Set along peaceful residential streets, this neighborhood feels farther away from town than it really is and as one might expect, home prices reflect the price for the calm.
Dakota Ridge is a fairly new area, made up of single family homes, townhomes and apartments, located north of Wonderland Hills and alongside the Boulder foothills. The streets are wide and the homes have a modern feeling. With the energy-saving enhancements and eco-conscious building, Dakota Ridge gives homeowners the best of green living.
** All market data is for the 12 months ending December 2018. Source: InfoSparks[/caption]
Number of sales past 12 months: 78 (up 4.0%)
Sales Mix: 60.2% single family; 39.7% attached dwellings (2017 – 66.7%, 33.3%) Schools: • Elementary – Crestview • Middle School - Centennial • High School - Boulder • Private – Shining Mountain Waldorf Nearby Shopping: NOBO – Restaurants, coffee shops, cycling stores, etc…, Lucky’s Market. Pearl Street Mall is easily accessible in 5-10 minute via the SKIP public transportation bus line. Open Space, parks: Foothills Community Park, Wonderland Lake Park, Foothills Off-Leash Dog Park, Fourmile Canyon Major Subdivisions: Wonderland Hills, Northbriar Estates, Dakota Ridge