Boulder was recently ranked #1 on the list of Best Places to Live Near the Mountains by US News and World Report 2021/22. Not to boast, but we also ranked #1 Best Place to Live 2021/22. The amazing proximity to trails places Boulder at the top!
3 other Colorado communities also ranked high on this list. Think you know which ones they are?
Read the article here >>> The Best Places to Live Near the Mountains
Nothing exemplifies rural life like an old, wooden dairy barn. But Boulder builder Judy Knapp takes the country life a step further by living in one.
Growing up in more formal surroundings, Judy wanted something she could live in day to day. “I didn’t want the kind of rooms you try to keep kids out of,” she says. So on their 25th wedding anniversary, her husband, architect Johnny Knapp, asked Judy how she’d like to celebrate. The answer came as no surprise to him: “I want to live in a barn.” Shortly afterward, the Knapps traveled to New England on a barn-shopping spree, but came home empty-handed. Then Judy picked up a free newspaper in her driveway to skim the ads, and there it was: A couple was selling their family’s century-old dairy barn in Greensburg, Pa., to pay for a house in Colorado.
As luck would have it, a co-worker of Johnny’s was traveling near Greensburg. She agreed to pop over and videotape the barn. Built around 1900, the barn had amassed quite a bit of character—layers of it, in fact. The voice on the video sounded dubious: “I’m kind of scared to go in there. I might fall!” Undeterred, the Knapps focused on the quality of the lumber that lay beneath the dust and age. Satisfied that this was the barn for her, Judy offered to buy it, but discovered she was in line with at least 30 other interested parties. Yet when she told her story to the owners, they found it compelling. “It’s karma,” they concluded, and agreed to sell her the barn.
Read the full article at Boulder County Home and Garden
The Boulder area has plenty of yoga options. On any given day you can choose from close to 100 yoga classes. These days many of them are online or Zoom experiences, but there are still many outdoor options, including Goat Yoga. Why goats? They are very social and sweet animals and they naturally enjoy being around people.
If Goat Yoga has piqued your interest, take a look at these local Boulder County options: Goat Yoga Classes
Boulder has done again! Once again we have been ranked the #1 Housing Market for Growth and Stability in the United States–for the fifth year by SmartAsset. Here’s what they have to say about Boulder:
Leading this study for the fifth year in a row is Boulder, Colorado. Besides being a great place for career opportunities, Boulder has shown consistently strong performance in the housing market. It has seen a 268% increase in housing value from the first quarter of 1994 up to and including the fourth quarter of 2018, the fourth-highest percentage of any metro area in our top 10, and fifth-highest in our study overall. It also has a 0% chance of a home losing at least 5% of its value in the 10 years after purchase. For those looking to invest in real estate, Boulder is a safe bet and is in one of the best states in the country for homeowners.
Read the full article here.
I’d love to talk with you about any of your real estate needs!
The February 2020 Housing Statistics are here.
Housing Statistics for Cities
Erie
Frederick, Firestone, Dacono & Mead
Boulder (w/out city of Boulder)
Housing Statistics for Counties
Want to support farmers and feed your family healthy and delicious food? Good thing Boulder County has an amazing number of options for becoming a part of Community Supported Agriculture [CSA]. CSAs are a way for locals to support local farmers and get fresh, seasonal veggies from their bounty. It’s really a win-win. Are you ready to sign up?
List courtesy of Farmshares.info
Farmers markets are thriving in Boulder County! At least once a week throughout the summer [and in some cases into the fall], you can find farmers’ bounties on full display and in market places in our communities. These are special days when residents look forward to purchasing straight from farmers and skipping the grocery stores. In a time when farmers markets seem to be declining in popularity, Boulder area farmers markets are thriving and have seen a consistent growth year over year.
Boulder County farmers market are each unique and reflect each local community. Though you can always find in season produce and fruits, you will also find artists, live music, prepared foods, alcohol and much more. Here is a handy list of where you can find your local Boulder County farmers markets [or check out one in another community, just for fun!]:
2019 Boulder County Farmers Markets
| COMMUNITY | DAY/HOURS | LOCATION | ADDITIONAL INFORMATION |
| Longmont | Wednesday/5-8p | On 5th [between Main & Coffman] | June–September |
| Longmont | Saturday/8a-1p | 9595 Nelson Road, Longmont | April–November |
| Boulder | Wednesday/4-8p | 13th & Canyon Blvd, Boulder | June–September |
| Boulder | Saturday/8a-2p | 13th & Canyon Blvd, Boulder | April–November |
| Erie | Thursday/5-8p | Briggs St [between Wells & Moffatt] | May–September |
| Louisville | Saturday/9a-1p | 824 Front Street, Louisville | May–October |
| Lafayette | Thursday/4-8p | 400 Block E. Simpson | June–September |
There are two main organizations behind the strong farmers’ markets in Boulder County: Boulder County Farmers Market and Real Farmer’s Market. They both run amazing farmers markets and I am so glad to see each one keeping rural Boulder County thriving!
What do you like most about your local farmers market?
Interested in raising animals on your property? The number and type of animals you can keep on land in Boulder County depends on a few factors: Land Use Designation and Type of Animals you want to keep. It can be a little tricky to make sure you are in compliance, but here are some guidelines to help you out.
Zoning: The first thing you need to consider is zoning. What is your property zoned for and what does this zoning allow? The different zoning districts in Boulder County allow a specific number of animals units per acre. Here is a reference for the zoning districts and the animal units/acre.
Zoning District Limits Table
| Zone | Animal Units Per Acre |
| A = Agricultural | 4 |
| F = Forestry | 2 |
| RR = Rural Residential | 2 |
| ER = Estate Residential | 2 |
| SR = Suburban Residential | 0 |
| MF = Multifamily | 0 |
| LI = Light Industrial | 4 |
| GI = General industrial | 4 |
| MI = Mountain Industrial | 2 |
Animal Types: The second thing you need to consider is what type of animals you want to have on your property. The interesting thing is different animals count as different numbers of units. Pay attention to this detail!
Animal Units Table
| Animal Type | Animal Per Animal Unit |
| Cattle, Buffalo, & Other Livestock | 1 |
| Horse, Mule, Donkey | 1 |
| Horse (34 inches or less at withers) | 5 |
| Swine, Ostrich | 5 |
| Goat, Sheep, Llama | 5 |
| Poultry | 50 |
| Mink and other similar fur-bearing animals | 50 |
So how do you determine the number and type of animals you can have on your property? You need to use a calculation based on the animal unit ratios to figure out how many animals of any specific type are allowed on your land. Here is an example from Boulder County:
“If a property owner has 10 acres of land zoned Agricultural (A), they would be allowed a total of 40 animal units on this parcel. This means they could keep 8 horses, 24 head of cattle, 400 chickens, and still be within allowed limitations of the zoning regulations.”[1]
In the example above: 8 horses = 8 animal units, 24 cattle = 24 animal units, and 400 chickens = 8 animal units. Even though this agricultural zoned land would have 432 animals living there, they only have 40 animal units.
Read more on this topic: Keeping Animal in Boulder County
[1]https://assets.bouldercounty.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/p29-keeping-animals-in-boulder-county.pdf
Dreaming of owning property in Boulder County? I get it! I love living in rural Boulder County surrounded by land, animals and lots of space for my whole family to roam. Whether you are looking for a hobby farm, a farm, a ranch or just space for an awesome garden, I can help you navagate the real estate landscape of rural Boulder County! Here are some helpful definitions and resources:
Farmette/Hobby Farm. This is a small residential farm run by an owner who earns income from a source other than the farm. It is sometimes known as a yokelet or a farmlet. Farmette owners are typically city workers who want to own rural land without operating a full farm. A farmette often includes a large vegetable garden, the occasional barn, tractor, and even farm or domestic animals, such as goats and cats. Farmetters usually rely on their tractor to plow or snow blow their driveways during the winter. Farmettes are usually 50 acres (200,000 m2) max. They can have a small hog pen, a few chickens in a chicken coop or a kennel house for dogs.
It is also considered a farm when crops and plants can be planted on it. Yes, plants can be planted on 2-3 acres, but this makes it a large garden. In the U.S., a high proportion of farms might be classed as hobby farms. [1]
Farm. This is an area of land devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food (produce, grains, or livestock), fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single individual, family, community, corporation or a company. It is also considered a farm when crops and plants can be planted on it. Yes, plants can be planted on 2-3 acres, but this makes it a large garden.
So, when searching for property, make sure you a clear about whether or not you are just looking for rural property with a few acres, or if you are actually searching for a farm or farmette with numerous acres. It makes a big difference. [2]
Ranch. Defined an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in Mexico, the Western United States and Western Canada, though there are ranches in other areas. [3]
Gentleman farmer. This is referring to a landowner who has a farm (gentleman’s farm) as part of his estate and who farms mainly for pleasure rather than for profit or sustenance. The estate can vary from under ten to hundreds or even thousands of acres, and may produce any number of types of grains, poultry or other livestock.. The gentleman farmer can employ labourers and farm managers. The chief source of income for the gentleman farmer was derived not from any income that the landed property may generate. He invariably had his own private income, worked as a professional, owned a large business elsewhere, or some combination of the three. [4]
Boulder County Rural Property Resources:
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