Pearl Street and Chautauqua get the postcards. Some of Boulder’s most livable neighborhoods are the ones visitors rarely name.
That is part of the real-estate story in 2026. The latest U.S. Census Bureau estimate puts Boulder at about 105,700 residents, down from 108,250 in the 2020 Census. Yet the forces that have long constrained Boulder housing remain: the University of Colorado, an extensive open-space system, limited undeveloped land and a tightly defined urban footprint.
City planning documents say Boulder has historically permitted about 400 housing units per year on average. Meanwhile, the city is examining longer-term ways to increase housing capacity…