Broomfield, CO
What Broomfield is actually like
Broomfield began as an agrarian community named for broomcorn grown locally for broom-making; the U.S. Post Office adopted the name in September 1884. Adolph Zang (of the Denver brewing family) established a prominent stock farm here in 1885. The Denver & Interurban Railway (1904-1926), nicknamed the "Kite Route," served the area with up to 19 passenger trains daily by 1909. The town incorporated June 6, 1961, and grew rapidly after the Denver-Boulder Turnpike opened in January 1952 turned it into a commuting suburb.
Broomfield's defining, genuinely unusual fact: because it originally straddled four counties (Boulder, Jefferson, Adams, Weld), voters approved a 1998 constitutional amendment merging it into a single consolidated City and County of Broomfield, effective November 15, 2001 -- Colorado's 64th (and newest) county, one of only a handful of consolidated city-counties in the U.S. 2020 population was 74,112, with the second-highest population density in Colorado.
Home values in Broomfield
Zillow's home value index for Broomfield showed an as-of date of January 31, 2026 (an earlier snapshot than most other Denver-metro cities researched in this pass, which showed June/July 2026 dates -- re-check the current figure before publishing) at $616,488, down 1.8% year-over-year.
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Explore Specialty Resources →Getting around
Broomfield's US 36 Flatiron Flyer hub gives it strong bus-rapid-transit connections to both Denver and Boulder, even without a rail line of its own. FlatIron Crossing and the areas immediately around the transit hub are walkable; the rest of the city is largely car-dependent.
Broomfield FAQ
Why is Broomfield both a city and a county?
It consolidated its four-county jurisdiction into one city-county via a 1998 voter-approved amendment, effective November 15, 2001 -- Colorado's 64th county.
Was Broomfield affected by the Marshall Fire?
Yes -- the December 30, 2021 fire, Colorado's most destructive by homes lost (991 structures), burned into Broomfield along with Superior and Louisville.
Is there light rail in Broomfield?
No direct light rail; it's served by the US 36 Flatiron Flyer bus-rapid-transit hub.
What's the typical home value?
$616,488 per Zillow's index (verify current month before publishing -- research showed a January 2026 snapshot).
Nearby alternatives*
Westminster
Immediately adjacent, on the same US-36 Flatiron Flyer corridor -- a comparable typical value (around $527,000) but a standard municipal government rather than Broomfield's unique city-and-county structure.
Boulder
About 15-20 minutes further northwest on the same Flatiron Flyer corridor -- a much higher typical value (around $957,000) and a considerably larger college-town character.
Arvada
About 20-25 minutes southwest, on the G Line light rail rather than Broomfield's bus-only access -- a lower typical value (around $605,000) and a foothills-adjacent rather than midway-corridor location.
*We're not ranking these — every neighborhood has real trade-offs, and which ones matter is up to you.