Louisville

Louisville is its own city in southeastern Boulder County, between Boulder and Denver. US 36, the Denver-Boulder Turnpike, runs along its southwest edge, and its neighbors are Lafayette, Superior and Broomfield. It's about 8 square miles, with roughly 21,000 people at the 2020 census.

How the town started

The Welch Mine opened here in 1877, the first coal mine in what became the Northern Coalfield. Louis Nawatny owned the land, platted it, and the town took his name before incorporating on June 3, 1882. Around 30 mines worked inside today's city limits at one time or another. Twelve were running at once from 1907 to 1909, including the Acme Mine right under the town center.

The Turnpike opened in 1952, and that changed what Louisville was for. People could live here and work in Denver or Boulder.

Old Town and the subdivisions that followed

The oldest houses sit on the blocks around Main Street, in early additions like Jefferson Place, Caledonia Place, Capitol Hill and Pleasant Hill. Twelve buildings in town are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Post-war growth started with Bella Vista, platted in 1957, and Scenic Heights, platted in 1959. Both came after the Turnpike made commuting practical, and newer subdivisions have been filed in the decades since. Street layouts and house styles change a lot from one subdivision to the next, so look at the plat era as well as the house.

Louisville's landmark program is voluntary. More than 69 properties have signed up, and the city offers financial incentives to help owners keep them up. Alteration certificates and demolition review are part of how the city handles landmarked buildings. Ask whether a house is landmarked before you plan an addition.

Main Street, Front Street and the pavilion

Downtown is small enough to walk end to end. Steinbaugh Pavilion hosts concerts on summer Friday nights during the Louisville Street Faire and turns into an ice rink in winter. A Saturday farmers market runs May through October on the 800 block of Front Street. The Louisville Historical Museum is at 1001 Main.

Moxie Bread Co., at 641 Main, mills its grain on site for long-fermented breads and pastries, and was a James Beard semifinalist for best bakery in 2018 and 2019. It's open daily from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For dinner, 740 Front sits in a 1904 building the city landmarked in 2015, with steaks (bison among them), cocktails and a patio. On Main, The Huckleberry fills a Victorian-era building with breakfast, lunch and dinner and is known for its huckleberry shakes. Up the street at 817 Main, The Waterloo is a neighborhood pub with a Tex-Mex-leaning menu, margaritas and a rooftop deck.

Davidson Mesa and the lake loops

The city keeps more than 32 miles of trails. Davidson Mesa's outer trail makes a soft-surface 5K loop, with parking off McCaslin Boulevard. Hecla Lake has an easy one-mile loop around the reservoir, and a hillier 10K route from the Recreation and Senior Center strings together Harper Lake and several open spaces and parks.

The Marshall Fire and the rebuild

The Marshall Fire in December 2021 was the most destructive in Colorado history, and about 550 homes in Louisville burned. As of August 2026, the city counts 532 of them rebuilt or under way. In those streets, a house may be only a few years old and built under the city's fire-hardening and energy codes. Ask for the permit history on any rebuild you're considering.

Getting to Denver and Boulder

The Flatiron Flyer, RTD's bus rapid transit on US 36, opened January 3, 2016, and runs 18 miles between downtown Denver and Boulder. Union Station is the Denver end. The US 36 and McCaslin station has 466 parking spaces and a pedestrian bridge, and the FF1 runs every 15 minutes from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.