A History of Broomfield…

Editor’s Note: This content is an edited consolidation of content available from the City and County of Broomfield on broomfield.org. Thank you to Broomfield History Collections for sharing content and photos.

1885

Farms dotted what is now the Broomfield landscape in the late 1800s, and in 1885 when Adolph Zang bought the area in the vicinity of 120th Avenue and Olde Wadsworth Boulevard, the train stop there became known as Zang’s Spur, memorializing the spur off of the main railroad line where locally grown grains would be loaded into railroad cars for delivery to the Zang Brewing Company in Denver.

Ultimately, Zang bought 4,000 acres of land in the area for his Elmwood Stock Farm where he bred Percheron horses, and tended fruit orchards.

Broomfield History Collections

1898

At the turn of the century, Broomfield was a little town near 120th Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard. Grain elevators, a grocery, hotel, a bank and other thriving businesses drew the farmers in the area together and they created the Crescent Grange in 1898. The organization brought area residents together for diverse activities including a petition for postal service, arrangements to buy clothing at reduced prices, insurance, programs, and social activities.

1904 – 1909

In 1904, the Colorado and Southern formed the Denver & Interurban Railway, and by 1908, the big cars were serving Broomfield on a regular basis, taking passengers to Denver, Westminster, Marshall, Boulder, Superior, Valmont, and Louisville on its Main Line. By 1909, Broomfield had 19 passenger trains per day coming through town, prompting construction of a new depot which stood at the corner of present-day 120th Avenue and Old Wadsworth Boulevard.

Broomfield History Collections

In those early years, Broomfield had a garage, then two, and a filling station. They joined the Grange Hall, a hotel and general store, flour mill, cheese factory, bank, creamery, grain elevator, restaurants, a lumber yard, and a barbershop. From 1900 to 1957, about 100 people lived on farmland in the area.

1950

In 1950, construction began on the Boulder Turnpike, a toll road, and one of the first paved roads in the area. It stretched between Wadsworth Boulevard and Boulder, with a tollbooth in Broomfield. The road’s cost was paid by the tolls. Shortly after, the new Broomfield began during a growth boom when developers decided to build the state’s first dream community. The first filing, the area north of 120th Avenue between Main Street and U.S. 287, was built, elementary school classes were held in “cottage schools” built by the developers of Broomfield Heights, and a shopping center sprouted where a lake had once stood in the area by U.S. 287 and Midway Blvd.

Broomfield History Collections

Broomfield History Collections

1961 – 1964

By 1961 when the city incorporated, the population had grown to 6,000. Emerald School was up and running, as was Kohl School. In 1962, a school serving junior and senior high school students opened, and a gym was added in 1964. The high school was begun in 1963, and classes started in the fall of 1964. These schools still stand, and after several remodels, they were combined into the current Broomfield High School in use today.

1969 – 1974

Portions of what is now Interlocken joined the city in 1983 and 1986, and Broomfield’s premier employment center began. Access to the area improved with 1995 annexations along 96th Street, and the completion of the 96th Street interchange in 1996, built with public and private funds. The promise of a bright future continued with the 1996 announcement that high-tech giant SUN Microsystems was coming to Broomfield, followed by notice of Level 3’s intentions in the spring of 1998. The 1998 groundbreaking of Flatiron Crossing, an upscale shopping area, assured Broomfield of a long-anticipated retail sales tax base.

Broomfield History Collections

1983 – 1998

Broomfield continued its growth, annexing south into Jefferson County in 1969, east of Main Street in 1969, Greenway Park in 1970, into a small portion of Adams County in 1971 and the Westlake Village subdivision in 1972. In 1974, the city passed its charter and became a home-rule city adopting the CouncilManager form of government, with an elected mayor and city council, and a professional city manager. In 1988 and 1989, the city annexed north into Weld County, thus spanning portions of four counties.

Broomfield History Collections

Broomfield History Collections

1998 – 2001

In the late 1990s, Broomfield made history. To help alleviate the problems and confusion in accessing services with the City of Broomfield being the only city in the state to lie in portions of four counties, residents sought relief in a constitutional amendment creating a City and County of Broomfield. The amendment passed on November 3, 1998, giving the city a three-year transition period in which to organize to become Colorado’s 64th county. The state’s newest county, the City and County of Broomfield, officially took effect on November 15, 2001.

Today

Today Broomfield is a city and county of more than 73,000 residents with a strong sense of unity, pride, and identity. Broomfield is one of the most desirable communities in Colorado, planned with a balance of residential and commercial land use, and generous open space, parks, and natural areas.