Boulder Through the Decades
Posted by Steven
Boulder has undergone some vast changes with respect to the way houses are constructed. To begin, the houses we found from the 1930s were often larger than houses we have seen from later decades. This may be due to a number of factors. As pointed out by Warner, in the 1920s, developers of large suburban properties wanted to security in their investments. The enemy was the cheap house, so a lot of care was put into making them large and lasting. Perhaps land was also cheaper in Boulder during these years, which would allow a potential home builder to construct a larger house than they would in a city like Denver. These suburban areas started drawing modest income families outward and today we can see larger houses out in the Hinterlands than in tight city spaces.
'30s
Houses of the '30s and '40s have great design. We see that many of the houses without garages have alleys or long driveways approaching the side. In some of the landscape, this alley leads way to a garage. It is reasonable to conclude that the side garages may have been built after the original construction of the house. They were not a focal feature and many people had no need for them, along with driveways. The front porch was still in use and many of these houses we closer to the street.
Post World War II housing in Boulder is more reminiscent of what we have seen in Levittown(the blueprint for American suburbs today). Houses are of the same predictable size, allowing home developers to crank out hundreds of homes that the average family could live in. During the '40- '60s it appeared that most of the development centered around creating homes with one story (disregarding if there is a basement or not). This development could be due to the fact that it was seen as too costly to construct multiple story homes in the area. Perhaps there was no demand to support constructing these multiple story houses. By the 1940s the nation sees a glimpse of the future automobile metropolis, though maybe not quite yet in Boulder. Cars were being sold by the millions according to Warner, but it wasn't until the contruction of the interstate highway system that the landscape and building changes were revealed.
'40s
'50s
Between 1950 to 1980 as the United States population increased by 50%, the number of automobiles increased by 200%! According to Jackson, this shows the power of automoblie lobbyists such as the Automobile Manufacturers Association, state-highway administrators, motor-bus operations, the American Trucking Association, and the American Parking Association. The Interstate Highway Act became law by 1956, notice that houses begin to have garages in the front of the house. They are modest one car garages, but they are use carports(to left of the picture above). The housing seems to start in a central area, then spreads quite far by the 1960s. Houses of the '50s and '60s tend to be one story compared to those of the '30s and '40s.
'60s
Between the '60s and the '90s space just seems to be filled in between the housing areas of the '30s and the '60s. As for design, these houses tumble down a sad slope. Garage expansion is on the rise to accomodate two cars, about 400 sq ft. According to Jackson, "After World War I, house plans of extensive variety began to include garages". However, in Boulder we do not see this in the landscape as the development of the garage was primarily seen in houses built post World War II. Perhaps because the automobile was affordable for median income families at the time. By the '70s you start to see house expansion and additions being added to make multi-level homes.
'70s
The 80's and 90's development that we see in Boulder is typical of what we see with many suburbs across America today. Two-story homes that look as if they were all made on the same day. We see some slight artisan touches on these homes such as the bricks decorating the garages. Houses at this time are packed more tightly together. In my opinion this is because developers wanted to get the most bang for their buck while minimizing the cost of land. Perhaps land became more costly during these times and developers compensated by adjusting lot sizes. Or perhaps cultural values dictated that we did not need so much space for our homes to sit on. These houses are almost identical to each other and most houses in general are also extremely similar. The tract home type of development seems to be a popular option in recent history. Most if not every suburban home during this time was built with a two car(or more) garage. As shopping centers expanded, gasoline stations became self-service, and cities became centerless, we became a drive-in socity. It was easier to have access to anything, as long as you had a car to get around.
'80s
'90s
Jackson elaborates that city sprawl really began to spread after World War II, starting in places like the Orange County, California. There was a decentralization of offices as factory jobs were replaced with service jobs. Indeed, nationally suburbia is here to stay- at least for the immediate future as large parking lots, throw-away fast-food buildings, and fasted paced drive-in operations take over slower-paced, neighborhood-oriented institutions of earlier generations.
We can see urban sprawl through the evolution of housing in Boulder. The city expands out rather than up. However, the city ordinance which sets a cap for the height of buildings in Boulder may make this problem worsened. While sprawl would still occur, buildings surrounding the main urban area on Pearl St. may have been higher.
When we compare Boulder to our next town of Interest, it is much easier to see a clear definition of urban sprawl and the development of Suburbia. Boulder is different because it is a city that has always had a clear downtown. Much unlike cities who sprang up after the development of the automobile.
One town in particular that has seen alot of expansion is:
Highlands Ranch, Colorado was farm land in 1960. It was so rural that the census was unable to be taken. However in 40 years it has become one of the wealthiest areas not only in the state, but the entire nation. As shown in the 1970 Census, Highlands Ranch wasn't even home to more than 5 - 50 people per square mile. Alarmingly, in a mere 30 year time span it became home to 5,000 - 7,000 people per square mile. Another demographic to take note of is the lack of diversity in Highlands Ranch. According to the 1970 Census, Highlands Ranch (along with all surrounding areas) was 95% - 100% white. In the 30 year window we see very little change in the racial diversity with the city still being 75% - 90% white. Finally, one of the most dramatic changes seen is in the average household income. In 1970, the average family income was a mere $15,000 - $20,000. However just 10 years later in the 1980 census, the average family income became $60,000 - $75,000. 20 years later, Highlands Ranch still finds itself in the second highest income bracket, which was then listed at $75,000 - $100,000.
Clearly, Highlands Ranch has changed dramatically from 1960 when the city was so rural that it could not be taken on the Census, to the year 2000 when it housed up to 7,000 people per square mile and the average house income was $75,000 - $100,000.
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