Gunbarrel, Colorado

Gunbarrel, Colorado
Census Designated Place
Gunbarrel Commons Park in Gunbarrel.
Location of the Gunbarrel CDP in Boulder County, Colorado.
Gunbarrel Location of the Gunbarrel CDP in the United States.
Coordinates: 40°03′48″N105°10′17″W / 40.0632359°N 105.1712857°W / 40.0632359; -105.1712857 (Gunbarrel CDP, Colorado) [1]
Country	United States
State	Colorado
County	Boulder County
Founded	1965
Government [2]
• Type	unincorporated community
Area [1]
• Total	6.309 sq mi (16.340 km2)
• Land	6.249 sq mi (16.185 km2)
• Water	0.060 sq mi (0.155 km2)
Elevation [2]	5,285 ft (1,611 m)
Population  (2020) [3]
• Total	9,554
• Density	1,500/sq mi (580/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP Code [4]	Boulder 80301 Niwot 80503
Area codes	303 & 720
GNIS feature [2]	Gunbarrel CDP

Gunbarrel is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the Gunbarrel CDP was 9,554 at the United States Census 2020. ^[3] The Boulder (Zip Code 80301) and Longmont (Zip Code 80503) post offices serve the area. ^[4]

Geography

Gunbarrel is northeast of the city of Boulder proper, separated by a buffer area of private agricultural lands and publicly owned open space. The buffer areas provide over two miles (3 km) of separation over changing elevations. ^[5] This reduces the impact of the Boulder Municipal Airport and the Boulder County Sheriff's Department facilities (including the county jail), which are located on the southern side of the buffer.

Two reservoirs operated by the Boulder and Left Hand Irrigation Company ^[6] are located in central Gunbarrel. Irrigation ditches and canals, including the Boulder and Whiterock Ditch, pass through this primarily residential area. The Twin Lakes Open Space Archived August 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , a large park which includes the two reservoirs and extends west along the ditch, is operated by the Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department Archived July 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine . The park brings protected wetlands, jogging trails and green spaces directly into the urban area. The City of Boulder operates Eaton Park, adjacent to the west lake. Eaton Park includes picnic facilities, BMX jumps and additional protected wetland. Flood control facilities are integral to the reservoir and canal systems, but they do not eliminate the flood risk to adjacent development.

The Gunbarrel CDP has an area of 4,038 acres (16.340 km²), including 38 acres (0.155 km²) of water. ^[1]

Natural hazards

The principal natural hazard in Gunbarrel is flooding. The county Transportation Department provides floodplain information through an online request page Archived June 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , free of charge for property owners in the unincorporated areas of the county, including Gunbarrel. Boulder County participates in the National Flood Insurance Program which allows some reduction in the cost of flood insurance for residents. ^[7]

Climate

Climate data for Gunbarrel, Colorado
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	46 (8)	49 (9)	56 (13)	63 (17)	72 (22)	81 (27)	86 (30)	85 (29)	77 (25)	65 (18)	54 (12)	46 (8)	65 (18)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	22 (−6)	23 (−5)	29 (−2)	36 (2)	44 (7)	51 (11)	56 (13)	55 (13)	47 (8)	38 (3)	28 (−2)	22 (−6)	38 (3)
Source: Accuweather [8]

Demographics

The United States Census Bureau initially defined the Gunbarrel CDP for the 1980 United States Census.

Gunbarrel CDP, Colorado

Year	Pop.	±%
1980	5,172	—
1990	9,388	+81.5%
2000	9,435	+0.5%
2010	9,263	−1.8%
2020	9,554	+3.1%
Source: United States Census Bureau

Government

The Gunbarrel Public Improvement District (GPID), formerly the Gunbarrel General Improvement District, was formed by residents of Gunbarrel in 1993. At the time, county residents were concerned about the negative effects of development in the adjacent neighborhoods of the city of Boulder. ^[9] They felt they needed to counterbalance the city's annexation and development powers and better manage the traffic city development was creating. The GPID is administered by the Boulder County commissioners. The GPID is a 'special district' under Colorado law, with the ability to levy taxes and incur debt. GPID uses this money to purchase open space and improve roads in the unincorporated subdivisions, consistent with their primary mission of maintaining quality of life and property values in unincorporated Gunbarrel. GPID open space lands are managed by Boulder County Parks and Open Space Archived July 17, 2007, at the Wayback Machine . A map of GPID lands can be found at the Gunbarrel Community Association website. This map also depicts the boundaries of the District's taxation area.

Transportation

The 205 bus of the RTD bus system gives service throughout Gunbarrel and into Boulder. Roads and streets in Gunbarrel are maintained by Boulder County.

The RTD regional route J also provides a peak hours connection to the University of Colorado and Longmont. It is intended that, once built to its planned full extent, the RTD B Line will have a station in Gunbarrel.

See also

• Geography portal
• North America portal
• United States portal
• Colorado portal

• Outline of Colorado
  • Index of Colorado-related articles
• State of Colorado
  • Colorado cities and towns
    • Colorado census designated places
  • Colorado counties
    • Boulder County, Colorado
  • List of statistical areas in Colorado
    • Front Range Urban Corridor
    • North Central Colorado Urban Area
    • Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO Combined Statistical Area
    • Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area

References

1. "State of Colorado Census Designated Places - BAS20 - Data as of January 1, 2020". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved December 8, 2020.
2. "U.S. Board on Geographic Names: Domestic Names". United States Geological Survey . Retrieved December 8, 2020.
3. United States Census Bureau. "Gunbarrel CDP, Colorado" . Retrieved April 18, 2023.
4. "Zip Code 80301 Map and Profile". zipdatamaps.com. 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
5. Boulder County Open Space Maps Archived May 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , accessed 30 May 2007
6. Twin Lakes Open Space information page Archived August 8, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , Boulder County Parks and Open Space Department, accessed 30 May 2007
7. Flood Control information page Archived June 1, 2007, at the Wayback Machine , Boulder County Transportation Department, accessed 7 June 2007
8. "Gunbarrel Weather" . Retrieved August 22, 2015.
9. GPID History and Current Status Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine , Gunbarrel Community Association website, accessed 19 June 2007

External links

• Gunbarrel @ YourBoulder.com
• Greater Gunbarrel
• Twin Lakes Action Group
• Boulder County website