Boulder real estate is 60% more expensive than the national average, with the average single-family home selling for $375,000.   And that is a pretty average home.  Those in the more sought-after neighborhoods sell for considerably more.  The "Hill," west of roughly 15th Street, may be Boulder's most distinctive neighborhood.   This area stretches from the CU campus up to the edge of the foothills where the terrain becomes too steep for building.   Homes here were built in the 1920s and 1930s and are large, mostly brick and rife with character and charm.  Many belong to University professors and local professionals.  This is the area, too, where the Ramseys, of JonBenét infamy, lived.    Homes (2,000-2,600 square feet with 3-4 bedrooms) here start at around $500,000 and can easily reach a million dollars or more.   As they say, location, location, location. 

Another sought-after neighborhood runs along the downtown area's northern edge and is historic Mapleton Hill.  Here, homes also run in the $900,000 (and considerably higher) range and date from the turn of the 20th century.   Most have been renovated and have 3-4 bedrooms.  Just down the street stands the home from the opening credits of the old "Mork and Mindy" television series.

Table Mesa, toward the southern edge of the city, is another neighborhood of note; homes here date from the 1960s and are fairly standard, bi-level and tri-level tract housing with 2-3 bedrooms.  Some of these are also rented by students.  Prices here start in the low $400,000 range.

One would think prices would drop as one moves out from the center of town, but in Boulder, that is not the case because the city is surrounded by open space, mountainous terrain or adjoins another municipality.  Boulder is built to the brim, with nowhere for new building to happen unless something old is first torn down.  In fact, the least expensive home for sale we found was a 800 square foot cabin (built in 1884) in Gold Hill, an area that backs onto open space and has wonderful views of meadows and mountains.   It was priced at $215,000.   We found one other home under $250,000 and eight under $350,000.  Most begin in the $400,000 range.   

Boulder does have some condominiums and town homes, although many of these house students.  The least expensive condo we found was $106,000 (600 square feet) and located in an unattractive condo complex.  $300,000 will buy about 1,200 square feet of condo or town home, and $675,000 will fetch nearly 1,500 square feet!   Boulder does have an affluent student population so even some of these higher-end units will house students.  Students tend to live all over town but primarily on the lower edge of the "Hill" and on the immediate east and north sides of campus.  

To find more affordable real estate, one really needs to look at the surrounding communities of Lafayette, Longmont or Louisville (the "L" towns), although these areas have seen a pricing boom recently because everyone wants to live near Boulder.

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