Downtown Niwot

Downtown Niwot centers on two blocks of 2nd Avenue, just off the Diagonal Highway (State Highway 119) about halfway between Boulder and Longmont. They run about 1,100 feet northwest to southeast, from Murray Street to Niwot Road.

The first block, about 370 feet long, is the historic one: small brick, cement-block and wood false-front storefronts, one and two stories, with street trees, awnings and angled parking. It reads as an early-1900s small-town main street. The longer second block mixes older houses with more businesses. Whistlestop Park, a block away, has the railway and the mountains as its backdrop.

Niwot was platted in 1875, two years after the Colorado Central Railroad arrived from Boulder. Businesses later moved across the tracks to 2nd Avenue, where carpenter John Nelson built the first two commercial buildings in 1907. Boulder County established the Niwot Historic District here in 1993.

Niwot is unincorporated, and 2nd Avenue is Boulder County right-of-way. Filming that uses the road needs the county’s Events on County Roadways permit from the Office of Special Events (se@bouldercounty.gov, 303-441-3906); apply at least seven days before filming. Shops are private, arranged with each owner.