Niwot began as a railroad town in 1873, named after a left-handed Arapaho Chief, Niwot – means left-handed. The railroad section house is located midway between Boulder and Longmont. It now can be found on the south side of the Diagonal (Hwy 119), nine miles northeast of Boulder. Railroad advertisements lured farmers to this area in 1880 and many were Swedish immigrants who attended the nearby Ryssby Church. The area soon began to grow with sprouted trees, rose bushes and a variety of crops. Granges and agricultural events were the center of social activities.
Niwot is unincorporated. The Boulder County Board of Commissioners and Land Use Department oversee the town. The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office supervises lawa enforcement and students attend Niwot Elementary, Sunset Middle and Niwot High Schools.
Today: People can enjoy Niwot’s Second Avenue which is a local historic district that follows strict planning guidelines. Downtown is half the town it used to be. Highway workers destroyed the western half of Niwot when they built the Diagonal Highway (Colo. 119) in 1959. Today, boutique shops, restaurants, a feed store, the Left Hand Valley Grange on Second are still a gathering spot for the community.
Services:
Post Office: 50 Murray Street, Niwot (303) 652-2309
Town Hall: N/A
Recycling: Boulder County Drop-off Center, 426 Park Drive, open 24hrs. a day call (303) 441-3930
Trash: Private Carriers – listed in local directory
Western Disposal (303) 444-2037;
United Waste Systems (970) 532-0803
Water/Sewers: Lefthand Water District: 6800 Nimbus Road, Longmont, (303) 30-4200; Niwot Sanitation District, 7395 N. 95th St., Longmont, (303) 652-2525
Electricity: Xcel Energy –
Telephone installation: Qwest for residential (800) 244-1111 or business (800) 603-6000.
Cable TV: Comcast Broadband Cable (888) 824-4010
