Superior, CO: Community Information

Superior has its roots as a mining town founded in 1896 located southeast of Boulder and about 15 miles from Denver. The legend is that the town was named after the "superior" quality of coal found in the area. The population grew and declined with the fortunes of mining over the decades until the Industrial Mine closed in 1945. Subsequently, Superior became a small, quiet ranching and farming community with about 200 residents.

 Superior is now a town of 10,000 within less than 4 square miles, dominated by one residential development named Rock Creek. In additional there is the Old Town and Superior Marketplace sections of Superior.  Superior is bordered to the northeast by US Hwy 36, which is the border with adjacent Louisville. McCaslin Blvd runs from Louisville and across the highway through Superior, linking to the numerous Rock Creek neighborhoods; the western border is to the north and the west is nearly all open space purchased by Superior or in cooperation with the City of Boulder and Boulder County. To the south Superior’s neighborhoods are bordered by the massive Flatirons Crossing shopping center and attendant commercial development.  

The decision in 1988 to approve Rock Creek saved Old Town from fading into history and provided revenues long-time residents had barely dreamed of. The building permit fees of the new neighborhood paid for the town’s first water and sewer lines. Rock Creek provided thousands of families with relatively affordable, newly constructed homes during the high tech boom of the 1990s in Boulder County.

As neighboring Broomfield aggressively developed is regional retail center next to Superior, the neighborhood became highly desirable with the mix of easy access to Interlocken Business Park, shopping, open space, Boulder and Denver.  Besides housing over 99% Superior’s residents, Rock Creek includes 2 schools, 2 community pools, 12 playgrounds and 4 major parks. There are now 27 miles of walking paths and 594 acres of open space within the development.  

In the 1990s Superior’s own commercial development along US 36 was necessary to fund municipal services and programs demanded of its surging population. Superior does not have major industries; the extent of the commercial development is based on retail and services, with Costco, SuperTarget, Whole Foods, Office Max as key corporate citizens. There are a few smaller office parks, with a grocer-based retail center in Rock Creek.

The proximity to Flatiron Crossing, Louisville and Boulder has otherwise provided for much of the shopping demands of the residents.  In 2003 Rock Creek citizens dominated election turnout and voted to dissolve property tax districts in Old Town and sweep everyone under the property tax rates of Rock Creek, a move some Old Town residents resented. About the same time, the town’s nascent open space program dealt with charges of favoritism as Advisory Board members were accused of prioritizing acquisitions near their homes; it almost didn’t matter, as the Town Board essentially had no money to purchase any recommendations.  Superior has now gone from being one of the fastest growing towns in the state to a growth-weary champion of open space. However, Superior really needs the help of Boulder County’s open space budget to save parcels of significance. 

The only remaining significant parcel of property slated for commercial development in Superior is south of the Marketplace adjacent to US 36. A 2004 goal of the Board of Trustees was to complete a plan for a “New Town Center” here; that process continues four years later in the brainstorm stage. A key point still being debated is the amount and design of residential development the area should include, and the macroeconomic forces at play that will challenge the development’s vision. Plus, the Town doesn’t own this land and the current owners are not directly involved with these discussions.

During the most recent Town Board elections, less than 500 citizens voted, an indication of satisfaction perhaps, or of apathy towards the Town’s governance.

With the Town’s character dominated by the growth of Rock Creek, family-friendly activities are frequent. Notable community highlights include Jennifer Almquist, a second-grade teacher at Superior Elementary winning the 2006 Milken National Education Award which is considered the “Oscar” of teaching. The Colorado Association for Recycling named Trustee Karen Imbierowicz, the 2007 Elected Official of the Year in Recycling and the Rock Creek HOA sponsors community events such as ice cream socials at the neighborhood pools, movie nights and summer concerts in their parks.

Superior is governed by a Board of Trustees with seven members. See a map of Superior’s Open Space here. Read about the Town Center Visioning process here.

Last Updated: April 2008

Town of Superior, www.townofsuperior.com

Superior Chamber of Commerce, www.superiorchamber.com

Avista Hospital, www.avistahospital.org