Boulder County can be defined by two geographical regions, the “mountain” or rural region to the west
and the “plains” or foothills region to the east. One of the main distinguishing factors between these
two regions are service access and availability, due to variable terrain, natural and open spaces, and low
density of housing. Because of this, challenges experienced in the foothills can be felt more acutely in

Mountain residents tend to experience particular challenges accessing services.
Long distances between communities and residents, combined with variable topography and limited
access points can lead to limited services, higher travel costs, unpredictable weather conditions and
natural disasters, and social isolation. Housing, as well as health and social services in Boulder County’s

1% of the county’s population resides in mountain communities. Nearly one in five (19%) of our
mountain residents are 60 or older, over one-third (34.4%) of older mountain residents (65+) are living
alone, 26.1% of older mountain residents are Veterans, and over one in five (21.1%) are living with a
disability… Local organizations, staff, and volunteers who are providing services express a feeling of
being overwhelmed by the quantity and complexity of need in mountain communities…

Respondents of the 2018 CASOA survey by location, separated by mountain and non-mountain parts
of Boulder County (delineated by black line). While limited housing stock and affordability pose challenges throughout the

Across Boulder County, positive ratings of the availability of affordable quality housing among older
adults has decreased from 27% to 9% between 2010… and 2018…. Lower population density in our
mountain communities means there is less housing stock available. Less housing stock means more
competition for available housing. More competition for available housing feeds into the price increases
in Boulder County’s mountain communities. Home prices in Boulder County’s mountain communities
have been rising for years and are projected to continue to increase. In the last seven years, the median
home value in mountain communities has increased between 60-78%…

Mountain residents face common and unique transportation challenges.
Mountain residents have shared that transportation is a large area of concern, with very limited
availability and/or flexibility in their communities. Maintaining a vehicle can be costly and many needed
health services are not located in mountain communities. When asked “In looking ahead at aging well,
what are the elements or issues related to safety that are most important for the community to
address,” a quarter (25.6%) of mountain participants reported transportation. It was the top answer
related to safety, with a desire to be able to use a public transit option to visit places they may not be

Socially isolated mountain residents prefer help from a neighbor or friend than

There is added difficulty to combatting social isolation and service connection in mountain communities
compared to the foothills of Boulder County. Population density in the mountain region is 24.1 people
per square mile, whereas Boulder County has 414.5 people per square mile (the above map of CASOA
survey respondents represents this well); municipalities within the county have much higher population
densities than the county overall.240 In our Community Conversations, social isolation for mountain
residents was called out as widespread issue that is difficult to overcome. Older adults in the mountains
are “fiercely independent” and don’t tend to ask for help unless it’s from a neighbor or friend. Service
connection barriers in Boulder County’s mountain communities include access, affordability, and limited
services and paid caregiver workforce.