Whittier
Boulder, CO

Boulder’s First Neighborhood

Whittier is where Boulder began. Established in 1859 — the same year Boulder County was created — the neighborhood that grew up east of downtown and north of Pearl Street was the first place Boulder’s settlers chose to build their homes. The Victorian and Queen Anne houses that lined its streets in the 1880s and 1890s, the craftsman bungalows of the 1910s and 1920s, and the later mid-century additions make Whittier a living architectural record of Boulder’s residential history from its founding through the postwar era.

Whittier’s greatest charm is the physical quality of what those early residents built. It is rare to see a teardown in this neighborhood — the preference here runs strongly toward preservation, restoration, and sensitive renovation rather than replacement. Walking any Whittier street means moving past homes with mature gardens, well-maintained historic details, and the kind of streetscape character that takes a century to develop. The neighborhood feels genuinely old in the best possible sense: settled, cared for, deeply lived-in. It is the antithesis of the bland suburban sameness that defines so much of the Denver metro’s residential development.

Boulder pop culture has contributed its own layer of character. 1619 Pine Street, a craftsman bungalow in the heart of Whittier, is where Mork and Mindy lived in the 1978–82 ABC sitcom, starring Robin Williams in his breakout television role. The house remains a beloved Boulder landmark, and locals drive or walk past it with the particular affection people reserve for places that have been genuinely beloved rather than merely famous.

Whittier’s population is genuinely mixed — roughly two-thirds renters and one-third owners, reflecting the neighborhood’s proximity to the CU Boulder campus and the sustained demand for housing from students, graduate students, faculty, and young professionals. This mix gives the neighborhood an energy and demographic diversity that the city’s more expensive western neighborhoods don’t have. East Pearl Street’s growing restaurant and retail corridor has extended the neighborhood’s walkable amenity base eastward, and Boulder Junction’s retail anchors (Whole Foods, REI, Target at the 29th Street Mall) are accessible from Whittier’s eastern edge.

Two Blocks from Pearl Street, Walker’s Paradise

Whittier’s boundaries run roughly from Canyon Boulevard to the south, Bluff Street to the north, Broadway to the west, and 26th Street to the east. From virtually any point within the neighborhood, Pearl Street Mall is a two-to-five minute walk. This walkability, Walk Score consistently above 90, is the neighborhood’s most practical and irreplaceable advantage. Whittier residents live their daily lives on foot in a way that no other Boulder neighborhood fully enables.

Directly east of Whittier, Boulder Junction’s 29th Street Mall puts Whole Foods, REI, and Target within a short walk or bike ride. RTD bus service on Broadway and Canyon provides public transit access throughout Boulder and toward the Flatiron Flyer BRT for Denver commuters. The Boulder Creek Path, a dedicated multi-use trail running east-west through Boulder, is accessible from the neighborhood’s southern edge, providing cycling connections across the city without touching vehicle traffic.

Pearl Street, Dairy Arts Center, and Boulder Creek

• Pearl Street Mall (2–5 min walk from most homes)
• Dairy Arts Center (galleries, cinema, theater — walkable)
• Boulder Theater (live music — walking distance)
• eTown Hall (live music & radio — Spruce Street)
• Spruce Street Pool (public outdoor pool — neighborhood)
• Dushanbe Tea House (cultural landmark — Pearl St)
• Boulder Creek Path (southern edge — cycling & running)
• Eben G. Fine Park (Boulder Creek — swimming & tubing)
• Chautauqua Park (short ride/drive west)
• 29th Street Mall (Whole Foods, REI, Target — short walk east)
• Folsom Field / CU Campus (short walk)
• Boulder Farmers Market (Pearl Street — seasonal)

Education in Whittier

Whittier is served by Boulder Valley School District. Its elementary school, Whittier International Elementary, holds a distinction that no other school in Colorado can claim: it is the oldest continuously operating elementary school in the state, and the second school ever built in Boulder.

Always verify current school assignments with Boulder Valley School District before purchasing. Some Whittier addresses may have different middle school assignments.

Where Whittier Residents Eat

Whittier’s two-block proximity to Pearl Street puts essentially all of Boulder’s most celebrated dining within walking distance. East Pearl Street’s growing corridor provides additional neighborhood-level options without the tourist density of the Pearl Street Mall proper.

Living in Whittier

Whittier’s daily life is organized around Pearl Street, on foot. Residents don’t think about driving to dinner, to a concert, to the farmers market, to the pool, or to school. That pedestrian lifestyle — genuinely rare anywhere in Colorado — is the neighborhood’s defining quality, and the one thing that no other Boulder neighborhood provides at the same degree.