Ward

About Ward, CO

Ward, Colorado, a mountain town in Boulder County, is located 17 miles up Left Hand Canyon in the northwest region of the county. Former Mayor Tiffany Snyder said she moved to the tiny mountain town northwest of Boulder 15 years ago because it reminded her of how small Colorado towns used to feel. "To me it was paradise because it's what I remembered of Colorado before all the development and monetary change," she said.

The town is home to just 168 residents — mountain men, bikers, hippies and artists whom Snyder describes as "eclectic freaks." But more than a century ago, Ward was a booming gold camp housing more than 4,000 people. After its heyday, the town's population dwindled to just four people in 1930. Since the 1960s, the numbers have remained more steady, and Snyder said they probably will stay that way because of ordinances forbidding development on empty lots.

Ward's diminutive size allows for some unusual traditions. The town has Colorado's only honor-system public library. And in a town of just 168 souls, a single person's idea to stand in the street "fighting all comers" has become the community's best-known festival. Derik Lee Stevens holds a Scottish boxing day every May, taking on the neighborhood kids and occasional old grudges who show up to swap punches. "We're vaguely starved for culture," Snyder said. "We all get cabin fever, so anybody who throws a party, it's likely half the town will show up."

Ward also has a form of government allowing all residents of voting age to vote on all issues before the town council.

Name derived from: Calvin Ward, who discovered the Miser's Dream mine

Population: 168

Year founded: 1858

Elevation: 9,253 feet

Size: Less than one square mile

Did you know … ? Ward has several century-old ordinances still on the books that show a glimpse into what life must have been like in its days as a gold camp. Here are several that have not been enforced in modern times:

Sledding in the street has been forbidden since 1896 and is punishable by a fine of $5 to $100.

Annual dog licensing was enacted in 1896 and cost "$4 for sluts and $2 for all other dogs." Owners of unlicensed dogs at large can be fined up to $300.

The owners of swine aren't allowed to let their animals roam in the street either, but that offense is only punishable by up to $50, according to a 1915 ordinance.

Since 1897, bar owners have been forbidden from "causing" or "permitting" any dancing, singing or playing of musical instruments.

And in 1899, town leaders forbade any saloons, billiard halls or clubhouses on a corner lot. All such businesses were given three days to evacuate or be fined $300 a day.

• Boulder

Population: 168

Population density: 281.7/sq mi

Median Household Income: $33,750

Avg. household size: 2.54

Age distribution:

• 0% are under 10
• 33.8% between 10-19
• 12.7% in their 20s
• 4.2% in their 30s
• 19.7% in their 40s
• 25.4% in their 50s
• 4.2% in their 60s
• 0% are over 70

Median age: 35

Relationship status:

• 53.3% married
• 41.7% single
• 5% divorced
• 0% widowed

Percent single: 33.3% of population are single males, 8.3% of population are single females

Homes with children: 58.6% have kids

Home Type:

• 99.2% single-family
• 0% condo
• 0.8% other

Owners v. Renters: 100% own; 0% rent

Avg. single-family home value:

• 1 BD – $209,000
• 2 BD – $255,000
• 3 BD – $339,000
• 4BD – $369,000

Home size in Sq. Ft.:

• 1,000 or less – 44.7%
• 1,000-1,400 – 17.2%
• 1,400-1,800 – 12%
• 2,300-2,800 – 12.6%
• 2,800-3,600 – 10.6%
• more than 3,600 – 2.6%

Median home size: 1,104 sq. ft.

Year built:

• 2000-present – 8%
• 1980-1999 – 29.7%
• 1960-1979 – 36.9%
• 1940-1959 – 4%
• 1920-1939 – 10.3%
• 1900-1919 –8%
• before 1900 – 3.1%

Avg. year built: 1973

Commute time:

• 0% – 10 min. or less
• 14.6% – 10-20 min.
• 34.1% – 20-30 min.
• 19.5% – 30-45 min.
• 31.7% – 45-60 min.
• 0% – more than 60 min.

Avg. Commute time: 31.268 min.

• July is on average the warmest month, with an average high temperature of 76 degrees.
• January is on average the coldest month, with an average high temperature of 32 degrees, and an average low of 4 degrees.
• August is on average the wettest month, with an average of about 2.15 inches of precipitation.
• The highest temperature on record was 92°F in 1978.
• The lowest temperature on record was -43°F in 1963.