Nederland

History

Nederland was established in 1874. The town started as a trading post between Ute Indians and European settlers during the 1850s. The town's first economic boom came when minerals such as tungsten, silver, and gold were discovered near Tungsten (east of Nederland), Caribou (northwest of Nederland, 1859), and Eldora (west of Nederland, 1875). Today Nederland is better known as a gateway to outdoor recreation in the nearby Indian Peaks Wilderness, Rocky Mountain National Park, Roosevelt National Forest, and the recently established James Peak Wilderness. Nederland is located west of Boulder, south of Estes Park, and northwest of Denver at the Junction of SH 119 and SH 72 on the Peak to Peak Highway. The nearby Eldora Mountain Resort ski area has been a draw for locals since 1961. In 2024, when Eldora owner, PWDR Corporation, announced it was selling off various properties nationwide, including Eldora, Nederland explored the idea of purchasing the operation for $120 million. After considerable financial discussions, community input and planning, the sale was completed in January 2026. The transition of ownership from POWDR to Nederland is expected to take upward of two years. When completed, Eldora's employees will become employees of the town. In the mid-19th century the first homesteaders gave a variety of names to the area. The town was first called Dayton, then Browns Crossing. In 1871, when the US Postal Service first set up an office, the name was changed to Middle Boulder after the creek that flows through the center of town (and continues eastward to become Boulder Creek). In 1873 the Caribou Mine, at an elevation of roughly and northwest of the town, was sold to the Mining Company Nederland from the Netherlands. The high elevation meant fierce winds and…

Geography

Nederland is located in southwest Boulder County. Due west from the town is the Indian Peaks Wilderness within Roosevelt National Forest. The Continental Divide passes through the Wilderness west of Nederland. The town of Nederland has a total area of , of which is land and , or 4.29%, is water, }}

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Steller's Jay

  Cyanocitta stelleri (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  12,272
• Dark-eyed Junco

  Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,863
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  11,837
• Mountain Chickadee

  Poecile gambeli (Ridgway, 1886) · Aves
  11,267
• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  10,727
• Broad-tailed Hummingbird

  Selasphorus platycercus (Swainson, 1827) · Aves
  9,884
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  9,130
• Northern Flicker

  Colaptes auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,856

Most recent

• M 2.7 — 2025-06-13
  7 km SE of Erie, Colorado
• M 2.5 — 2020-10-24
  2 km ESE of Georgetown, Colorado
• M 2.9 — 2019-03-30
  7 km NE of Greeley, Colorado
• M 3 — 2016-11-06
  8 km ENE of Greeley, Colorado
• M 2.7 — 2016-11-06
  8 km ENE of Greeley, Colorado
• M 2.6 — 2016-08-23
  2 km SSE of Eaton, Colorado