A Newer Place with an Older Story
When longtime Broomfield residents talk about Northlands, they often describe it as one of the city’s newest chapters: a broad, developing district near the intersection of Colorado State Highway 7 and Interstate 25. Yet the land beneath Northlands belongs to a much older story—one shaped by Indigenous peoples, farming, railroads, water, transportation, and Broomfield’s long tradition of planning for the future.
Northlands is not a historic neighborhood in the same sense as Old Broomfield or the original Broomfield Heights subdivision. Instead, it is a planned mixed-use area that has taken shape during the city’s most recent era of growth. Its setting, however, connects it directly to the larger history of northern Broomfield, where open agricultural land gradually became one of the Front Range’s most active suburban and commercial corridors.
Before modern development, this part of the region was part of the high-plains landscape used by Indigenous peoples, including the Cheyenne and Arapaho. Archaeological evidence elsewhere in Broomfield indicates human habitation dating back thousands of years. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, settlers transformed much of the area into farms, ranches, and transportation routes. ([broomfield.org](https://www.broomfield.org/history?utm_source=openai))
How Northlands Got Its Name
The name *Northlands* appears to be a modern planning and development name rather than one inherited from an earlier farm, railroad stop, or historic settlement. City planning documents describe Northlands as a major mixed-use and commercial destination within the North Broomfield community.
That meaning is fairly straightforward: Northlands occupies Broomfield’s northern edge and was envisioned as a gateway district—an area where retail, employment, hospitality, housing, and public pathways could come together. The name also reflects the city’s continuing expansion northward, particularly beyond 136th Avenue and toward State Highway 7, Huron Street, and I-25.
In that sense, Northlands fits a familiar Broomfield pattern. The city has often used carefully chosen names to express a sense of place and direction. Older names such as Zang, Sheridan, and Lowell recall people, roads, and earlier eras, while newer names such as Northlands point toward Broomfield’s changing geography and ambitions.
Broomfield’s Growth Reaches North
For much of the twentieth century, northern Broomfield remained more rural than suburban. The city itself was incorporated in 1961 with a population of approximately 6,500 and only about 1.5 square miles. During the 1970s and 1980s, subdivisions such as Northmoor, Greenway Park, Lac Amora, Westlake Village, Highland Park, and Columbine Meadows helped establish the community’s suburban character. ([broomfield.org](https://www.broomfield.org/4218/History-of-Broomfield-and-Utility-Infras?utm_source=openai))
The next major wave of development came in the 1990s and 2000s. Interlocken, FlatIron Crossing, new schools, improved highway connections, and expanding utility systems helped move Broomfield from a bedroom community toward a regional employment and shopping center. The creation of the City and County of Broomfield in 2001 gave local leaders greater control over planning and infrastructure decisions.
Northlands grew from this larger transformation. Its location near I-25 and State Highway 7 made it especially attractive for regional development. But the area could not simply be built out with roads and buildings; it also required major utility improvements. The North Area Lift Station, completed in 2013 just north of State Highway 7 and west of I-25, helped make development east of Sheridan Parkway and north of 160th Avenue possible. That infrastructure supported newer districts including the Highlands, Palisade Park, and Baseline. ([broomfield.org](https://www.broomfield.org/4218/History-of-Broomfield-and-Utility-Infras?utm_source=openai))
A Planned District at the Crossroads
Northlands was formally envisioned as a vibrant mixed-use and commercial destination. Planning documents describe a development with commercial uses, large-format retail, other permitted uses, and a network of pedestrian pathways. The central idea was to create more than a collection of parking lots and isolated buildings: Northlands was intended to function as a connected district within northern Broomfield. ([broomfield.org](https://www.broomfield.org/DocumentCenter/View/24847?utm_source=openai))
Its most recognizable geographic landmarks are the roads that define its setting:
- State Highway 7, also known as Baseline Road, forms the northern edge of the area.
- Interstate 25 provides the major regional connection to Denver, Longmont, Fort Collins, and the wider Front Range.
- Huron Street and Sheridan Parkway connect Northlands with neighboring communities and residential districts.
- Nearby roads such as Lowell Lane help mark the transition between newer neighborhoods, open land, and commercial development.
For residents, the appeal of the area is easy to understand. Northlands sits close to newer homes, established Broomfield neighborhoods, medical facilities, employment centers, and the larger network of parks and trails that gives the city its outdoor identity.
Nearby Landmarks That Tell the Story
Although Northlands itself is relatively new, several nearby institutions and landmarks provide historical context.
The Children’s Hospital Colorado North Campus represents the region’s growth as a medical and employment center. Its presence helped establish northern Broomfield as more than a residential outpost. The National Archives and Records Administration facility near Huron Street is another significant neighbor, bringing a national institution into a landscape that was once primarily agricultural.
Just west and northwest of Northlands, the Palisade Park area illustrates how quickly northern Broomfield has evolved. Palisade Park includes residential development, parks, trails, the Children’s Hospital campus, the National Archives facility, and other mixed-use projects. City documents also reference a historic barn and park associated with the broader area—an important reminder that new construction has often shared the landscape with traces of its agricultural past. ([broomfield.org](https://www.broomfield.org/DocumentCenter/View/13991?utm_source=openai))
Farther south, longtime residents can still connect Northlands to older Broomfield landmarks. The historic Broomfield Depot, now located at Zang Spur Park, recalls the electric railway and railroad era that helped bring people, goods, and opportunity to the community. The depot was moved to its current location in 1976, preserving a physical link to the transportation history that predates today’s highways. ([broomfieldhistoricalsociety.org](https://broomfieldhistoricalsociety.org/oct-dec-2024-the-magical-history-tour-an-armchair-tour-of-broomfields-historical-sites/?utm_source=openai))
From Prairie Edge to Community Gateway
The story of Northlands is ultimately a story of transition. Open fields became planned development. Farm roads gave way to Sheridan Parkway, Huron Street, and highway interchanges. Utility projects made new neighborhoods possible, while parks, trails, medical campuses, and civic planning helped shape a more complete community.
What makes Northlands special is not a single century-old building or one famous event. Its significance lies in how clearly it captures modern Broomfield’s character: practical, forward-looking, connected to the outdoors, and mindful—at least in its best planning—of how development fits into the wider community.
A walk or drive through Northlands today reveals a place still being written. New buildings, pathways, businesses, and nearby neighborhoods continue to change its appearance. Yet the wide skies, distant Front Range views, and sense of open space remain familiar. For longtime residents, that combination offers a satisfying reminder that Broomfield’s future is still connected to its past.
The Heritage of What Comes Next
Northlands may not have the deep architectural history of Old Broomfield, but it has an important place in the city’s heritage. It represents the moment when Broomfield’s northern edge became a destination in its own right—not simply land waiting for development, but a planned gateway linking homes, jobs, services, transportation, and recreation.
That is the heritage residents will pass along: the memory of fields becoming streets, the arrival of major institutions, and the continuing effort to build a community that feels both modern and rooted in place.