Government: Mayor & Town Council
Sales Tax: 8.1%
Utilities: Gas & Electric - Xcel Service Co., Mountain View Elec. Assoc., Peoples Natural Gas Intermountain Rural Elec. Assoc.; Water - special districts and city; Trash - private contractors
Median Income: $77,387
Average Home Price: $275,000
School District: Douglas County
Population as of 2006: 41,406
When you arrive in the town of Parker, what you'll see amid the rolling plains is a growing community of new shops, low buildings, new home communities and lots of open space. Parker has worked hard to keep it's small town flavor and atmosphere even though it's currently one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. You can find homes with an amazing view of the Rockies, Downtown City Lights, or nestled in the Pines.
Parker's very modest beginning came in 1860, when a one-room shack was moved from Pine Grove over to Cherry Creek to serve as a stage stop called, appropriately, the Twenty-Mile House. It was twenty miles from the origination point of the Butterfield stage, what today is the intersection of Colorado Boulevard and Colfax Avenue in bustling Denver. The humble little shack grew into a ten room Inn, changed hands twice and finally became a major stopping point for the railroad in 1882 under the ownership of James Sample Parker.
What doesn't show when you're in Parker today are the scars that ravaged the area during the 1930's depression when the bank was robbed, railroad tracks were washed out and low produce prices almost wiped out the small village.
It was a struggle just to hang on for the next thirty years, but the same impetus that first created a need for the Twenty-Mile House, provided the resuscitation the little town needed to become the hub of one of the fastest growing areas in the state today. That impetus was Denver.
Denver, twenty miles to the northwest, was getting crowded. Developers and planners wisely looked to this area and found a beautiful environment where rural living could combine with modern day necessities, where country pleasures would join with today's desired amenities. Today, the Parker governmental agencies and residents are striving to insure that this beautiful rural area is not spoiled by over-building and lack of planning. Beautiful walking and biking trails and equestrian facilities abound in the Parker vicinity.
Historic Franktown, located only seven miles south of Parker, was the original site of the Douglas County seat and the location of the first gold find in Colorado.
For those who desire acreage or stable facilities, the Parker area and Douglas County abound with a variety of choices. While driving around the Parker area, one might imagine they are in Kentucky with all the beautiful rolling green hills. with rail fences. horses, stables, arenas and barns in the area. Pick-up trucks and large horse trailers are a familiar sight on Douglas County roads.
Other amenities in the area include a recreation center, a public library and four golf courses, the Black Bear Golf Course, Pradera Golf Course, The Colorado Country Club and the Pinery Country Club. Also visit the skate park located near the Parker Recreation Center, and the new Field House on Dranseldt. This facility has an ice skating rink as well as a climbing wall.
