A Brief History of Niwot
Niwot developed around the Colorado Central Railroad after tracks reached the area from Boulder in 1873. Porter T. Hinman helped lay out the townsite in 1875 beside a railroad section house between Boulder and Longmont. Businesses clustered west of the tracks near the depot, while most residents lived to the east. The railroad connected the surrounding agricultural district with markets for its products. By the turn of the twentieth century, shops and services were also appearing east of the tracks along Second Avenue. Today Niwot remains an unincorporated Boulder County community.