Indian Hills

Indian Hills is tucked up at the foot of the mountains west of Littleton and east of Evergreen. I go to Indian Hills at least once a summer because it is such a scenic place and my kids love to go to "Tiny Town." Tiny town began as Turnerville when a gentleman by the name of George Turner began building miniature buildings to entertain his young daughter back in 1915. It lay on the route for the Denver-Leadville stage coach and after only five years it was large enough to open to the public. After only four years of being open to the public, Tiny Town began drawing crowds of over 20,000 per year, all of them braving the rough mountain roads to get there. By the year 1927 Tiny Town was needing more attention than Mr. Turner could give it so he sold it. At the time there were over 125 of the miniature building including a post office, grocery store, school house, and more. They are all 1/6 actual size. Over the years there were several floods that damaged the place, but someone was always willing to get it back in shape. Some of the buildings had to be rebuilt (and were done to original spec) and recently in an old building nearby there were found some of the original houses Mr. Turner built, still in excellent condition. These houses are now on display in Tiny Town. During the early 1990s a train going around the property was put in and there is a little gift shop and concession area. At the far end is a playground for children and there are many places to have a picnic. Although it's not wildly amazing, it is a fun thing for families to do and see, and it can easily take up a summer afternoon.

The rest of Indian Hills has a lot to offer. It's close enough to the 'big city' to be close to shopping and dining, but far enough away to feel as if you're really in the mountains. Some of the views are really nice and when you go to the little ice cream shop in town the people are very friendly. Homes here can cost a pretty penny with an average home price of just under $400,000 but the salaries of residents are some of the highest in the state. There are almost 1,300 people living here so it's not really big enough for it's own school system, although there is an elementary here, which gets the highest rating possible. The most common industry is construction, followed by insurance and finance.

Overall, I think Indian Hills would be a great place to live, especially for those who love the mountains. There's plenty to do nearby in the outdoors and yet you're close enough to be near good hospitals and a lot of shopping and dining options.

Indian Hills is a community in the Front Range county of Jefferson. Found southwest of Morrison and the Red Rocks Amphitheatre not far on HW 285 the area has about 1500 residents. The great town of Evergreen is also not far to the northwest. This puts the Indian Hills homes in a nice position along county roads less traveled and not too far from Denver. The community sits at about 7,000 feet and is true mountain living very close to the cities and all the amenities of the Front Range.

Named Indian Hills because the area was a summer camp frequented by the Ute Indians. Now you can find mountain homes with big properties, a holistic medical center, an equestrian center and a saloon. The main road is called Parmalee Gulch Road (Co Rd 120) that was a stagecoach road during the pioneer days.

There is an elementary school, churches and of course the Indian Hills Fire Protection District. This is a tight high elevation community where the average household income is about $60,000 well above Colorado's average. There is a lot of land still not built on that is for sale, there are amazing, wooded lots home to deer and wildlife is going for less than $100,000. Lots with great land and big beautiful homes go for about $750,000 plus. A saw a sweet, old wooden cabin with 1.3 acres on a great spot that has an asking price of $330,000. This is not a cheap area but it is also not one of the most expensive for what it is.