Wheat Ridge

Wheat Ridge

Wheat Ridge, a small suburb on the west side of the metro area, traces its roots back to the Gold Rush of 1859 when the area served as a rest stop for miners headed to the mountain gold camps. Its name comes from the golden ridges of wheat that travelers observed as they passed along the Overland Trail. The city was incorporated in 1969 when voters feared they would be swallowed up by the encroachments of the surrounding cities. The 9.5 square mile city includes 300 acres of open space, 4 lakes, 24 parks and 7 miles of trail along Clear Creek. The 31,200 people that call Wheat Ridge home have easy commute access into Denver or up into the mountains via I-70. The city is in Jefferson County as resides in the Jefferson County R-1 School District. Although Wheat Ridge has a few shopping and dining alternatives, most of the popular destinations are in nearby Lakewood, Arvada, or Westminster. Wheat Ridge is primarily a residential city with home prices quite like the Denver metro area, as a whole. The median home price for homes that closed in the last quarter of 2021 was $568,000, up 20.9% year-over-year. Learn more about Wheat Ridge here.