The story so far
Gunbarrel, in brief
Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Gunbarrel yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 9,263 to 9,554 (+3%).
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History · Gunbarrel
1 of Gunbarrel’s places is on the National Register
More historic than 21% of U.S. towns · #93 of 159 in Colorado. What drives it
Its Register listing is the Martha Weiser House. Most of Gunbarrel was built recently: 0.6% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1979. Below: maps from 1904 on and the census since 1980.
1on the National Register
0.6%homes built before 1940
Quick answers
About Gunbarrel’s history
How historic is Gunbarrel?
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What drives the grade ↓More historic than 21% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
History grade
What drives Gunbarrel’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Gunbarrel is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #93 of 159 in Colorado. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
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HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Gunbarrel’s overall grade.
Founding eraNo founding year we can rely on, so the grade uses the other two–Homes built before 19400.6% of homes (±0.7) · typical CO town 2.5% · U.S. 8.4%DNational Register1 listing, 1.0 per 10,000 residents · typical CO town 1.1 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 21%
NewerOlder
Colorado towns of 2,500+ (159)Ahead of 42%
Few Colorado towns list much on the Register (a typical Colorado town has 1.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Gunbarrel’s 1.0 sits near the middle of its state (50% of Colorado towns have fewer) while its 1 listings outnumber those of 51% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on two of the three inputs, so a change in either one moves the letter more than it would with three. The pre-1940 share (±0.7 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: our sources. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Gunbarrel’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
★ What stands out · Help out
Start Gunbarrel’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Gunbarrel’s history is told.
Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.On the map
Gunbarrel on the map, 1904 to 1971
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Gunbarrel. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1904Niwot sheet · 1:62,500U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Gunbarrel.
By decade
No old photos in the archives yet
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Be the first to add onePhotograph a print flat, in daylight, no flash.
Add from your albumOn the National Register
1 historic place in Gunbarrel
The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.
place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2013
Martha Weiser House
Buildings
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.
People over time
Gunbarrel, census by census
Between 5,172 and 9,554 people in every census since 1980.
5 censuses, 1980–2020.
U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Gunbarrel’s Wikipedia page.
Stories next door
History across the town line
Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.
Questions about Gunbarrel’s history
How does Gunbarrel rank for history?
Gunbarrel is more historic than 21% of U.S. towns, #93 of 159 in Colorado. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Gunbarrel?
One place: the Martha Weiser House (listed 2013).
How old are the homes in Gunbarrel?
0.6% of Gunbarrel’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate), against a typical 2.5% for a Colorado town; the median home was built in 1979.
Memory lane
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Start a conversation
Sources
Where this page comes from
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From the National Register of Historic Places (1), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.