Despite struggles, BusinessWeek says ‘Boulder rocks’ in home values

BusinessWeek has named Boulder, with 59.39 percent of its homes increasing in value, as the metro area with the strongest housing market in the nation.

According to the magazine, Boulder “has had a relatively stable housing market, in part, because it is home to strong employers, including the University of Colorado, as well as a base of affluent residents. The supply of homes is limited in Boulder by the mountains to the west and its tens of thousands of acres of protected open space.” Boulder’s median home value was listed as $347,200.

The only other Colorado city to make the list of the Top 30 Strongest Housing Markets – those found listed by Zillow.com as having home values appreciate from the second quarter of 2008 to the second quarter of 2009 – was Fort Collins, which came in at 19 with 28.82 percent of its homes appreciating. Besides being home to Colorado State University, Fort Collins has excellent schools, low crime and a vibrant downtown as well as miles of hiking and biking trails, 600 acres of parks and 5,000 acres of natural areas, according to BusinessWeek.

BusinessWeek based its ranking on Zillow.com’s Q2 Home Value Index, which is computed by taking many different data points from public records and entering them in a proprietary formula.

Here’s a look at the top 10 strongest housing markets in the nation: