A New Neighborhood with an Old Arvada Name
Richards Farm is one of Arvada’s newer neighborhoods, but its name reaches back to the city’s much older agricultural identity. Located along the north side of West 72nd Avenue, near Alkire Street and across from the Arvada APEX Recreation Center, the community occupies a convenient corner of northwest Arvada while still carrying the feeling of a place connected to open land and farming.
Today, Richards Farm is a covenant-controlled community of 125 single-family homes on approximately 32 acres. Most residents know it for its well-kept streets, modern homes, mountain views, and proximity to recreation. Yet the neighborhood’s most interesting story is how it reflects Arvada’s long transition from a farming settlement into a growing suburban city. ([richardsfarmmetro.org](https://www.richardsfarmmetro.org/?utm_source=openai))
Arvada’s Agricultural Background
Long before Richards Farm was platted, Arvada was shaped by agriculture. The community grew in the late nineteenth century after settlers discovered that the bottomlands around Ralston Creek and Clear Creek were well suited to farming. Some early prospectors who came to Colorado seeking gold eventually turned to cultivating crops, raising livestock, and supplying nearby mining settlements and Denver.
Water was central to that way of life. Ditches, creek corridors, and irrigated fields made it possible to grow produce in what might otherwise have been a dry landscape. Over time, farms and truck gardens spread across the Arvada area, and roads gradually connected rural properties to schools, businesses, churches, and rail lines.
That heritage remains visible throughout the city. Historic areas such as Olde Town Arvada and the Stocke-Walter Addition preserve older homes and commercial buildings, while parks and open spaces often occupy land that was once part of a farm or ranch. Richards Farm is not an old historic district in the architectural sense, but it belongs to this larger agricultural story.
How Richards Farm Got Its Name
The neighborhood’s name appears to preserve the identity of the property or farm that occupied the land before development. Public neighborhood records document the development timeline, but they do not identify a specific Richards family or provide a detailed biography of the original farm owner. That uncertainty is common in a rapidly changing area where land was used agriculturally for generations before being subdivided.
Even so, “Richards Farm” is a meaningful name. It follows a familiar Colorado tradition of naming neighborhoods after the landscapes, ranches, and family properties that came before them. The name offers a small reminder that the tidy streets and landscaped yards sit within a former rural landscape.
Nearby names reinforce that history. Moore Farm open space lies in the broader area, and the neighborhood is surrounded by streets and developments that preserve the language of farms, fields, and open land. In northwest Arvada, modern subdivisions and remnants of agricultural property often sit side by side.
From Open Land to Planned Community
The formal history of Richards Farm begins in the 2010s. In December 2014, the City of Arvada approved the subdivision plan for a 125-home neighborhood. The Richards Farm Metropolitan District was created in November 2015, and the neighborhood’s covenants and restrictions were filed the following month. ([richardsfarmmetro.org](https://www.richardsfarmmetro.org/view/history-statistics.aspx?utm_source=openai))
Construction followed soon afterward. Meritage Homes sold the first single-family home in May 2016, and the final home was sold in February 2018. Neighborhood records describe the homes as being constructed primarily between 2016 and 2018, with the completed community including 125 developed lots. Some homes were completed or occupied into 2019 as the neighborhood settled into its finished appearance. ([richardsfarmmetro.org](https://www.richardsfarmmetro.org/view/history-statistics.aspx?utm_source=openai))
This was a period when northwest Arvada was experiencing substantial growth. New housing was being built near major roads, recreation facilities, schools, and shopping centers. Richards Farm’s location made it especially attractive: residents could enjoy a quieter residential setting while remaining close to West 72nd Avenue, Ward Road, the APEX Center, Ralston Valley High School, and nearby retail.
Streets, Recreation, and Everyday Landmarks
Richards Farm is organized around a network of short residential streets and cul-de-sacs branching north from West 72nd Avenue. The community’s monument sign and landscaped entryway provide a recognizable gateway, while the streets themselves are maintained by the City of Arvada. The metropolitan district retains responsibility for certain shared features, including neighborhood open spaces, perimeter fencing, the detention pond, and the entry monument. ([richardsfarmmetro.org](https://www.richardsfarmmetro.org/view/general-innformation.aspx?utm_source=openai))
The most visible landmark across the street is the Arvada APEX Recreation Center. For many residents, APEX is more than a nearby building; it is part of the neighborhood’s daily rhythm. Families use its pools, fitness facilities, courts, and programs, while walkers and cyclists make use of the surrounding streets and paths.
Gibbs West Community Park is also nearby, adding play areas and open space to the area around West 72nd Avenue. Farmstead Park, located at 7290 Braun Way, offers another neighborhood recreation option, with open grass areas and a playground. These spaces help connect Richards Farm to Arvada’s broader park system, which includes more than 90 neighborhood parks and an extensive network of trails and open spaces. ([arvadaco.gov](https://www.arvadaco.gov/1039/Park-Inventory-and-Amenities?utm_source=openai))
The Metropolitan District Era
One distinctive part of Richards Farm’s modern history is the role of its metropolitan district. Like many newer Colorado communities, Richards Farm used a metropolitan district to help finance and manage infrastructure associated with development. The district issued bonds to support the construction of roads, utilities, drainage, and other improvements before homebuilding was complete.
As the neighborhood matured, governance gradually shifted toward homeowner participation. In May 2018, three of the district’s five board seats were filled by independent homeowner directors, ending developer control of the board majority. That milestone marked an important transition from construction project to established residential community. ([richardsfarmmetro.org](https://www.richardsfarmmetro.org/view/history-statistics.aspx?utm_source=openai))
Today, the district continues to oversee neighborhood-specific responsibilities such as covenant enforcement, architectural review, open-space maintenance, and certain common facilities. At the same time, city-owned streets and public infrastructure remain part of Arvada’s municipal system.
A Neighborhood Still Evolving
Richards Farm has changed quickly because it began as a planned development rather than a gradually assembled village. In just a few years, an open tract became a complete neighborhood with homes, sidewalks, landscaping, drainage features, and a strong visual identity.
The next stage of its history will be less about construction and more about community life. The first generation of residents is establishing traditions, raising children, improving gardens, and getting to know neighbors. Young trees will mature, landscaping will fill in, and the neighborhood’s everyday memories will accumulate: summer evenings on the sidewalks, snowy mornings along West 72nd Avenue, walks to APEX, and weekend outings to parks and Olde Town.
That is what makes Richards Farm special. It is modern, but it is not disconnected from Arvada’s past. Its name recalls a former agricultural landscape, its location reflects the city’s continuing growth, and its residents are creating the heritage that future generations will remember.