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This Colorado town is just one square mile (but has its own private lake)

The tight-knit community of Bow Mar has just 900 residents and its own private lake.

This Colorado town may be tiny – it’s just one square mile and has about 900 residents – but it's got a friendly, rural feel that is one of many reasons why the residents who move there tend to stay put.

Bow Mar is about 12 miles southwest of Denver and consists of single-family homes on acre-lots, a private lake — and lots of open space (and the views that come with it) in between.

Many of Bow Mar's residents are second- or third-generation families (95 percent of whom own their homes) who are known for respecting each other (even if they don't always agree), according to Bow Mar's "Community Plan," drafted in November 2015.

And Bow Mar residents are well-educated, with 80 percent of those over age 25 having a bachelor's degree or higher. The median household income in Bow Mar is about $170,000, the plan says.

Pause and you might be able to figure out how it got its name

Credit: Allison Sylte, KUSA
Bow Mar Lake offers some incredible mountain views. 

Bow Mar has a history that involves pioneer farmers, Baby Boomer-era development and even the guy who founded King Soopers.

Let’s start with the name: It came by combining the monikers of two nearby lakes, Bowles Lake and Marston Lake (get it?). Those were named after Joseph Bowles and John Marston, two farmers who put this area straddling the Arapahoe and Jefferson County borders on the map.

But you can trace its origins as a neighborhood to Lloyd King – who owned King Soopers. He and a Denver realtor bought the 575-acre subdivision that would become Bow Mar with the dream that it would be a luxury neighborhood that would also govern itself.

And, this is what happened – that is, after the parcel land was sold to another land developer a couple of years later.

Credit: Allison Sylte, KUSA
One of the wide, tree-lined streets in Bow Mar. 

Bow Mar was incorporated as a town in 1958, and as new homes were built, many were modeled after Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie-style architecture.

None of them were more than a story tall.

The close-knit residents who live in Bow Mar now get the opportunity to enjoy their own private beach, as well as participate in a yacht club, ice skate, and use the neighborhood’s tennis courts.

Clean energy

Bow Mar is among several Colorado communities and towns trying to take a cleaner approach to energy usage. Boulder-based Clean Energy Collective in fall 2014 began supplying the South Suburban Park and Recreation District with solar panels to offset the high-demand needs of the area's irrigations systems — needs particularly fueled by golf courses, playgrounds and ball fields in Bow Mar and surrounding communities.

Credit: Allison Sylte, KUSA
All of the street signs in Bow Mar have clever decorations. 

Food

The town itself does not have much in the way of eating, but there are a few spots in nearby Littleton that residents can enjoy.

One such place is Walter's 303 Pizzeria & Publik House (5194 S. Lowell Blvd.), which serves up handmade pizza, craft beer, calzones and wings. Just up the road is JP Nori Sushi & Asian Cuisine (5302 S. Federal Cir.), a share-the-menu type place with Thai food, sushi and bento.

Resident can also catch a live show at The Toad Tavern (5302 S. Federal Cir.), a popular mini-concert hall where local and national bands play everything from indie rock to country.

Credit: Allison Sylte, KUSA
Bow Mar Beach is private and for residents of this neighborhood only. 

So you want to live in Bow Mar …

Convinced yet? Bow Mar homes are private and classy, and for those reasons tend to be on the expensive side: The median sales price is $932,500, according to real estate website Trulia.com.

Credit: Allison Sylte, KUSA
Another clever street sign in Bow Mar. 

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