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Historic Splendid Valley
Historic Splendid Valley is an eclectic agricultural area established through a partnership with the City of Brighton and Adams County. The area is focused on preserving farmland and stimulating innovative opportunities that create closer connections between people, farming and nature. The map below outlines the focus area.
Historic Splendid Valley has roots that run both wide and deep. Former railroad man Daniel F. Carmichael filed for the first plat (or official plan) for the new townsite of Brighton in 1881. According to his obituary in the Brighton Blade dated March 3, 1911, he “took a fancy to the place and determined there should be a town here that would be a credit to the splendid valley of the Platte.”
Funding to develop the Historic Splendid Valley name and brand was provided in part by the Colorado Tourism Office and the Brighton Lodging Tax Grant.
New Virtual Tour
Take a virtual tour of Historic Splendid Valley to learn about preserved farm properties. The City of Brighton and Adams County have partnered to preserve almost 450 acres of valuable farmland in the south Brighton area, which makes up the Valley. Learn more about a number of these important properties and their history, check out photos and find out more about how they have been protected. At the end of the virtual tour, there is also information about how to visit some of our local farms this summer and fall.
Watch the Building Community Food Webs Book Talk!
Historic Splendid Valley and the District Plan were featured in a book called Building Community Food Webs by Ken Meter, published in April 2021. Click the image below to watch a book talk with the author and a local farmer, which also includes updates about plan implementation.
The District Plan
The District Plan was developed by the City of Brighton and Adams County and is focused on the area now referred to as Historic Splendid Valley. The goals of this plan are to:
- Preserve agricultural land and heritage
- Encourage local food production
- Promote agritourism
Download the District Plan Executive Summary or the full plan.
To learn more about the Plan's implementation, and to view the Work Plan and related toolkits and updates, visit the Plan Implementation page.
To learn more about the District Plan Commission, a joint City and County commission tasked with advising on the District Plan's implementation, click here.