Colorado Springs, CO

The Waldo Canyon Fire of 2012 destroyed 346 homes in Colorado Springs—the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history at the time—by burning directly through the Mountain Shadows neighborhood near the Broadmoor. The following year, the Black Forest Fire surpassed that loss count. Together, those two events established that Colorado Springs' WUI exposure is not a regional abstraction; it is a neighborhood-level reality with a documented address list. The city's wildfire score of 69 sits at the 79th national percentile—moderate band—but the spatial distribution is what matters here. What we noticed: proximity to open space is simultaneously the city's most-marketed amenity and its most concentrated risk variable. The Broadmoor area's 80906 high-value homes near open space still face direct fire risk. Old Colorado City and the Westside corridor in 80904 sit at the foothill edge where WUI conditions are active. Far North Northgate development in 80921 introduces grass-fire exposure as housing pushes into less-managed terrain. Annual premiums range from $1,500 to $3,400, with higher pressure in foothill and forest-edge submarkets. Defensible space and roof materials—specifically Class A fire-resistant roofing—matter practically in west-side neighborhoods. Properties with compliant defensible space underwrite more favorably and face broader carrier availability. Heat at the 48th national percentile is low; Colorado Springs runs significantly cooler than Front Range metros to the east. Flood at the 44th national percentile is also low. The market's primary risk is compressed into the WUI question: how close is the property to the interface, and has that interface produced documented losses in recent fire years. Waldo Canyon and Black Forest answered that question with specificity.

— Open Data Collective