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If you're looking for a safe place for your family to live, you can stop the search: The Centennial State is one of the most family friendly states in America. There are great family friendly Colorado places around every corner in this Rocky Mountain paradise, and HomeSnacks is here to give you the ultimate guide: we've broken down the best places to raise a family in Colorado for 2020 and the top ten list is below.
How did we determine Colorado's most family friendly places? We consulted the US Census on places in Colorado with more than 11,000 residents. We looked at several factors: crime, education, family friendly activities, and the percent of households that currently have children. We ended up with 36 family friendly Colorado places. This is also our second time ranking Colorado's most family friendly cities, so trust us when we say that any family would be lucky to call one of Colorado's best places to raise a family home.
It's a known fact that many families visit Colorado on vacation and end up staying. This is because the state has Blue Ribbon elementary schools, gold star high schools, cutting edge universities, good jobs, and tons of staycation possibilities for families on a budget.
And speaking of budgets, there are family friendly places in Colorado for all types of budgets. There are places like Greeley for the family that loves spending time outside, places like Fort Collins for families just starting out, and places like Durango for families who can afford to live in the most expensive places in Colorado.
So, want to see a list of Colorado's best places for families? Read on.
These are the best cities to raise a family in Colorado for 2020:
- Louisville (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Castle Rock (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Windsor (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Littleton (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Parker (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Greeley (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Frederick (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Lafayette (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Broomfield (Photos | Homes For Sale)
- Erie (Photos | Homes For Sale)
We are not at all surprised that Colorado has three of the top 100 best cities to raise a family in the country. The trick, however, is choosing the city that best fits your family's needs.
No need to flip a coin if you take a look at our list. There can only be one number one best place to raise your family in Colorado and that would be, Louisville.
To see how your favorite place in Colorado compared, take a look at the list below; and if you don't see it there, head to the bottom.
Check out some more reading about Colorado and the best places for families in the country:
- Best Places To Live In Colorado
- Cheapest Places To Live In Colorado
- Best Cities To Raise A Family In America
- Best States To Raise A Family In America
The 10 Best Places To Raise A Family In Colorado For 2020
/10
Population: 20,705
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 62
Closest Major City: Denver
Households with kids: 34.9%
More on Louisville: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Louisville Colorado is a Home Rule Municipality in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 18,376 at the 2010 United States Census. Louisville began as a rough mining community in 1877, suffered through a period of extraordinary labor violence early in the 20th century, and then, when the mines closed in the 1950s, made a transition to a suburban residential community. CNN/Money and Money magazine have consistently listed Louisville as one of the 100 best places to live in the United States, ranking it among the top 100 in 2007, 2009 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017.
/10
Population: 59,680
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 52
Closest Major City: Aurora
Households with kids: 45.6%
More on Castle Rock: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Castle Rock is an affluent home rule municipality that is the county seat of Douglas County, Colorado, United States. The most populous municipality of the county, the community's population was 48,231 at the 2010 United States Census, with an estimated population of 55,747 as of 2014. It is named for the prominent, castle tower-shaped butte near the center of town. Located midway between Denver and Colorado Springs, Castle Rock is part of the Denver Metropolitan Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor.
/10
Population: 25,232
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 61
Closest Major City: Denver
Households with kids: 42.2%
More on Windsor: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
The Town of Windsor is a Home Rule Municipality in Larimer and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. According to June 2016 estimates, the population of the town was 24,500. Windsor is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Windsor is situated 59 miles north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver.
/10
Population: 47,035
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 55
Closest Major City: Denver
Households with kids: 26.4%
More on Littleton: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Littleton is the Home Rule Municipality in Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties that is the county seat of Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The city is a part of the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city population was 41,737 at the 2010 United States Census, ranking as the 20th most populous municipality in the State of Colorado.
There are amazing parks and open spaces. Crime is limited, and it feels very inclusive. There is dining ad=nd shopping mixed into the charming suburban city.
Downtown Littleton maintains many of its historic buildings including houses and a rail station. There is a free historical museum and plenty to do with the kids. Many historic homes have been turned into stores.
/10
Population: 52,563
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 45
Closest Major City: Aurora
Households with kids: 48.4%
More on Parker: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Parker is a home rule municipality in Douglas County, Colorado, United States. As a self-declared "Town" under the Home Rule statutes, Parker is the second most populous town in the county; Castle Rock is the most populous. In recent years, Parker has become a commuter town at the southeasternmost corner of the Denver Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census the town population was 45,297; the estimated population in 2014 was 49,857. Parker is now the 19th most populous municipality in the state of Colorado.
/10
Population: 103,773
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 66
Closest Major City: Denver
Households with kids: 36.3%
More on Greeley: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
The City of Greeley is the home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Weld County, Colorado, United States. Greeley is in northern Colorado and is situated 49 miles north-northeast of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. According to a July 2015 estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of the city is 100,883, and a 2014 population estimate made Greeley the 12th-most populous city in Colorado. Greeley is a major city of the Front Range Urban Corridor.
/10
Population: 12,138
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 50
Closest Major City: Denver
Households with kids: 45.7%
More on Frederick: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
The Town of Frederick is a Statutory Town in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The population was 8679 at the 2010 census.
/10
Population: 28,002
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 57
Closest Major City: Denver
Households with kids: 31.0%
More on Lafayette: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
The City of Lafayette is a Home Rule Municipality located in Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 24,453 at the 2010 United States Census.
/10
Population: 66,120
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 62
Closest Major City: Denver
Households with kids: 32.8%
More on Broomfield: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
Broomfield, officially the City and County of Broomfield is a consolidated city and county in the U.S. state of Colorado. Broomfield has a consolidated city and county government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The population was 55,889 at the 2010 United States Census. Broomfield is the 16th most populous municipality and the 13th most populous county in Colorado.
/10
Population: 22,965
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 38
Closest Major City: Denver
Households with kids: 48.1%
More on Erie: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
The Town of Erie is a Statutory Town in Boulder and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. The population as of the 2010 census was 18,135, up from 6,291 at the 2000 census. Erie is located just west of Interstate 25, with easy access to Interstate 70, Denver International Airport and Colorado's entire Front Range. Erie's Planning Area spans 48 square miles, extending from the north side of State Highway 52 south to State Highway 7, and between US 287 on the west and Interstate 25 to the east. Erie is approximately 35 minutes from Denver International Airport, 25 minutes from Denver and 20 minutes from Boulder.
The town was named after Erie, Pennsylvania, the former home of an early settler, Richard Van Valkenburg.
How do you determine which place is best for families in Colorado anyways?
To give you the places in Colorado which are best for families, we have to look at a handful of metrics. Of course, we want to measure the type of people who live in each city, and make some assumptions about what's family-friendly and what isn't.
So we researched the internet for a database that contains all that information.
How we crunched the family friendly numbers for the Centennial State
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using U.S. Census data produced for the state of Colorado, we looked at every single city in the state. We paid particular attention to:
- Crime (Both violent and property)
- Quality of local schools
- Distance to a major city without necessarily being in it
- % of households with children
- Family-friendly amenities nearby (museums, libraries and colleges)
We then gave each city a Family Score.
The higher the score, the better the city is for families. We also limited our results to cities with populations over 11,000 people. For Colorado, that meant a total of 36 cities. You can download the data here.
There You Have It - The Best Places To Raise A Family In Colorado
If you're looking for a breakdown of cities in Colorado ranked by criteria that most would agree make a place a great spot for families, this is an accurate list.
Here's a look at the best cities for singles Colorado according to the data:
- Lone Tree
- Wheat Ridge
- Federal Heights
For more colorado reading, check out:
Where Are The Best Places For Families In Colorado?
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisville, CO | 20,705 |
| 2 | Castle Rock, CO | 59,680 |
| 3 | Windsor, CO | 25,232 |
| 4 | Littleton, CO | 47,035 |
| 5 | Parker, CO | 52,563 |
| 6 | Greeley, CO | 103,773 |
| 7 | Frederick, CO | 12,138 |
| 8 | Lafayette, CO | 28,002 |
| 9 | Broomfield, CO | 66,120 |
| 10 | Erie, CO | 22,965 |
