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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 2021 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 33 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.
The 10 Best Cities To Raise A Family In Colorado For 2021
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 2021
/10
Population: 20,860
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 36
Closest Major City: Denver
Households with kids: 34.0%
More on Louisville: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 62,417
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 60
Closest Major City: Aurora
Households with kids: 44.4%
More on Castle Rock: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 47,989
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 67
Closest Major City: Denver
Households with kids: 25.7%
More on Littleton: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 136,868
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 49
Closest Major City: Denver
Households with kids: 40.8%
More on Thornton: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 110,841
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 77
Closest Major City: Colorado Springs
Households with kids: 29.2%
More on Pueblo: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 54,352
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 47
Closest Major City: Aurora
Households with kids: 46.9%
More on Parker: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 105,888
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 80
Closest Major City: Denver
Households with kids: 35.6%
More on Greeley: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 28,742
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 53
Closest Major City: Denver
Households with kids: 31.4%
More on Lafayette: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 24,223
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 40
Closest Major City: Denver
Households with kids: 47.5%
More on Erie: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
/10
Population: 12,767
Family Friendly Amenities Score: 47
Closest Major City: Denver
Households with kids: 42.7%
More on Frederick: Photos | Homes For Sale | Data
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 33 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
- Arvada
- Northglenn
For more Colorado reading, check out:
Where Are The Best Places For Families In Colorado?
| Rank | City | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louisville, CO | 20,860 |
| 2 | Castle Rock, CO | 62,417 |
| 3 | Littleton, CO | 47,989 |
| 4 | Thornton, CO | 136,868 |
| 5 | Pueblo, CO | 110,841 |
| 6 | Parker, CO | 54,352 |
| 7 | Greeley, CO | 105,888 |
| 8 | Lafayette, CO | 28,742 |
| 9 | Erie, CO | 24,223 |
| 10 | Frederick, CO | 12,767 |
