Growth in NoCo
US Census data is out and there has been Major Growth in Northern Colorado in the last 10 years. This isn’t big news for those of us that live here. We feel it. Traffic is worse and there are just more people. To be exact there are 700,000 more people in Colorado today than there were 10 years ago. Larimer and Weld counties are some of the fastest growing in the state with Weld growing at just over 30% and Larimer County and nearly 20% since the last census was taken in 2010. Between the two counties they added just over 135,000 people. The Larimer County area is still the most populous county in Northern Colorado, but that is predicted to change in the next 10 years with Weld County taking over.
Commuter Crisis
Census data also shows that as Fort Collins continues to get more expensive people are flocking to smaller towns around like Windsor, Timnath and Wellington, where housing is more affordable. All three communities have a lower median price than Fort Collins. Fort Collins median price topped $525,000 in July 2021. Some of the luster of living in Fort Collins has disappeared with the price increases. Many of the smaller neighboring communities offer new homes and the commute isn’t that far. Commuting times however are increasing as the number of people on the roads increase and air quality is being affected also.
Future Concerns
It seems that soon the days of each community being its own island will be gone. As growth in Northern Colorado continues, the amount of developable land is being decreased as housing units are being built. Soon we could become one. It will be interesting to see what the next 10 years brings to the area. Will the cost and amount of water available slow growth? If not will communities indeed grow together? Does this mean that commuting times continue to increase? As the saying goes, “time will tell.” If you would like to be part of this growth or move away from it, contact us to find out how we can help.
Larimer County: 359,066 (19.8%)
Fort Collins: 169,810 (17.9%)
Loveland: 76,378 (14.2%)
Timnath: 6,487 (937.9)
Wellington: 11,047 (75.7%)
Source: 2020 Census