Colorado's largest city - Aurora? (Denver, Colorado Springs: homes, subdivisions, live)

[prairiestate]

First, I know the largest city is Denver. However, some estimates state that metro Denver could add another million people over the next few decades. Even if they don't quite get there, certainly there will still be a significant population increase in the area. Right now, Aurora is little more than 250,000 people behind of Denver, and less than 70,000 behind Colorado Springs. Looking at the terrain of metro Denver, development already goes up to the foothills in the west, so you aren't going to see many sprawling subdivisons there. To the south the terrain is also rather rugged. There is potential for large developments up north, but you're dealing with a patchwork of governments. To the east, there's only one city, Aurora, with flat, wide open land stretching halfway to Kansas. Between the terrain and the convenience of having to deal with only one city, I'm guessing the bulk of development will be to the east. This could possibly make Aurora the largest city in the state. I think it's pretty likely they'll at least eclipse Colorado Springs.

[ColoWeb]

Colorado's population will double by 2030. That is according to current forecasts. By 2025, Colorado's population is expected to be 6,300,000 (per Dept. of local affairs). Of that, 5,060,000 people will be in the front range area.

So yes, Aurora will expand just as most of the cites that have any areas to expand.

I also found the forecasts broken down by county: http://www.dola.colorado.gov/dlg/dem...ounties5yr.pdf

[tfox]

It's not quite true that Aurora can stretch all the way to Kansas. The Lowry Bombing Range is in the way. Recently, the state land board controversially decided to sell off portions of the Lowry Range to a developer, while putting the other 80% or so as conservation easement. The developable portion is huge and could and likely will involve tend of thousands of homes (well, once they remove all the live ordnance). However, once that portion is built out, Aurora's ability to sprawl will be largely checked to the east and southeast (probably a bit of development opportunity north of I-70 around Front Range Airport, however).

I think the sprawl magnet of the future will likely be the north metro in Weld County. There, you have an enthusiastic county government, little to no regulation, little land under protection, plentiful agricultural water to raid, easy access to I-25 and U.S. 85, and no natural or jurisdictional barriers to sprawl. The corridor between I-25/the Larimer County Line and the south Platte River will likely eventually be filled in with subdivisions all the way to Greeley. Scary, don't you think? I-25 / US-85 will both a permanent parking lot all the way from Fort Collins and Greeley, a problem that will defy any solution.