GROWTH

the Denver metro area.

“ e area is ripe,” Garner said of the growth in so many small towns. “If you go out (I-76) east, you’re going to see the same thing, like in Wiggins. You’re going to see it east and north, because that’s areas where we have the most available land.” e town is set to develop further with up to 10,000 more homes possible over the next 30 years.

Keenesburg saw signi cant growth after developers constructed hundreds of new homes in the small town in recent years. e project was expected to take about four years to complete. e homes were nished and sold in about 18 months, interim Town Manager Roger Tinklenberg said.

“Obviously there was pent-up demand in the area,” he said.

New residents say they moved to the area to get out of the big cities while still being able to commute to the Denver region for work, Tinklenberg said. Homes are also much more a ordable with a median home price about $100,000 cheaper than in Denver, according to Zillow.

Still, Tinklenberg says there hasn’t been any talk of changing the town’s motto: “Home of 500 happy people and a few soreheads.”

Some of those happy people (and maybe even the soreheads) are welcoming the growth, even if they don’t want to see it become anything close to a metropolitan area.

Brian Anderson, the director of school for a local commercial driver’s license school, said he’s hoping to see the town expand in a sustainable way.

“It’s going to impact infrastructure. … But at the same time, I think it’s going to bring some of the bene ts of growth, which could be more activities for the kids, maybe a rec center,” he said. “If the town doesn’t grow, it’s gonna get swallowed by the surrounding towns.” e town of Timnath, which is just southeast of Fort Collins along I-25, saw the second highest growth, up 40%. at’s an increase of about 2,600 people.

“Northern Colorado just really is a very desirable place,” Timnath Town Manager Aaron Adams said. “I think that there’s a lot of things that are appealing to folks when they see those options, the options of new construction, new builds, a desirable school district, and then a town that they perceive to be well run and o ering a lot of things to draw them in.”

Adams said the town, which draws shoppers from throughout the region for its retail (including the area’s only Costco), works to maintain a “small-town feel” by consis- tently hosting local events.

Over the next 15 to 20 years, Adams expects the town to reach its maximum capacity of about 35,000 residents, he said.

Castle Pines, 10th on the list, is one of the only two municipalities in the top 10 with more than 10,000 residents. Between 2020 and 2022, the city grew about 20% to 13,486 from 11,215.

City Manager Michael Penny told e Colorado Sun much of that expansion came from development agreements made in the 2010s that just recently came to fruition.

“I’m not surprised. I think it was intentional by the council,” Penny said. “ ere’s probably ex-council members that are thinking, ‘Finally, why’d it take so long?’”

Still, the city sees its growth as having stagnated recently.

“I think that (growth) would have continued except for the economic worldwide issues that are out there and I think it’ll pick up again once that all gets gured out,” Penny said.

Several mountain towns, including at’s in part due to Colorado’s aging population.

Vail and Aspen, were among the biggest population losers between 2020 and 2022.

“What we’re seeing is a lot of net migration out of the older adults,” Garner said.

About 75 municipalities saw less than 1% change in their population, including ornton, Steamboat Springs, Golden, Crested Butte, Englewood, Lakewood and Pueblo.

And the state’s largest population centers are also seeing slower growth, with the exception of Castle Rock in Douglas County, which grew 8.5% between 2020 and 2022.

Denver, the state’s largest city, saw a slight population dip, while Colorado Springs, the second largest city, saw a 1.2% gain. Boulder saw the largest drop among the largest 15 cities, losing 2.4% of its population.

“Colorado is slowing down in terms of growth,” Garner said.

“Colorado is in the middle of a pretty big transition, especially with the aging.”

Rising housing prices and that aging population likely mean more population changes ahead for the state.

“It’s going to be harder for Colorado to attract and retain the best and the brightest and we’ve never had that struggle before,” Garner said. “If a place is going to be ghting for you that has lower housing costs, you’re going to go there.” e Colorado Sun co-owns Colorado Community Media as a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy. It is a reader-supported news organization dedicated to covering the people, places and policies that matter in Colorado. Read more, sign up for free newsletters and subscribe at coloradosun.com.

Marissa Gray Holy Family High School

Tell us a little bit about yourself

My name is Marissa Gray, and I am a senior at Holy Family High School. During my time at Holy Family, I was a cheerleader for three years and an active NHS member. I curated articles for the HF Lamppost, and a poem that I wrote was featured in the school’s literary magazine my junior year. During my senior year, I was a member of the yearbook sta that produced an amazing nal product. After high school, I will attend Texas A&M University to study English. Later, I hope to attend law school.

What is the most enduring memory from your high school career?

My most memorable moment from high school is the 2022 state cheerleading competition. e support from my team, friends, and community was astounding. I will never forget winning second place and how hard the team worked to get there.

Talk about your role in society going forward. What issues do feel drawn to address post-graduation and how do you plan to do that? After graduation, I feel drawn to address issues such as poverty through my involvement in policymaking and government.

Where do you see yourself in 20 years?

In 20 years, I will be 38 years old. At this point in my life, I see myself with a big loving family and many dogs.

Grace Fairchild Horizon High School

Tell us a little bit about yourself

I am involved in the National Art Honor Society, LINK Crew, National Honor Society, Graphic Design at Future Forward/Bollman, National Technical Honors Society (for Future Forward), Yearbook, SOAR (Students Of Academic Rigger - honors program), Gifted Talented, and Photography club. However, in previous years I have also participated in GSA (Gender Sexuality Alliance) and Anime Club. Post graduation, I plan to participate in a Badminton club and potentially some form of gardening club/beekeeping at Rochester Institute of Technology.

What is the most enduring memory from your high school career?

One of the most endearing memories I have from high school occurred in my senior year. November 1st was the early decision deadline for my top college and I was extremely stressed trying to wrap up art pieces for my portfolio. With this in mind, my counselor excused me for the entire day to work. My counselor (Mrs. Neumann) allowed me to completely rearrange her o ce to set up a mini-art-and-still-life studio. She even asked my former AP Biology teacher if I could borrow some bones to draw. Her actions were extremely endearing.

Julia Grace Ho man Holy Family High School

Talk about your role in society going forward. What issues do feel drawn to address post-graduation and how do you plan to do that?

was a member of the National Honor Society and Student Council and participated in Culinary and Mission club. During the summertime, I swam for a league team and had a part-time job at di erent businesses. In the fall, I will be attending the University of Arizona with a major in Physiology and medical sciences.

What is the most enduring memory from your high school career?

and and to options. e most enduring memory from my high school career actually just happened. My prom was on Saturday, May 6 and during one my favorite songs, my friends and I made a little dance circle and swayed to the song. Not only is it one of my favorites, but we all love it and I started to tear up a bit. As a senior, prom is the last school function before all of the graduation activities. Talk about your role in society going forward. What issues do feel drawn to address postgraduation and how do you plan to do that?

As someone who grew up between “categories”, from being mixed racial to being bisexual, and as someone going into an art and science major in college, I am personally drawn to the issue of making “in between career options” more known and available. is issue drew me to pursue a career in medical illustration, as more than likely people will see the results of medical illustration without knowing the career behind it. us going forward, I want to either through public presentations or some form of publication, express to people, particularly kids, that they don’t have to pick between options.

Where do you see yourself in 20 years?

In 20 years I see myself gradually building my portfolio and gaining work experience by using various 3D and 2D art programs. After obtaining my degrees – Bachelor and Master along with the potential of a CMI certi cation (Certi ed Medical Illustrator)– I plan to either utilize my skills for my own medical illustration and graphic design company, work with or lead a team of medical illustrators at a hospital, and/or work for various law rms in aiding legal imagery.

After I graduate from college, I plan on going into the health eld. I have always felt drawn to medical issues and science. I plan on being as organized and focused as possible in my studies and taking part in internships to get some experience. Additionally, I am paying for part of my tuition to learn the value of money and my education.

Where do you see yourself in 20 years?

In 20 years, I want to have completed all my degrees and have a stable job as a physician’s assistant at a high-end dermatologist’s o ce. I have had this goal for about a year now, but have always been passionate about skincare and any skin issues. My grandfather su ered and passed from skin cancer and this is part of where my interest stemmed from. I want to make people more aware of the danger of cancer, and new ways to prevent skin damage.