After receiving an early heads-up regarding this honor, we headed to Parker on Saturday, September 19, to get a sense of what so impressed Money's minions. What we found was a bucolic community that's very affluent, very white (we saw a single family of color during our visit), and growing like mad. Massive tracts of land are being graded in preparation for new subdivisions that will allow many more people to experience a lifestyle that shows few negative effects from the COVID-19 pandemic.
That makes sense: According to updated figures about per capita infection rates, only one in 142 residents of Douglas County has contracted the novel coronavirus, placing it 33rd among Colorado's 64 counties. Nonetheless, most people in the public places we visited around Parker had masks on, unless they were dining at one of the many outdoor patios in town; most practiced some degree of social distancing. But there were definitely exceptions to that rule.
Money's introduction to Parker boasts these basic factoids:
Population: 59,000
Median household income: $114,000
Median home price: $486,000
Unemployment rate: 8.7 percent
A sign on an outdoor patio on Parker's Mainstreet and a resident displaying his belief that blue lives matter.
Photos by Michael Roberts and Deb Roberts
The piece adds: "Based on our estimates, only about one in five Parker residents works in industries seriously impacted by COVID-19, like retail and entertainment. And about 76 percent of the people here own their homes."
No wonder Parker scored so high in two of Money's main metrics: Economy and Health and Safety.
On the afternoon of September 19, dozens upon dozens of people were walking around downtown Parker, where oodles of restaurants and shops line Mainstreet. We didn't see a single empty storefront.
O'Brien Park, a lovely facility centered around a gazebo, also boasts walking paths and a large playground, where unmasked kids were frolicking. Nearby, families and other groups were enjoying casual lunches at establishments embracing the Colorado casual culture.
One eatery spotlighted live music behind a fence festooned with a sign on which the phrases "Thank You For My Freedom" and "Thank You For Your Service" were emblazoned over an American flag backdrop — a reflection of Parker's conservative nature. So, too, was a truck roaring around the area while flying a Blue Lives Matter flag (along with a Colorado state flag) from its bed.
Another busy spot was Railbender Skate & Tennis Park, which was crowded with skater tots. Facial coverings in the main skating area definitely weren't a thing, and groups freely mingled, suggesting that the idea of infection happening in such an ideal setting was utterly unfathomable. But at big-box stores in sprawling commercial developments, safety protocols were very much in evidence, if only because masks were required for entry. After all, businesses don't want to risk liability, no matter how perfect a place might seem.
And Parker certainly does look perfect. Even without advocacy from Money (which also loves Broomfield, which finished in eighteenth place), the community is booming, whether the country is in crisis or not.
