Ten Best Colorado Cities for Families — and Why Denver Didn't Make the Cut

What are the most family-friendly communities in Colorado? ApartmentList.com came up with a metric (explained in detail below) that factored in safety, housing costs, the quality of local schools and child-friendliness to determine the places that suit families best. Sorry, Denver: You didn't land in the top ten, winding up at...

By Michael Roberts

April 28, 2015

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What are the most family-friendly communities in Colorado?

ApartmentList.com came up with a metric (explained in detail below) that factored in safety, housing costs, the quality of local schools and child-friendliness to determine the places that suit families best.

Sorry, Denver: You didn't land in the top ten, winding up at number thirteen. And only a couple of metro-area suburbs made the cut.

Continue for the photo-illustrated roster, featuring ApartmentList.com data and scoring information. To see the original post, with even more information, click here.

Number 10: Aurora
Safety score: 24
Affordability score: 24
School quality score: 4
Kid-friendliness score: 7
Total: 59

Number 9: Greeley
Safety score: 22
Affordability score: 25
School quality score: 11
Kid-friendliness score: 6
Total: 64

Number 8: Grand Junction
Safety score: 18
Affordability score: 26
School quality score: 17
Kid-friendliness score: 4
Total: 65

Number 7: Boulder
Safety score: 25
Affordability score: 19
School quality score: 22
Kid-friendliness score: 1
Total: 67

Number 6: Colorado Springs
Safety score: 19
Affordability score: 27
School quality score: 17
Kid-friendliness score: 6
Total: 69

Number 5: Thornton
Safety score: 26
Affordability score: 26
School quality score: 11
Kid-friendliness score: 8
Total: 71

Number 4: Fort Collins
Safety score: 25
Affordability score: 24
School quality score: 20
Kid-friendliness score: 4
Total: 73

Number 3: Longmont
Safety score: 27
Affordability score: 26
School quality score: 16
Kid-friendliness score: 6
Total: 75

Number 2: Loveland
Safety score: 26
Affordability score: 26
School quality score: 19
Kid-friendliness score: 5
Total: 76

Number 1: Castle Rock
Safety score: 31
Affordability score: 28
School quality score: 24
Kid-friendliness score: 9
Total: 92

Scoring details:

Safety (35%): We ranked cities by the number of violent crimes and property crimes per 100,000 residents. Source: FBI statistics.

Housing Cost (30%): To rank cities on housing cost, we calculated the percentage of the average income required to rent the average 2 bedroom apartment. Sources: Apartment List, American Community Survey

School Quality (25%): Cities were ranked on high school graduation rate for public school districts based in that city. Comparing schools across different states can be challenging, but high school graduation rate gives a good estimate of overall school quality. Source: Department of Education data.

Child Friendliness (10%): Communities with a greater percentage of children tend to be more child friendly, so we scored cities based on the percentage of the population that’s under 18. Source: American Community Survey

Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.

Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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