Denver’s Fastest-Growing Suburbs
by John Egan
March 13, 2017
The Denver, CO, suburb of Lone Tree continues to branch out.
From 2010 to 2015, Lone Tree was the fastest-growing suburb in the Denver metro area, according to a LawnStarter analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. During that period, its population grew 18.6 percent.
With an estimated 13,175 residents in 2015, Lone Tree is projected to have a population of 31,265 in 2035. That would represent a 20-year growth rate of 137 percent.
Right behind Lone Tree in population growth from 2010 to 2015 were Commerce City (16.9 percent), Broomfield (16.5 percent) and Castle Rock (15.2 percent), according to our analysis. For a complete list of Denver suburbs and their 2010-15 population growth, see the graphic at the end of this story.
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Charles Schwab opened a corporate campus in Lone Tree in 2014.
Photo: REBusinessOnline.com/Adam Brackman
What’s drawing people to Denver’s fastest-growing suburb?
“Lone Tree is truly at the intersection of great business, great people and the great outdoors. It is these unique features that are attracting so many people to the region for not only business, but to live and play as well,” the City of Lone Tree says on its website.
On the business front, Lone Tree -- which was incorporated in 1995 -- has been a magnet for major employers like Charles Schwab and Level 3 Communications. Additionally, Lone Tree is home to the 1.6 million-square-foot Park Meadows shopping center, billed as Colorado’s only “retail resort.”
“The City of Lone Tree combines exceptional business and big-city amenities with the neighborly atmosphere of a small-town community,” according to the city’s website.
The Park Meadows shopping center in Lone Tree is Colorado’s only “retail resort.”
Photo: Colorado Tourism Office
As for the community, its residents are well-off. The average household income is nearly $150,000, the city’s website says, and the median cost of a single-family home is close to $600,000.
Not surprisingly, 98 percent of Lone Tree residents describe the quality of life in the Douglas County suburb as “great,” the city says. Real estate website Movoto ranks Lone Tree as the sixth best Denver suburb.
With that kind of reputation, it’s no wonder that people keep moving to Lone Tree, about 20 miles southeast of Denver.
This high-end apartment complex is near a light-rail station in Lone Tree.
Photo: The Marq at Ridgegate
Local real estate marketer Mark Samuelson calls Lone Tree a “satellite city” -- a suburb with amenities that are “their own nexus” for continuing commercial and residential growth.
“Families that have moved there are at the forward edge of a Colorado trend toward being outdoor-oriented,” Samuelson says, “and you can see them out in numbers in the parks and trails.”
Cindy DeGroen, projections demographer for the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, says Lone Tree’s location along the I-25/E-470 corridor and the presence of two light-rail stations (with three more stations in the works) make it an attractive place to live for people who commute elsewhere for work. Since 2010, the number of housing units in Lone Tree -- mostly apartments -- has jumped 25 percent, she says.
“Lone Tree will likely continue to have higher growth rates, with planned continued development of single-family homes and given its still relatively small population size,” DeGroen says.
To learn more about a specific suburb, click on the bar next to its name or the associated circle on the map.
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Top Photo: OppSites
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