Thornton

Thornton is a large suburb north of Denver that straddles Adams and Weld counties. The population is about 120,000 making it one of Denver's largest nearby cities, Denver is only 10 mile to Thornton's south. In fact it is the 6th most populated city in the state of Colorado.

There are plenty of neighborhoods, shopping options and restaurants in Thornton and lots of schools and things to do. The mountains are only a 20 minute drive to the west and lots of recreational and outdoor activities abound.

The population of Thornton was only about 20,000 in 2000 and now is way over 100,000 in that short of time. Growth came fast to Thornton and there are lots of new buildings and neighborhoods as well as apartment complexes that have sprang up to accommodate all the population growth.

There are many major highways and interstates that transect and pass beside the city. The schools have a good solid reputation and the neighborhoods are safe. The average household income is about $50,000 a year. Homes in Thornton range in cost from $200,000 to into the millions. It is a pretty diverse place as far as lifestyle and income levels.

Thornton is a busy, populated area with people out and about at all hours of the day. You can frequently see signs in Spanish in some areas of Thornton as there is a higher than normal percentage of the Hispanic population living here. Although the area is predominantly white, hispanics make up over 31% of the people living here. Home prices here are about $30,000 cheaper than the state average although the median home income level is slightly higher. Apartments here can even go for much less than in surrounding areas such as Northglenn or Westminster.

Thornton has plenty of parks and you can often see many children playing at them on any given day. The rec center has great employees who are all very friendly but the place is kind of small for a population of over 120,000.

Many of the streets in Thornton are major roads that are busy with traffic. It butts up against I-25 which can be very crowded during peak travel times and sometimes just at various times throughout the day.

There are numerous places to eat and shop in the area so people don't have to travel far for these things.

The schools in Thornton are mostly rated average when it comes to academics, but there are a few that do stand out. Stargate Charter School rates a 10 out of 10, which is impressive. There are also several other top ranking schools, although not as high as Stargate Charter.