Colorado Grows in Tough Decade

Preliminary 2009 census data shows growth slowed on the California coast, but the Rocky Mountain West had a good decade, if a slow last year. Denver grew 10 percent as did Colorado Springs. Aurora had a 17 percent uptick from 2000 to 2009.


The decade saw two sharp recessions and 9/11. Much of the northeast declined – Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo continued to lose population. Growth slowed in Florida, and Texas took over as the nation’s boom state.

Denver is the now the nation’s 24 largest city and grew an astonishing 56,000 people since 2000, particularly a selection of attracting residents from the suburbs desirous of city amenities and tired of long commutes.