Front Range Urban Corridor

The Front Range Urban Corridor is an oblong region of urban population located along the eastern face of the Southern Rocky Mountains, encompassing 18 counties in the US states of Colorado and Wyoming. The corridor derives its name from the Front Range, the mountain range that defines the western boundary of the corridor which serves as a gateway to the Rocky Mountains. The region comprises the northern portion of the Southern Rocky Mountain Front geographic area, which in turn comprises the southern portion of the Rocky Mountain Front geographic area of Canada and the United States. The Front Range Urban Corridor had a population of 5,055,344 at the 2020 census, an increase of +16.65% since the 2010 census, and a population of approximately 5.3 million as of 2025 census estimates.

The corridor contains some of the West's largest cities, such as Denver and Colorado Springs. It also contains smaller but significant urban areas such as Pueblo, Fort Collins and Cheyenne. Its main transportation corridor is Interstate 25. There have been many proposals over the years for a single passenger rail connecting most of the major urban areas within the corridor, although none have come to fruition as of mid-2026. Plans are actively under development and moving forward for the Colorado Connector (CoCo), also known as the Front Range Passenger Rail. The first phase of service connecting Denver and Fort Collins could commence as soon as 2029, with full corridor service (sans Cheyenne, Wyoming) occurring just a few years after that.

Extent The Front Range Urban Corridor stretches about from Pueblo, Colorado, north along Interstate 25 to Cheyenne, Wyoming, and includes the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area; the Colorado Springs, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area; the Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area; the Fort Collins, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area; the Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area; the Pueblo, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area; the Cheyenne, WY Metropolitan Statistical Area; and the Cañon City, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area. The corridor comprises three primary subregions: the South Central Colorado Urban Area, the North Central Colorado Urban Area, and the Cheyenne Metropolitan Area.

The influence of the Corridor extends well beyond its defined boundaries. The Colorado Eastern Plains, several Colorado mountain communities and counties, the Nebraska Panhandle, and Albany County, Wyoming, among other areas, are culturally and economically tied to the Corridor, though they are not considered to be a part of it.

The definition included here is not used for the greater Southern Rocky Mountain Front, one of the 11 proposed megaregions of the United States. That megaregion's area is larger and extends beyond, south from Pueblo along the I-25 corridor into New Mexico. That including Albuquerque and Santa Fe isn't agreed upon by some planners due to the lack of population and other attributes the megaregion concept is based on.

Counties +The 18 counties of the Front Range Urban Corridor2020 rankCounty2020 censusChange2010 censusChange2000 censusArea (mi2)Core-based statistical areaUrban regionEl Paso County, Colorado2,130Colorado Springs, CO MSASouth Central ColoradoCity and County of Denver, Colorado155Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSANorth Central ColoradoArapahoe County, Colorado855Jefferson County, Colorado774Adams County, Colorado1,184Larimer County, Colorado2,634Fort Collins-Loveland, CO MSADouglas County, Colorado843Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSABoulder County, Colorado740Boulder, CO MSAWeld County, Colorado4,017Greeley, CO MSAPueblo County, Colorado2,398Pueblo, CO MSASouth Central ColoradoLaramie County, Wyoming2,688Cheyenne, WY MSASoutheast WyomingCity and County of Broomfield, Colorado34Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSANorth Central ColoradoFremont County, Colorado1,534Cañon City, CO MSASouth Central ColoradoElbert County, Colorado1,851Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSANorth Central ColoradoTeller County, Colorado559Colorado Springs, CO MSASouth Central ColoradoPark County, Colorado2,211Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO MSANorth Central ColoradoClear Creek County, Colorado396Gilpin County, Colorado150Total18 counties25,1538 core-based statistical areas3 urban regions

Municipalities +The 19 municipalities of the Front Range Urban Corridor with a population of at least 50,0002020 rankMunicipality2020 censusChange2010 censusChange2000 censusCity and County of Denver, ColoradoCity of Colorado Springs, ColoradoCity of Aurora, ColoradoCity of Fort Collins, ColoradoCity of Lakewood, ColoradoCity of Thornton, ColoradoCity of Arvada, ColoradoCity of Westminster, ColoradoCity of Pueblo, ColoradoCity of Greeley, ColoradoCity of Centennial, ColoradoCity of Boulder, ColoradoCity of Longmont, ColoradoCity of Loveland, ColoradoCity and County of Broomfield, ColoradoTown of Castle Rock, ColoradoCity of Cheyenne, WyomingCity of Commerce City, ColoradoTown of Parker, Colorado

Wyoming jurisdictions In Wyoming, the Front Range Urban Corridor includes the Town of Albin, the Town of Burns, the City of Cheyenne, the Town of Pine Bluffs, and unincorporated Laramie County.

Colorado jurisdictions In Colorado, the Front Range Urban Corridor includes:

Gallery of the most populous municipalities

Front Range Urban Corridor

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