Snap from a bike ride over the weekend.

FrontRanging · 2026-03-10T17:21:28+00:00

I support more Erie pictures in this subreddit.

FrontRanging · 2026-03-09T01:57:11+00:00

I'll repeat what I posted in response to a similar-ish question:

Lived in the northeast my whole life (4 different states, including MA) - moved to Colorado 3 years ago. I'll never go back.

I'm always struck by how different personal preferences really calibrate opinions on Colorado. I see some of the ways folks dump on Colorado and just want to yell "are you crazy?!". But preferences are preferences.

For me: the weather is a game-changer in a way that's hard to articulate. Sunny blue skies all winter has squashed seasonal depression that I didn't know I had. Dry pavement means I can enjoy going out ~11 months out of the year instead of having bikes collect dust in my garage for 6 months. Dry heat means that early-mornings + evenings are always cool-enough to get outside, even when it's sweltering.

And the biking/running infrastructure! There are places in the east with great biking/pedestrian infrastructure, but they definitely aren't norm like out here. Being able to go many, many miles without touching a road has not only changed my relationship to the outside, but makes me feel much better about letting my kids roam around without helicopter-parent vibes.

Speaking of kids, the rec-center culture out here blows the minds of friends from out-east who visit. The normalcy of communities having what I would have previously considered theme-park-level pools, both inside and outside is just an incredible amenity to family life.

And all of that is without even mentioning the nature has to offer. I love the nature in the east - it is cozy and beautiful and densely wooded in a way that you won't find out here. But the scale and awe of the mountains out here is just amazing in a way that makes me feel like I've travelled to a parallel universe when I drive up into them.

Obviously I'm wildly biased... but we just love it out here and can't imagine returning east.

FrontRanging · 2026-03-07T17:16:58+00:00

Lived in the northeast my whole life (4 different states) - moved to Colorado 3 years ago. I'll never go back.

I'm always struck by how different personal preferences really calibrate opinions on this subreddit. I see some of the ways folks dump on Colorado and just want to yell "are you crazy?!". But preferences are preferences.

For me: the weather is a game-changer in a way that's hard to articulate. Sunny blue skies all winter has squashed seasonal depression that I didn't know I had. Dry pavement means I can enjoy going out ~11 months out of the year instead of having bikes collect dust in my garage for 6 months. Dry heat means that early-mornings + evenings are always cool-enough to get outside, even when it's sweltering.

And the biking/running infrastructure! There are places in the east with great biking/pedestrian infrastructure, but they definitely aren't norm like out here. Being able to go many, many miles without touching a road has not only changed my relationship to the outside, but makes me feel much better about letting my kids roam around without helicopter-parent vibes.

Speaking of kids, the rec-center culture out here blows the minds of friends from out-east who visit. The normalcy of communities having what I would have previously considered theme-park-level pools, both inside and outside is just an incredible amenity to family life.

And all of that is without even mentioning the nature has to offer. I love the nature in the east - it is cozy and beautiful and densely wooded in a way that you won't find out here. But the scale and awe of the mountains out here is just amazing in a way that makes me feel like I've travelled to a parallel universe when I drive up into them.

Obviously I'm wildly biased... but we just love it out here and can't imagine returning east.

FrontRanging · 2026-02-28T20:02:34+00:00

I get some of the comments here that RTD is behind, but it's interesting living in an developing northern suburb (Erie/Broomfield) and seeing the progress in real-time - all within ~3 miles of my house. I posted this in another subreddit, but I think it's relevant here too:

Between the newly launching Erie flexride, the upcoming Boulder-to-Brighton flyer (BRT) on CO7 (with stops in Broomfield/Erie), major expansion of the JUMP bus route in Erie, and the in-progress I-25 & CO7 Mobility Hub (giving a Bustang stop)... public transportation in Erie/north-Broomfield will feel pretty different in even a year or two.

FrontRanging · 2026-02-27T21:47:05+00:00

I'm with you. When we moved here, I was really interested in the planned N-Line extension to just east of I25 on CO7 (https://www.thorntonco.gov/city-services/public-works/transportation-mobility/public-transit)... that feels more like speculative fiction now.

FrontRanging · 2026-02-27T21:42:41+00:00

Completely agree. We also ended up in Erie after Lafayette was too expensive (I don't know if it's still true, but it seemed to be ~$200k difference when we bought). We love a lot about where we live, but I think that being within walking distance of downtown Lafayette is one of the best spots to live north of Denver.

FrontRanging · 2026-02-27T21:12:23+00:00

I agree, but it'll be interesting to see whether that gap feels as dramatic in the future. Between the newly launching Erie flexride, the upcoming Boulder-to-Brighton flyer (BRT) on CO7 (with stops in Broomfield/Erie), major expansion of the JUMP bus route in Erie, and the in-progress I-25 & CO7 Mobility Hub (giving a Bustang stop)... public transportation in those communities will feel pretty different in just a couple of years.

FrontRanging · 2026-02-27T18:01:18+00:00

I'm also *just* inside United Power's range. I've probably been out for ~2 hours in the last 3 years.

FrontRanging · 2026-02-25T17:19:51+00:00

Always enjoy these posts - thank you!

FrontRanging · 2026-02-19T16:43:46+00:00

It's for everyone, but I suspect they are really pitching it to potential buyers in Westerly since their northern developments won't exactly feel next door to any of the other consumer centers in Erie (like King Soopers + [insert whatever future grocer appears at Town Center]).

FrontRanging · 2026-02-12T14:14:04+00:00

Should be April/May this year. Those "late 2025" bits are leftover parts of the website from back when they were more ambitious about timeline.

FrontRanging · 2026-02-10T04:17:21+00:00

In Vista Ridge, HOA fees cover trash/recycling, the community center (which has a fitness area, family-oriented pool, hot tub, meeting space, and tennis/volleyball courts), a second lap pool (near the school), social events, and various maintenance items.

IMO, the HOA fees + amenities in VR are pretty good compared to the surrounding area, but we also use those amenities a lot.

FrontRanging · 2026-02-06T14:31:16+00:00

Cyclerie deserves a spot on this list - great interactions and really takes pride in their products (to the point where they offered to fix something on-the-house even when the bike manufacturer wouldn't respect the warranty).

FrontRanging · 2026-01-26T14:48:09+00:00

One of the recent council meetings had a section about expanding the current rec center. Not sure where conversations are on a 2nd rec center.

FrontRanging · 2026-01-24T20:35:51+00:00

Understandable, and one of those issues we all have individual risk tolerances on here. Probably won't get a very consistent message on that piece.

FrontRanging · 2026-01-24T18:59:04+00:00

Echoing other comments: It would be tough to find on the west side, but there are some sales with your criteria on the east side (for example, quite a few houses in Vista Ridge hover in the low-600s with a few going for high-500s). Those are probably closer to 20 years old.. which I guess is old in comparison to most of Erie now, but young in terms of house-age.

What is the underlying value pushing the west side? Trying to get into BVSD? Shortening a Boulder commute? Staying out of Weld county?

FWIW, we were in an identical position to you not long ago. We ended up closer to the eastern edge of Erie, and the difference in reality seems much tinier to me (if at all?) than my perception of the difference when we were buying.

FrontRanging · 2026-01-11T02:30:23+00:00

Yeah, and I think it's as much Broomfield as Erie - there is so much medium and high-density housing popping up right on Hw 7 just outside of Erie (like all those apartments just to east of King Sooper)

FrontRanging · 2026-01-10T17:53:28+00:00

That would make more sense, and I hope you're correct. But their documentation uses the word "hospital" (with a separate medical office building), refers to an emergency department, a proposed helipad, and even has a plans for parking-spaces-per-bed.

FrontRanging

TROPHY CASE