The Best Front Range Suburbs: Commerce City, Thornton, and Aurora, Colorado

Is living the Colorado lifestyle on your bucket list and you want to find the best place to settle in the Sunshine State? In this video, I'm going to share three amazing Front Range suburbs where most people end up living in. We'll look at the lifestyle, amenities, and housing options of each area so you can choose the Denver community that fits you best.

These three suburbs are really close, bordering the north and east side of Denver. Depending on your lifestyle, your wants, your needs, if you have kids, or if you’re a single person, these areas are a great example of everything that Colorado has to offer. So if you want to get out there and start to enjoy all of our great sunny days, Commerce City, Thornton, and Aurora are worth exploring.

Commerce City

The first suburb you should check out is Commerce City. It's sometimes a little odd to people to hear this because the area started as a junction for railroads and traffic coming in. However, Commerce City has one of the largest national wildlife refuges. With 16,000 acres and 330 different species of natural Colorado life living out there, it's a great place to take a tour

If you’re looking to catch a soccer game, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park - also known as DSG - is the largest state-of-the-art soccer complex worldwide. It's also home to the MLS Colorado Rapids team. It has 22 full-size, fully-lit natural grass sports fields and two synthetic turf fields. Outside of soccer, DSG also offers a multitude of fun music concerts. For all you jam bam lovers out there, Fish always throws a huge concert. So make sure you get your tickets because it's a concert you don’t want to miss.

If you were coming out this way back in the early years, you were probably looking for some gold. Do you want to try looking for gold now? Well go ahead and sign up at Gold Strike Adventures. It’s one of the last places that you can legally try and pan for your own gold right here in Commerce City. It’s fun for the whole family or as a perfect date to see if you can find some gold.

Commerce City has a big building coming, which means there are tons of new builds just for you. They’ve also got a great resale market. If you’re looking to customize a single-family home or something a little bit smaller - like a townhome - they’ve got a wide variety to choose from. There are also a couple of different builders that I’d be happy to introduce you to.

Thornton

Our next suburb is Thornton, Colorado, just north of the city of Denver. This area is poised for a ton of quality equity growth, making this a great choice if you decide to buy out here. It's a very up-and-coming area.

Even though Thornton is bigger population-wise than Boulder, they’re giving it the beautiful facelift that it deserves. This means that it’s going to match - if not surpass - Boulder's shops, restaurants, nightlife, and things to do for the whole family. It's also really close to some fantastic skiing areas, fishing, camping, and pretty much anything outdoors that you desire. This combination of natural landscapes and plenty of big-city amenities make this suburb ideal.

If you’re looking for a new career opportunity, Thornton would also be the place for you. The career growth here is up and up, just like Denver. And because it's nice and close, you still can enjoy all the amenities of downtown Denver.

One of the fundamentals in Thornton is their Broadway-style Playhouse. If you’re looking for a Broadway-style show but not the Broadway-style prices, you can watch one of many fantastic performances throughout the year with people in the local community. They even have a few performers that travel from out of state. So if you’re looking to get a show in, make sure you call them and book a reservation today.

Lastly, if you’re looking to take a hike but don't want to go up into the mountains, Platte River Trail is the way to go. This natural area has 30 miles of hiking trails for all levels. Feel free to bring the kids, the dogs, or just go out for a leisurely walk and explore.

Aurora

The last figure on our list is Aurora, just to the east. This is one of the larger suburbs that touches Denver. While it can be considered one of the more sketchy types of suburbs, it does have some great up-and-coming neighborhoods. The real estate market has all sorts of price points, whether you’re a first-time homebuyer, are looking to move up into your first home, or have an established family with a good income. And if you need to get to the airport easily for travel, Aurora would be a good spot for you.

While Aurora is an up-and-coming area, it's also one of the oldest areas around here. It’s so rich in history that they’ve got an area called the Plains Conservation Center where you can explore our amazing plains wildlife. You can also visit replicated historic towns and buildings, walking through them just as they would have looked back in the Old West days.

If you’re looking for a fun time on a weekend and you want to get into that Kentucky Derby vibe, check out Aurora's Arapaho Park. They have horse races throughout the summer where you can get dressed up, enjoy a Derby Day, and have a cocktail while you watch the horses run by. If you’re not into watching horses, you can also ride them at 12 Mile Stables. This is one of the hidden gems of Aurora, as not many people realize you can go horseback riding just outside of downtown Denver. People of all riding levels can a 1-2 hour guided ride, so if you're interested, give them a call and make a reservation today.

Did you know that there’s an 800-acre lake in Aurora? Visit the Aurora Reservoir to spend a day at the beach, enjoy the sunshine, get in some trout fishing, rent a canoe, and get out on the lake. It’s the perfect way to escape the city without being too far.

Choosing Your Denver Suburb

I hope this helped give you a better idea of what life is like in Commerce City, Thornton, and Aurora. If you're looking to live close to Denver, one of these suburbs is bound to fit your lifestyle. These communities are also the perfect way to experience all that Colorado has to offer.

So if you want to know more about these areas or any other suburb in the Denver Metro area, feel free to reach out to us and we'd be happy to connect. Don't forget to subscribe to my channel so you never miss a video all about Colorado living in the Denver Metro area. See you next time!