Commerce City, Colorado

Commerce City: doesn’t it sound bustling? In actuality, it’s not – but that’s half the city’s appeal. A mere 45,000 residents populate the 65.5-square-mile city situated between I-76 and I-270, just twenty minutes east of Denver International Airport and about fifteen minutes from Denver. That will all change by 2010; the City predicts a population of approximately 60,000, a sizeable increase that will take the city a baby step towards truly bustling. According to stats provided by the Denver Regional Council of Governments, Commerce City saw a 10.4 percent increase in population in 2005, compared to a skimpy 1.9 percent regionally.

The Prairie Gateway, a massive development project in Commerce City, will provide 917-acres of retail and commercial space, the Rapids’ (our MLS team) very own stadium, twenty-plus youth sports fields, 200-plus acres of open space, a new Rocky Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center and Environmental Learning Center, and the Civic City and Justice Center.

Besides the boast-worthy Prairie project, Commerce City residents can brag (with reason) about the Buffalo Run Golf Course, a PGA-worthy course with 65 “strategically placed bunkers and greenside lakes and streams.” Buffalo Run also offers a clubhouse, and a bar & grill.

For teens, the local community center hosts Friday Night Live, a supervised teen night and long-standing tradition that spawned many of Colorado’s b-boys at community centers all over the Front Range. The Recreation Center also offers a bounty of activities and programs for tots, teens, adults and seniors. For outdoor entertainment, the Rocky Mountain National Wildlife Refuge, which borders Commerce City to the east offers tours and a wealth of activities form bird watching to catch-and-release fishing.