Southern Rocky Mountain Front

The Southern Rocky Mountain Front is an elongated geographic region located along the eastern and southern face of the Southern Rocky Mountains in the U.S. states of Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. The region comprises the southern portion of the Rocky Mountain Front geographic region of Canada and the United States. The Southern Rocky Mountain Front had a population of 5,467,633 according to the 2010 United States Census.[1] The region is one of the fastest growing regions in the United States and its population is projected to grow by 87% to 10,222,370 by 2050.[2] In 2005 the GDP of the region was $229,202,000,000 making up 2% of the United States GDP.[2]

Southern Rocky Mountain Front
Megaregion of the U.S.
Country United States
U.S. statesWyoming, Colorado, New Mexico
Population
5,467,633

Extent

The Southern Rocky Mountain Front stretches from Albuquerque, New Mexico, north along Interstate Highway 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, the Cañon City, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area, the Albuquerque, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area, and the Santa Fe, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area.[2] The region 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 region extends well beyond its defined boundaries. The Colorado Eastern Plains, Nebraska Panhandle and Albany County, Wyoming, among other areas, are culturally and economically tied to the region, though they are not considered to be a part of it.

Map of the 11 emerging megaregions of the United States.
The Southern Rocky Mountain Front[1][3]
Region Core Based Statistical Area 2012 Estimate County 2012 Estimate 2010 Census Change
Southeast Wyoming Cheyenne, WY Metropolitan Statistical Area 94,483 Laramie County 94,483 91,738 +2.99%
North Central Colorado Fort Collins, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 310,487 Larimer County 310,487 299,630 +3.62%
Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 263,691 Weld County 263,691 252,825 +4.30%
Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 305,318 Boulder County 305,318 294,567 +3.65%
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 2,645,209 City and County of Denver 634,265 600,158 +5.68%
Arapahoe County 595,546 572,003 +4.12%
Jefferson County 545,358 534,543 +2.02%
Adams County 459,598 441,603 +4.07%
Douglas County 298,215 285,465 +4.47%
City and County of Broomfield 58,298 55,889 +4.31%
Elbert County 23,383 23,086 +1.29%
Park County 16,029 16,206 −1.09%
Clear Creek County 9,026 9,088 −0.68%
Gilpin County 5,491 5,441 +0.92%
South Central Colorado Colorado Springs, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 668,353 El Paso County 644,964 622,263 +3.65%
Teller County 23,389 23,350 +0.17%
Cañon City, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area 46,788 Fremont County 46,788 46,824 −0.08%
Pueblo, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 160,852 Pueblo County 160,852 159,063 +1.12%
Northern New Mexico Albuquerque, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area 901,700 Bernalillo County 673,460 662,564 +1.64%
Sandoval County 135,588 131,561 +3.06%
Torrance County 16,021 16,383 −2.21%
Valencia County 76,631 76,569 +0.08%
Santa Fe, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area 146,375 Santa Fe County 146,375 144,170 +1.53%
Total 5,543,256 5,364,989 +3.32%

Transportation

Rail

The region was established, along with ten other megaregions throughout the United States, by America 2050 in response to President Barack Obama’s efforts to improve the country’s infrastructure. The megaregions were initially identified by America 2050 as areas that should have highspeed rail by 2050.[4] According to America 2050’s four phase plan the Front Range would have highspeed rail on Phase 3 of the plan and the line would stretch from Denver, Colorado to Albuquerque, New Mexico.[5]

Interstates and highways

Interstate 25 runs through the Southern Rocky Mountain Front north from Albuquerque, NM to Cheyenne, WY. Major east and west routes running through the region are I-40 through Albuquerque, I-70 through Denver, and I-80 through Cheyenne.

Airports

The region has six airports offering passenger services with two of the airports, Albuquerque International Sunport and Denver International Airport, able to handle international flights.

List of airports offering passenger services
Airport Aircraft Operations Passengers
Albuquerque International Sunport192,5205,801,641
Cheyenne Regional Airport65,163
Colorado Springs Airport153,244
Denver International Airport635,44553,156,278
Pueblo Memorial Airport182,119
Santa Fe Municipal Airport78,569

Municipalities
The 25 most populous municipalities of the Southern Rocky Mountain Front[1]
Rank Municipality State County CBSA 2012 Estimate 2010 Census Change
1 City and County of Denver Colorado City and County of Denver Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 634,265 600,158 +5.68%
2 City of Albuquerque New Mexico Bernalillo County Albuquerque, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area 555,417 545,852 +1.75%
3 City of Colorado Springs Colorado El Paso County Colorado Springs, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 431,834 416,427 +3.70%
4 City of Aurora Colorado Arapahoe County
Adams County		 Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 339,030 325,078 +4.29%
5 City of Fort Collins Colorado Larimer County Fort Collins, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 148,612 143,986 +3.21%
6 City of Lakewood Colorado Jefferson County Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 145,516 142,980 +1.77%
7 City of Thornton Colorado Adams County
Weld County		 Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area		 124,140 118,772 +4.52%
8 City of Westminster Colorado Adams County
Jefferson County		 Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 109,169 106,114 +2.88%
9 City of Pueblo Colorado Pueblo County Pueblo, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 107,772 106,595 +1.10%
10 City of Arvada Colorado Jefferson County
Adams County		 Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 109,745 106,433 +3.11%
11 City of Centennial[6] Colorado Arapahoe County Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 103,743 100,377 +3.35%
12 City of Boulder Colorado Boulder County Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 101,808 97,385 +4.54%
13 City of Greeley Colorado Weld County Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 95,357 92,889 +2.66%
14 City of Rio Rancho New Mexico Sandoval County
Bernalillo County		 Albuquerque, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area 90,818 87,521 +3.77%
15 City of Longmont Colorado Boulder County
Weld County		 Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area		 88,669 86,270 +2.78%
16 City of Santa Fe New Mexico Santa Fe County Santa Fe, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area 69,204 67,947 +1.85%
17 City of Loveland Colorado Larimer County Fort Collins, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 70,223 66,859 +5.03%
18 City of Cheyenne Wyoming Laramie County Cheyenne, WY Metropolitan Statistical Area 61,537 59,466 +3.48%
19 City and County of Broomfield Colorado City and County of Broomfield Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 58,298 55,889 +4.31%
20 Town of Castle Rock Colorado Douglas County Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 51,348 48,231 +6.46%
21 City of Commerce City Colorado Adams County Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 48,421 45,913 +5.46%
22 Town of Parker Colorado Douglas County Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 47,169 45,297 +4.13%
23 City of Littleton Colorado Arapahoe County
Jefferson County
Douglas County		 Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area 43,775 41,737 +4.88%
24 City of Northglenn Colorado Adams County
Weld County		 Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area		 36,891 35,789 +3.08%
25 City of Brighton Colorado Adams County
Weld County		 Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area		 34,636 33,352 +3.85%
gollark: To be fair, the modern web is awful.
gollark: I've directly imaged 99.7% of your neural pathways via inelastic X-ray scattering.
gollark: Incorrect.
gollark: ↓ image of Tux1
gollark: Oh.

See also

References
  1. "County Totals Datasets: Population, Population Change and Estimated Components of Population Change: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2012". 2012 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. March 2013. Archived from the original on July 7, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  2. http://www.america2050.org/front_range.html
  3. "OMB Bulletin No. 10-02: Update of Statistical Area Definitions and Guidance on Their Uses" (PDF). United States Office of Management and Budget. December 1, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 16, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
  4. http://www.america2050.org/megaregions.html
  5. http://www.america2050.org/maps/hsr-phasing/
  6. The City of Centennial, Colorado was incorporated on February 7, 2001.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.