Southern Rocky Mountain Front Explained

Southern Rocky Mountain Front
Settlement Type:	Megaregion of the United States
Subdivision Type:	Country
Subdivision Name:	United States
Subdivision Type1:	States
Subdivision Name1:	Wyoming Colorado New Mexico
Subdivision Type2:	Largest city
Subdivision Name2:	- Denver
Subdivision Type3:	Other principal cities
Subdivision Name3:	- Aurora  - Lakewood  - Thornton  - Boulder  - Greeley  - Longmont  - Fort Collins  - Colorado Springs  - Pueblo  - Cheyenne, WY
Population:	5,467,633
Timezone:	MST
Utc Offset:	−7
Timezone Dst:	MDT
Utc Offset Dst:	−6

The Southern Rocky Mountain Front is a megaregion of the United States, otherwise known as a megalopolis, with population centers consisting mainly of the Front Range Urban Corridor and the Albuquerque–Santa Fe–Los Alamos combined statistical area, 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, extending into the Southwestern 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]

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 a part of it.

Southern Rocky Mountain Front^[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
North Central Colorado	Fort Collins-Loveland, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area	310,487	Larimer County
Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area	263,691	Weld County
Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area	305,318	Boulder County
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area	2,645,209	City and County of Denver
	Arapahoe County
	Jefferson County
	Adams County
	Douglas County
	City and County of Broomfield
	Elbert County
	Park County
	Clear Creek County
	Gilpin County
South Central Colorado	Colorado Springs, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area	668,353	El Paso County
Teller County
Cañon City, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area	46,788	Fremont County
Pueblo, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area	160,852	Pueblo County
Northern New Mexico	Albuquerque, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area	901,700	Bernalillo County
Sandoval County
Torrance County
Valencia County
Santa Fe, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area	146,375	Santa Fe County
Total

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.

• Interstate 25 runs north–south from New Mexico through Denver to Wyoming
• Interstate 70 runs east–west through the region from Utah to Maryland
• Interstate 80 runs east–west through the region from California to New Jersey
• Interstate 40 runs east–west through the region from California to North Carolina

Airports

The region has seven 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 Sunport	192,520	5,801,641
Cheyenne Regional Airport	65,163
Colorado Springs Airport	153,244
Denver International Airport	635,445	53,156,278
Pueblo Memorial Airport	182,119
Laramie Regional Airport	10,486
Santa Fe Municipal Airport	78,569

Municipalities

The 25 most populous municipalities of the Southern Rocky Mountain Front

Rank	Municipality	State	County	CBSA	2012 estimate	2010 census	Change
	City and County of Denver	Colorado	City and County of Denver	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Albuquerque	New Mexico	Bernalillo County	Albuquerque, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Colorado Springs	Colorado	El Paso County	Colorado Springs, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Aurora	Colorado	Arapahoe County Adams County	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Fort Collins	Colorado	Larimer County	Fort Collins, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Lakewood	Colorado	Jefferson County	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Thornton	Colorado	Adams County Weld County	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Westminster	Colorado	Adams County Jefferson County	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Pueblo	Colorado	Pueblo County	Pueblo, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Arvada	Colorado	Jefferson County Adams County	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Centennial^[6]	Colorado	Arapahoe County	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Boulder	Colorado	Boulder County	Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Greeley	Colorado	Weld County	Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Rio Rancho	New Mexico	Sandoval County Bernalillo County	Albuquerque, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Longmont	Colorado	Boulder County Weld County	Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Santa Fe	New Mexico	Santa Fe County	Santa Fe, NM Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Loveland	Colorado	Larimer County	Fort Collins, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Cheyenne	Wyoming	Laramie County	Cheyenne, WY Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City and County of Broomfield	Colorado	City and County of Broomfield	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
	Town of Castle Rock	Colorado	Douglas County	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Commerce City	Colorado	Adams County	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
	Town of Parker	Colorado	Douglas County	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Littleton	Colorado	Arapahoe County Jefferson County Douglas County	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Northglenn	Colorado	Adams County Weld County	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
	City of Brighton	Colorado	Adams County Weld County	Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area

See also

• Southern Rocky Mountain Front
  • Front Range Urban Corridor
    • Southeast Wyoming
    • North Central Colorado Urban Area
    • South Central Colorado Urban Area
  • Northern New Mexico
• Colorado
  • Colorado statistical areas
• Conurbation
• List of census-designated places in Colorado
• List of census-designated places in New Mexico
• List of census-designated places in Wyoming
• List of cities and towns in Colorado
• List of cities and towns in New Mexico
• List of cities and towns in Wyoming
• List of counties in Colorado
• List of counties in New Mexico
• List of counties in Wyoming
• List of places in Colorado
• Megaregions of the United States
• New Mexico
  • New Mexico statistical areas
• Rocky Mountain Front
• Southern Rocky Mountains
• Statistical area (United States)
  • Combined statistical area (list)
  • Core-based statistical area (list)
    • Metropolitan statistical area (list)
    • Micropolitan statistical area (list)
• Wyoming
  • Wyoming statistical areas

External links

• United States Census Bureau

Notes and References

1. Web site: 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. May 23, 2013. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20130707052113/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/counties/totals/2012/CO-EST2012-alldata.html. July 7, 2013.
2. Web site: Reports. 2013-08-13. 2017-07-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20170726161119/http://www.america2050.org/front_range.html. dead.
3. Web site: OMB Bulletin No. 10-02: Update of Statistical Area Definitions and Guidance on Their Uses. United States Office of Management and Budget. December 1, 2009. May 5, 2011. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170121004722/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/omb/assets/bulletins/b10-02.pdf. January 21, 2017.
4. Web site: Reports. 2013-08-15. 2017-05-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20170516142109/http://www.america2050.org/megaregions.html. dead.
5. Web site: Reports.
6. The City of Centennial, Colorado was incorporated on February 7, 2001.