Erie, Colorado is a wonderful place to visit and is an even better place to live! This up-and-coming Front Range city has a population of a bit over 30,000 residents. It's close to both Boulder and Denver, but unlike many other local cities and towns, it doesn't sprawl into either one - it's its own, unique entity.

Erie was settled in the mid-1800s and was officially incorporated in 1874. It was named after Erie, Pennsylvania, which was the hometown of Richard Van Valkenburg, a Civil War veteran and Episcopal reverend who built the first house in Erie, and who at different points was the town's judge, police magistrate, town postmaster, mayor, school board president, and state legislature representative. Visitors interested in learning more about this time period in Erie's history will appreciate a visit to the Wise Homestead Museum, which is housed in a home built in 1869.

This town was fully established and began to grow by leaps and bounds after coal was discovered nearby. Most of the town's early settlers were coal miners. Erie, Colorado was unique at the time in that local coal miners actually owned the homes that they built there on property they also owned instead of the town simply operating as a mining camp. By 1870, the Denver-Pacific Spur Railroad began to pass through Erie to help transport the coal that was mined to larger cities for its use. Coal mining continued to be a major industry in Erie until the 1960s and at points, Erie was well-known as the most important coal town in the state. However, demand for coal declined as the twentieth century wore on, and the final mine closure in town was that of the Eagle Mine, which closed in 1978.

Today, Erie is a great place to visit and to live. Although it's just 20 minutes from Boulder and just a half an hour from downtown Denver, and it's quite suburban indeed, it has a semi-rural, country-like feel. You'll find countless hiking trails in and around Erie with spectacular views of the Rocky Mountains, along with other bucolic attractions such as no-kill livestock rescue Luvin Arms Animal Sanctuary and popular agritainment venue Anderson Farms which offers hayrides, produce picking, farm animals, and more.

Erie is also an active arts community. The Arts Coalition of Erie represents dozens of artists; it sponsors local art shows at places like the Erie Community Center and the High Plains Library and also operates the Art Center of Erie in Old Town Erie. Classes and visual and performing arts programs are popular and are highly attended by local residents as well as by people who travel from other nearby towns to enjoy them, too.

You're sure to love everything about Erie, Colorado! This Front Range suburb is pleasant and welcoming in every way. Plan a visit today - you may find that you even want to relocate to Erie down the road. Erie has you covered. After all, the town's motto "Your Future Is Here. ExpERIEnce!" - you may find that there's a bit of clairvoyance in that!