6.2 out of 10

Lafayette

39.9923119535788 -105.10190756537
Great for
  • Parks & Recreation
  • Parking
  • Internet Access
  • Peace & Quiet
  • Pest Free
Not great for
  • Nightlife
  • Eating Out
  •  
  •  
  •  
Who lives here?
  • Professionals
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
  • Country Lovers
  • Singles

Reviews

4/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 4/5
  • Safe & Sound 4/5
  • Clean & Green 4/5
  • Pest Free 4/5
  • Peace & Quiet 3/5
  • Eating Out 2/5
  • Nightlife 1/5
  • Parks & Recreation 3/5
  • Shopping Options 3/5
  • Gym & Fitness 3/5
  • Internet Access 5/5
  • Lack of Traffic 3/5
  • Parking 4/5
  • Cost of Living 4/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 4/5
  • Public Transport 4/5
  • Medical Facilities 3/5
  • Schools 4/5
  • Childcare 3/5
2yrs+

"Lafayette - take another look. A lot to offer."

The City and Chamber have been fairly aggressive and successful at attracting business over the last couple of years. There are still a fair number of opportunities for residential growth. The home prices are much more reasonable than Louisville and the gap in home prices between Louisville and Lafayette should begin to become more equitable over the next 4 - 7 years. Our oldest son goes to Centaurus and picked it over the other high schools in Lafayette and Louisville for its engineering program. The also have an excellent AP and IB programs. The band won state this school year as well. Good parks and open space, we like Waneka Lake for picnics and walks around the lake. Old town and Public Rd. have under gone a fair number of improvements and upgrades over the past few years. We also enjoy the Bob L Burger recreation center it has a large indoor pool and a very active youth baseball program to name a few things. Indian Peaks golf course is good for many skill levels and offers a lot of on line values. All in all, I find Lafayette to be a good place to invest in real estate at this time and it has a lot of great amenities.
Pros
  • Good real estate values
  • Easy commute to Denver and Boulder
  • Peak to Peak Charter School
  • Rec Center
Cons
  • a few areas in old town in need of upgrading
3/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 3/5
  • Safe & Sound 4/5
  • Clean & Green 4/5
  • Pest Free 3/5
  • Peace & Quiet 4/5
  • Eating Out 3/5
  • Nightlife 2/5
  • Parks & Recreation 5/5
  • Shopping Options 3/5
  • Gym & Fitness 3/5
  • Internet Access 3/5
  • Lack of Traffic 2/5
  • Parking 4/5
  • Cost of Living 3/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 3/5
  • Public Transport 3/5
  • Medical Facilities 4/5
  • Schools 3/5
  • Childcare 3/5
2yrs+

"A great place to raise a family"

Lafayette is a nice town of about 25,000, with many families living here. Although there are a few apartment complexes, condos and town homes, the majority of the area is single family homes. The area itself is beautiful with lots of parks, trees, and open space.

In this community you can find schools, grocery stores, natural grocers, and an overall laid back feel. One drawback is the lack of shopping. The median household income here is $64,000 which is a considerable jump from the Colorado average at $55,000. While the home prices are a bit over state averages, they aren't significantly so. Lafayette is predominately white, followed by hispanic. Crime in this town is much lower than national averages and has been this way for a good many years.

Overall, the schools in Lafayette are just above average when it comes to state testing standards. This would be a nice place to call home for families with children or those who need to commute to Boulder or Denver.
Pros
  • Easy commute to Denver and Boulder
Cons
  • Shopping
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
3/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 4/5
  • Safe & Sound 3/5
  • Clean & Green 4/5
  • Pest Free 4/5
  • Peace & Quiet 5/5
  • Eating Out 3/5
  • Nightlife 2/5
  • Parks & Recreation 5/5
  • Shopping Options 3/5
  • Gym & Fitness 3/5
  • Internet Access 3/5
  • Lack of Traffic 3/5
  • Parking 4/5
  • Cost of Living 3/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 2/5
  • Public Transport 4/5
  • Medical Facilities 3/5
  • Schools 4/5
  • Childcare 4/5
2yrs+

"Lafayette has a lot of neighborhoods and is close to Boulder"

Lafayette is a great little town east of Boulder. The town is pretty spread out and has a lot of neighborhoods. There are 24,000 souls that call Lafayette home and many of them commute to Boulder or Denver for work and school. There is a peace and quiet about the town that feels nice compared to busy bustling Boulder. The regional buses known as RTD make regular trips and and around Lafayette into Boulder making it easy and affordable to commute in and avoid the hassle of driving yourself.

The little downtown in Lafayette is known as the Old Town District, it has been growing steadily over the years. There are some really good local restaurants and specialty shops. The public school system is part of the Boulder Valley School District that year after year receives some of the top rankings in Colorado.

The town was started around 1878 by a farmer with the first name Lafayette. In 1900 the town was burned to the ground but was rebuilt by the devoted local residents including Mary Miller, Lafayette's wife, who acted as a leader in the community. The town went on to booming times because of the coal boom happening in many parts of eastern Colorado.

For recreation there is the Indian Peaks Golf Course that gets rave reviews from Boulderites and Lafayette and Louisville residents. There are many biking and hiking trails, parks and lakes to explore and enjoy.

The average household income is about $55,000 so the cost of living is not especially cheap but it is more reasonable than Boulder. You get what you pay for and you can get your dollar for dollars worth from real estate in Lafayette. I personally like the winding neighborhoods back by Waneka Reservoir.
Pros
  • Easy commute to Denver and Boulder
  • Peak to Peak Charter School
  • Rec Center
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
  • Students
  • Country Lovers
3/5 rating details
  • Neighborly Spirit 4/5
  • Safe & Sound 5/5
  • Clean & Green 3/5
  • Pest Free 5/5
  • Peace & Quiet 4/5
  • Eating Out 2/5
  • Nightlife 2/5
  • Parks & Recreation 5/5
  • Shopping Options 2/5
  • Gym & Fitness 3/5
  • Internet Access 5/5
  • Lack of Traffic 5/5
  • Parking 5/5
  • Cost of Living 3/5
  • Resale or Rental Value 3/5
  • Public Transport 3/5
  • Medical Facilities 3/5
  • Schools 4/5
  • Childcare 4/5
2yrs+

"Starting to come alive"

Lafayette began in the 1800's as an Agricultural community, but with the discovery of Coal participated in the Coal boom through the 1950's.

Over the last few years Lafayette's downtown has started to come alive with the Oatmeal and Peach Festivals. We have also seen shops taking root in downtown Lafayette.

Peak to Peak Charter School is consistently ranked one of the top 100 schools in the country.

The housing inventory is very diverse in Lafayette you have some bungalows in Old Town priced $175,000 and above and some large new homes overlooking the Indian Peaks golf course for over $1,000,000.
Pros
  • Peak to Peak Charter School
  • Rec Center
  • Easy commute to Denver and Boulder
Cons
  • Shopping
Recommended for
  • Professionals
  • Singles
  • Families with kids
  • Retirees
  • LGBT+
  • Country Lovers

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