Colorado city guide
Moving From California to Loveland, CO
A quieter northern Front Range market between Fort Collins and the mountains, with strong medical-sector employment and a lower entry price than its university neighbor.
Housing comparison
California versus Loveland, side by side
- Median home value
- $725,800
- $479,000
- Median annual property tax
- $5,114
- $2,323
- Median monthly cost, owners with a mortgage
- $2,844
- $2,051
- Population
- 39.0 million (state)
- 78,410
Figures are US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates for the city place. Property tax and monthly cost rows cover owner-occupied units with a mortgage, so they describe what current owners pay, not what a new buyer would pay at today's prices. California column is the statewide baseline used across this site.
Why Californians look at Loveland
Loveland sits at the mouth of the Big Thompson Canyon, about 45 miles north of Denver and a short drive south of Fort Collins, and it has grown into a full-service city in its own right rather than a bedroom suburb of its larger neighbor. It calls itself the Sweetheart City, a nod to a longstanding Valentine's Day remailing tradition, and it has built a genuine identity around public art and sculpture.
The city's economy has shifted over recent decades from its historic gravel and sugar-beet base toward healthcare, precision manufacturing, and a growing cluster of craft brewing and outdoor recreation businesses, aided by its position on the Interstate 25 corridor.
For a Californian comparing the northern Front Range, Loveland offers a genuine discount to Fort Collins with quick access to Rocky Mountain National Park via US 34 through the Big Thompson Canyon, and a slower, less college-town pace of life.
Loveland fits you if
- You want a lower entry price than Fort Collins while staying on the northern Front Range with mountain access.
- You work in healthcare; UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies is a major regional hospital based here.
- You want direct canyon access to Rocky Mountain National Park via US 34 rather than fighting Fort Collins or Denver traffic to get there.
- You appreciate a public art and sculpture scene and a somewhat quieter pace than a university town.
Look elsewhere if
- You want Fort Collins's walkable downtown and university amenities; Loveland's core is smaller and more auto-oriented.
- You need a large, diverse private-sector job market; much of the area's growth is tied to healthcare and a narrower manufacturing base.
- You dislike driving for a major airport; Denver International is over an hour away.
- You are sensitive to wildfire smoke; the Big Thompson Canyon corridor has seen wildfire activity in dry years.
Housing in Loveland
Older neighborhoods cluster near downtown and the Loveland Museum, with mid-century subdivisions spreading east toward Interstate 25 and newer master-planned communities like the McWhinney-developed areas near the Budweiser Events Center and Centerra. Views of the foothills are a selling point on the west side of town.
The ACS median home value is $479,000, the median annual real estate tax for owners with a mortgage is $2,323, and the median monthly owner cost with a mortgage is $2,051. That is a meaningful discount to Fort Collins on all three figures, which is the core of Loveland's appeal to buyers who want the northern Front Range without the university-town premium.
New construction is active in the Centerra area east of Interstate 25, which has become a retail and residential hub with its own momentum separate from the older downtown core.
Work and the local economy
UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies, a regional referral hospital, is one of the largest employers in the city and anchors a broader healthcare cluster. Precision manufacturing, including firms serving aerospace and medical device sectors, has grown steadily along the Interstate 25 corridor.
Hewlett-Packard had a long manufacturing history in Loveland, and while its footprint has changed over the decades, the advanced manufacturing base it helped establish remains part of the local economy today. The Budweiser Events Center and the Larimer County Fairgrounds add an events and hospitality sector.
Loveland functions as both a self-contained job market and a bedroom community for Fort Collins commuters, giving residents flexibility that some smaller Colorado cities lack.
Climate and setting
Loveland sits at roughly 4,982 feet where the plains meet the foothills. Winters bring regular snow, generally melting quickly under strong high-altitude sun, and summers are warm and dry with cool evenings.
The Big Thompson Canyon west of town, the route to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, is prone to flash flooding in heavy rain, most infamously in the 1976 Big Thompson Canyon flood; residents and visitors are advised to watch weather conditions before driving it during storms.
As on the rest of the Front Range, spring and summer bring the risk of hail and severe thunderstorms, a factor worth discussing with an insurance agent before buying.
Getting around, care, and schools
- Commercial air
- Fort Collins-Loveland Municipal Airport (FNL) has limited scheduled service; Denver International Airport, about 60 miles southeast, is the practical option for most travel.
- Highways
- Interstate 25 runs along the east side of the city; US 34 leads west into the Big Thompson Canyon toward Estes Park.
- Hospital
- UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies.
- Public schools
- Thompson School District.
- Higher education
- Front Range Community College's Larimer Campus, in Fort Collins nearby.
- Elevation
- About 4,982 feet.
The trade-offs
- It is a meaningful drive to Denver International Airport, over an hour in normal traffic.
- The job market, while broader than a small town's, is smaller and more concentrated in healthcare and manufacturing than Denver's or Fort Collins's.
- The Big Thompson Canyon route to the mountains carries real flash flood risk in heavy storms and has a documented history of serious flooding.
- Downtown Loveland is smaller and less of a draw than Fort Collins's Old Town for residents wanting walkable nightlife.
Other Colorado towns people compare
Colorado Springs
Colorado's second largest city, built around Fort Carson, Peterson and Schriever Space Force Base, and the Air Force Academy, at roughly a third less housing cost than Denver.
Fort Collins
A university town at the north end of the Front Range, built around Colorado State University, with the strongest walkability and mountain access combination among the state's larger cities.
Littleton
An established south Denver metro suburb along the South Platte River, with mature neighborhoods, light rail into downtown Denver, and no metro district assessments on most existing homes.
Grand Junction
The main city of Colorado's Western Slope, with a mild high-desert climate, wine country nearby, and home prices roughly half of many Front Range and California markets.
Castle Rock
A fast-growing Douglas County town between Denver and Colorado Springs, known for top-rated schools and heavy new construction, at the highest price point among Colorado's Front Range secondary markets.
Statewide figures, tax detail, and the full Colorado picture are on the Colorado page. Compare property, income, and sales tax across all 49 destination states on Taxes, and see where Californians are actually moving on Stats.
Sources
- US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25077 (median home value), retrieved via Census Reporter, September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25103 (median real estate taxes paid, owner-occupied units with a mortgage), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B25088 (median selected monthly owner costs, owner-occupied units with a mortgage), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- US Census Bureau, ACS 2020 to 2024 5-Year Estimates, table B01003 (total population), retrieved September 3, 2026.
- UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies, uchealth.org.
- City of Loveland, Big Thompson Canyon flood history and safety information, lovgov.org.
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