The Big Thompson Canyon doesn't start near Loveland. It starts in Loveland. US-34 runs right through the middle of town, and then you're in the canyon with the river beside you all the way up to Rocky Mountain National Park. Fort Collins has to come south to get on that road. So if you're the family that moves to Colorado to be in the mountains on a Saturday, out of the driveway at 7, hiking by 9, and home for dinner, Loveland is measurably better positioned than Fort Collins. That's not marketing. That's a map.

Nobody has ever moved to Fort Collins because it was cheap. But what if there's a town 15 minutes south that gets you the same mountain views, better Rocky Mountain National Park access, lakes inside the city limits, and a downtown that just got $24.5 million poured into it? And it's 20 minutes closer to Denver with a lower sales tax and lower property tax rate. That's Loveland, Colorado. And I think it's the cheat code in Northern Colorado right now.

I lived in Loveland for 9 months in 2012. I left because downtown was rough then, empty storefronts, nothing to do. If you wanted dinner and a drink and to walk around after, you got in the car and drove to Old Town Fort Collins every time. I did that so many weekends I stopped thinking of Loveland as a place and started thinking of it as a parking spot with a mattress in it. But somewhere in the last 5 to 6 years, without me really noticing, it turned into a completely different town. The moment it clicked was when I started walking through Riano Ridge on the northwest side. There are million-dollar homes with access to Mahaffey Park a couple of blocks from where I used to live. Downtown Loveland is seriously a different place. I stood there and went, okay, I wasn't wrong about Loveland. I was just early.

This article covers Loveland as a market, then breaks down Mariana Butte , Riano Ridge , Eagle Brook Meadows , Kinston at Centerra , Sugar Creek , Avenue South at Centerra , and downtown Loveland around 4th Street. I'll tell you where I'd actually buy if I were doing this all over again, and I'll be honest about the trade-offs the data shows. If you're moving to Northern Colorado in 3 months or 3 years, give my team and me a call, text, or email. Some of my favorite clients ever reached out 2 years before they bought anything. We built the plan, sent the neighborhoods, walked them through model homes on FaceTime. We would love to be an asset on your team.

Table of Contents

• Loveland: The Demand Story Northern Colorado Isn't Talking About Yet
• Mariana Butte: Southwest Loveland and the Fastest Shot to Rocky Mountain National Park
• Riano Ridge: What Toll Brothers Showing Up in Northwest Loveland Actually Means
• Eagle Brook Meadows: Fort Collins Jobs at Loveland Prices
• Kinston at Centerra: One of the Top-Selling New Communities in Northern Colorado
• Sugar Creek: Get on the List Now Before Sales Open in 2027
• Avenue South at Centerra: Where Hensel Phelps Is Moving Its Global Headquarters
• Downtown Loveland (4th Street Area): The Window to Buy Before Block 4 Finishes This Fall
• Which Area Is Right for You?
• Conclusion

Loveland: The Demand Story Northern Colorado Isn't Talking About Yet

Loveland sits about 15 minutes south of Fort Collins, about 45 minutes north of Denver on I-25, and roughly 30 to 45 minutes to Estes Park straight up US-34 through the Big Thompson Canyon. And that last one is the most underrated thing about this town. US-34 runs right through the middle of Loveland, and then you're in the canyon with the river beside you all the way up to the park. Fort Collins has to come south to get on that road. Loveland is the only city up here that's generally convenient to all 4 things at once: Fort Collins, Denver, the mountains, and the interstate. If you want the real drive time map, commute to Broadcom, Woodward, UCHealth, CSU, all of it, just shoot me a text. Costs you nothing, and I'll be happy to send it to you.

Here's what's actually happened. The MLS data for detached single-family homes, January through August 2025, closed sales: Fort Collins 1,300 homes, up 4.3%. Greeley 754, actually down. Loveland 875, up 18.6%. More than 4 times Fort Collins. But here's the number that got me. Month by month, year over year, Loveland was positive 8 months out of 8. Fort Collins was up 4 of the 8, Greeley in 3. Those 2 were coin flips. Loveland didn't have a down month all year.

Closings are just contracts from months ago. Fair. So let's look at the pipeline. Under contract: Fort Collins up 1.2%, Greeley up 2.6%, Loveland up 16.7%. That's not a closing lag. That's demand that's still coming. And here's the most impressive stat in this whole video. In January, Loveland had almost 45% more homes on the market than the year before. That's a market where you'd expect prices to fall apart. But by June, that entire surplus was gone. Absorbed. Loveland did that while putting 7.5% more new listings on the market. Fort Collins new listings were flat and Greeley's were actually falling. Loveland took on more supply than either neighbor and was still the only one of the 3 that got tighter.

The Honest Part

Let me be straight with you. Loveland is the demand story. It is not the appreciation story. August was Loveland's best price month of the year, but average all 8 months and median price per square foot is actually down 4.4%, the worst of the 3 cities. Homes sit 55 days longer than Fort Collins, and that got worse this year, not better. So the honest one-liner: more people are buying in Loveland right now than anywhere in Northern Colorado, but they are not paying more per square foot to do it. And that's a better story anyway. That's a place that people want to be that hasn't fully repriced yet, which if you're the buyer, it's exactly when you want to show up.

We've had a few clients that start their search out in Fort Collins and end up in Loveland. They end up in different spots for different reasons, but Mariana Butte is a great example. You're truly getting about 10% more home for the dollar in Loveland than you are in Fort Collins. So you're looking at a value play while still getting all the amenities Fort Collins has to offer. And we've seen people fall in love with Loveland once they land there. Clients that are choosing Loveland, Windsor, Timnath, and Fort Collins are not looking to relocate in a few years. They are setting down roots and they see the vision.

Downtown's $24.5 Million Rebuild

If you haven't been to downtown Loveland in 5 years, you have no idea what's happening down there. And I say that with love because I was that guy. The city and the Downtown Development Authority are in the middle of a $24.5 million rebuild of 4th Street, 5 full blocks. They call it the Heart Improvement Plan. And here's what makes the project different from a let's-plant-some-trees project. They ripped the street out and replaced century-old water mains, storm sewer, electrical conduit, fiber, gas, all of it. And then they put down decorative pavers, sandstone seat walls, string lighting over the street, and 4 public art pedestals on every block.

$12 million came from the Utility Enterprise Fund and $12.5 million from the DDA. $0 out of the general fund. They rebuilt downtown without pulling money away from cops and fire and parks. Four of the 5 blocks are done, including the block with Rialto Theater, which reopened this past July. Block 4 is still torn up, and they're targeting late fall for its completion. And that's on top of The Foundry, a $75 million redevelopment that already put 146 apartments, a Marriott, a parking garage, and a public plaza where there used to be parking lots.

Look, I'm from Fort Collins. Old Town is world-class. It's the granddaddy of them all. And 4th Street is not Old Town. Not yet. But what's happening on 4th Street, infrastructure in the ground first, then streetscape, then businesses following, it's the exact same sequence that Old Town went through. That happened in Fort Collins in the late '80s and early '90s. And you already missed it. You haven't missed this one.

Art, Sculpture, and the Valentine Tradition

In 1985, Loveland became the first city in Colorado to pass an art in public places ordinance. First one. 1% of qualifying city capital projects goes to public art. And that's been compounding for 40 years. The collection today is over 500 works worth about $12.3 million. And here's the part I love. Over 62% of that value came from private contributions. It's not just a tax thing. It's a town that actually cares.

Benson Sculpture Garden has 189 permanent sculptures in a public park that you and your dog can walk through on a Tuesday for free. And once a year it hosts Sculptures in the Park, which Westword, an independent alt-weekly, not the Loveland Chamber, called the country's largest sculpture show. In 2005, a book called *The 100 Best Art Towns in America* ranked Loveland number 2 in the country behind only Santa Fe.

And then the Valentine thing, my favorite small town tradition in Colorado. Loveland is the Sweetheart City. For 80 years, volunteers have hand-stamped Valentine's mail. It's about 120,000 pieces a year, 8,500 envelopes a day by hand, by volunteers in the middle of winter for 10 days straight. If this is landing and you want to come walk it, we do this all the time. City tours. 4th Street, Benson Park, Boyd Lake, 3 or 4 neighborhoods at your price point. They have become one of the most valuable things we can offer our relocation clients. Call, text, or email, and it would be an honor to host you on one of those.

The Outdoors: Lakes, Trails, and Devil's Backbone

Loveland has 34 park areas in the city, and something Fort Collins generally does not, lakes inside the city limits. Lake Loveland right in the middle of town, Boedecker on the southwest side, and Boyd Lake State Park on the east side. 1,700 acres of water with a swim beach, a marina, camping, paddleboarding inside the city. I love Horsetooth, but Horsetooth is up over a hill and it's a whole production. You gotta spend the entire day there essentially. Boyd Lake is in your backyard.

Devil's Backbone Open Space on the west edge is 3,000 acres and 17 miles of trail. That iconic rock fin in every Loveland photo. In town, it's about 31 miles of paved trail plus 20+ miles of soft surface, and the centerpiece is a roughly 21-mile paved loop that circles the entire community. And the Longview Trail connects Loveland straight to Fort Collins. You can ride city to city separated the entire way. I actually took my bike, went from my house on the southeast side of Fort Collins south along Boyd Lake, and then looped all the way around Loveland and came back up on the west side of Fort Collins. It was a safe ride. It took me about 2 hours, but fantastic, good views, and very safe.

Now this is where I have to be honest. You asked me about bike infrastructure, so here's where I disappoint some of you. The recreational trail network is legitimately good. The on-street bike network is not. People for Bikes, the national outfit that scores this, rates Loveland a 28 out of 100 against a national network average of around 36. And 45th in Colorado. So if you want to sell that second car and bike commute the way people do in Fort Collins, Fort Collins is still the better answer today. Full stop. I'm not going to spin it. The city's working on it. There's a whole list of grant-funded bike and pedestrian projects going on right now. But that's a getting-better story, not an it's-great story. And I'd rather you hear it from me than find out in March when you're trying to sell that second car to take your bike to and from work.

Two Water Providers, One City

In the American West over the next 20-year horizon, water is the entire ballgame. Not schools, not restaurants, not even jobs. Because a town without secured water can't grow. And a town that can't grow can't build the stuff that makes it worth living in. First, a technical thing that people get wrong constantly. There are 2 different water providers inside the city of Loveland. There's Loveland Water and Power, the city's own utility, and then there's the Fort Collins Loveland Water District, a completely separate special district serving the north part of town. 2 organizations, 2 portfolios, 2 rate structures. So when you see a headline about Loveland water rates spiking 30%, that's almost always the district, not necessarily the city. Ask which one serves the specific address before you buy, or ask us and we'll look it up for you.

The city's utilities, straight out of the September 1st council packet: Loveland's portfolio is 25,000 acre-feet. Treatment capacity is 38 million gallons a day, and their biggest day ever was 26 million. So on the worst day of the year, they're at about 68% of capacity. Then there's Chimney Hollow Reservoir. 90,000 acre-feet built by Northern Water just west of Carter Lake, basically Loveland's backyard. 12 entities have shares in it. The city of Loveland holds 10,000 acre-feet, the 3rd largest share in the entire project.

And this one's live right now. The city is negotiating a 40-year agreement to move its own water through the Colorado-Big Thompson system, reserving roughly 16,200 acre-feet a year. That's hitting city council this September. 40 years. That's a city planning way past the next election cycle. And if you're buying new construction, watch this. There's a real fight right now over how much water new development has to bring with it. Staff wants to lower the standard and the Utilities Commission is pushing back, saying that could shift risk onto existing ratepayers in a drought year. The city stated policy is *Growth pays for itself*. Whether the new math delivers, that is an open question and it will affect what new homes cost here. So Loveland's water position is genuinely structurally strong, but it's not *we solved water and we're done*. Nobody in the West ever gets to say that.

Data Centers and the 6-Month Moratorium Discussion

AI data centers are not the old kind that held your email. A doctor from CU Boulder presented to Loveland City Council on September 1st, and here's the scale. A traditional server rack pulls 5 to 10 kilowatts. An AI rack pulls 50 to 120. Loveland's actual numbers, same packet: Platte River Power Authority, the wholesale provider for Fort Collins, Loveland, Longmont, and Estes Park, has 1,400 megawatts for all 4 cities combined. Loveland's all-time record peak was 189 megawatts, set in July of this year. A regional data center runs 10 to 70 megawatts. That's 5 to 30% of Loveland's entire peak. A hyperscale facility runs 70 to 700+, 37 to 370% of everything Loveland uses at its absolute peak. One building, potentially more electricity than the entire city.

And here's the problem the city found. Loveland's development code was adopted in late 2018 before any of this existed, and under that code, data centers are allowed by right, meaning no public hearing, in 6 different zoning districts. So council held a study session on exactly this with a draft resolution for a 6-month moratorium on data centers over 10 megawatts. The vote's in September, then a work session in October and utility deep dive in December and policy direction in early 2027. There is a lot of heated public comment and a proposed project people are calling Spark AI Foundry off of North Wilson residents are organizing against. The ownership situation there has been publicly disputed and I'm not going to characterize it beyond that. There is currently no filed data center applications in Loveland.

Passenger Rail and the Airport

The project's now branded the Colorado Connector. It runs on the existing BNSF line. So no new corridor, but Denver, Boulder, Longmont, Berthoud, Loveland, Fort Collins. And yes, Loveland gets a station sited at 7th and Railroad, a few blocks north of downtown. Not Centerra, not the old depot, which means it's walking distance to that 4th Street we just spent 5 minutes talking about. That is not a coincidence.

Now, the honest version, because there are 2 different things here and people mix them up. The first thing is a starter service from Fort Collins to Denver, 3 round trips a day targeted for 2029. That's got real funding behind it and a signed agreement between the RTD, CDOT, and the rail district. That one's moving. Thing 2 is the full corridor all the way to Pueblo targeted for 2032, and that is contingent on a ballot measure. In August, the rail district board voted 14 to 1 to put a 0.33% sales tax on the November ballot across 30 municipalities. That has not passed. It is on the ballot this November. And the sober note: RTD's Northwest Rail was promised to Longmont voters in 2004. 22 years later, it still hasn't been built. So when I say train's coming in 2029, that's the stated target, not put it on your calendar.

And the airport, because somebody always asks. Northern Colorado Regional opened up a new terminal in 2024, but there's no scheduled commercial airline service there. Yet. They started widening the airport runway this June to handle 737s, and they're framing 2027 as a target date to be done. But no airline has signed anything. I am extremely excited about it. So don't buy a house on it. But hopefully that comes to pass. It's 12 minutes from my door to the airline. So very much fingers crossed.

Mariana Butte: Southwest Loveland and the Fastest Shot to Rocky Mountain National Park

Mariana Butte sits in southwest Loveland, backing to open space. It's 10 minutes from downtown and 10 minutes from the mouth of the Big Thompson Canyon. If it's the mountains and Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturdays you're looking for, this is my top pick. Honestly, that's the one I'd pick for my family because that's how we'd actually use it. Out of the driveway at 7, hiking by 9, and home for dinner. Loveland is measurably better positioned for that than Fort Collins. That's not marketing. That's a map.

You're getting about 10% more home for the dollar in Loveland than you are in Fort Collins. So you're looking at a value play while still getting all the amenities. And Mariana Butte is a great example of that. We've had clients that start their search in Fort Collins and end up here. They fall in love with Loveland once they land. And they're not looking to relocate in a few years. They are setting down roots and they see the vision.

Riano Ridge: What Toll Brothers Showing Up in Northwest Loveland Actually Means

Riano Ridge sits in northwest Loveland, walking distance to Mahaffey Park with foothills views. It's about 15 minutes to the Harmony Corridor. And Toll Brothers is building there. That's what I actually want to talk to you about. Because Toll Brothers showing up in a market is a signal.

Toll Brothers is the dominant national luxury homebuilder in America, founded in 1967, Fortune 500, about $10.8 billion in revenue in fiscal 2024. They're not a volume builder and they don't chase entry level. Their entire business model is finding places where high-income buyers want to live. They have a research department. They do not guess. At Riano Ridge , they've got 4 collections running from roughly $613,000 up past $978,000 and into the millions. And they're selling right now.

Here's what I think it means. Toll Brothers had every option on the Front Range. They could have gone deeper into Timnath or chased Windsor. They looked at their map and put a $900,000 product line in northwest Loveland. That tells you what a company with real research capabilities thinks about Loveland's next 10 to 20 years. The smart money is already there. That's the whole thesis of this video in one sentence. I call this the arbitrage play. Million-dollar homes in an area where I lived years ago. And I think that's the one that people look back on.

Eagle Brook Meadows: Fort Collins Jobs at Loveland Prices

Eagle Brook Meadows sits in northwest Loveland along West 50th between Taft and Wilson. Townhomes from the mid-$400s, single-family from the $600s well into the $800s plus. About 15 minutes to the Harmony Corridor. Foothills views. If it's the fastest access to Fort Collins jobs at Loveland prices, this is the one I recommend. You're getting Loveland pricing with the fastest shot up to Fort Collins. We've had clients look at this for exactly that reason. Fort Collins commuters wanting Loveland pricing.

Kinston at Centerra: One of the Top-Selling New Communities in Northern Colorado

Kinston at Centerra sits in east Loveland at 34 and I-25. You've got Lennar, Richmond American, Dream Finders, David Weekley, Bridgewater townhomes from the mid-$430s up through the $680s. It is a great development and we've had a lot of clients look at it and explore the area. It's one of the top-selling new communities in all of Northern Colorado. And it's one of the best places to grab a coffee at The Hub.

You're near Whole Foods, 18 restaurants, 33 retail, a park with an event lawn and amphitheater. If it's brand new and walkable with everything 5 minutes away, this is the one. Kinston is part of Avenue South development with nearly 2,000 residences at full buildout. And Hensel Phelps is moving its global headquarters here. $69 million investment, 400+ jobs projected within 10 years at above average wages. Hensel Phelps has been headquartered in Greeley since 1937, and they're moving to Loveland. Corporate headquarter relocations do not happen by accident.

Sugar Creek: Get on the List Now Before Sales Open in 2027

Sugar Creek sits in north Loveland at 287 and East 71st. Minutes from Fort Collins. 171 acres, up to 1,110 homes at full buildout. Black Timber is the local developer. Taylor Morrison is coming in with their first ever Loveland community, plus Chumark Infrastructure broke ground last December. Home sales expected spring of 2027, and there's over $79 million of public infrastructure going in with it including 287 upgrades.

Free tip: early releases carry the best pricing of a community's whole lifecycle. If your move is 12 to 24 months out, get on their interest list now, not when the models open. We do have resources and relationships, so definitely let us know. If you want to buy before the pricing moves, Sugar Creek is the one. Sales don't open up till spring 2027. Get on the list now and we can help with that.

Avenue South at Centerra: Where Hensel Phelps Is Moving Its Global Headquarters

Avenue South at Centerra sits in east Loveland at 34 and I-25. 140 acres, nearly 2,000 residences at full buildout. Loveland's first Whole Foods, 18 restaurants, 33 retail, a park with an event lawn and amphitheater. And the anchor: Hensel Phelps is moving its global headquarters there. $69 million investment, 400+ jobs projected within 10 years at above average wages. Hensel Phelps has been headquartered in Greeley since 1937, and they're moving to Loveland. That is a signal.

Residential opens in 2027. If it's brand new and walkable with everything 5 minutes away, Avenue South when residential opens is the one. Right next door to Kinston , which is already one of the top-selling new communities in Northern Colorado.

Downtown Loveland (4th Street Area): The Window to Buy Before Block 4 Finishes This Fall

If it's downtown, walkable to everything, old house character, the blocks around 4th Street right now, while it's still torn up, and while people still remember it the way it was 5 years ago. That window closes when Block 4 finishes this fall. The city and the Downtown Development Authority are in the middle of a $24.5 million rebuild of 4th Street, 5 full blocks. Four of the 5 blocks are done. Block 4 is still torn up, and they're targeting late fall for its completion.

And the rail station is coming 3 blocks from downtown at 7th and Railroad. Walking distance to that 4th Street we just spent 5 minutes talking about. That is not a coincidence. I recommend buying now while people remember it as it was 5 years ago. The window closes when Block 4 finishes fall 2024.

Which Area Is Right for You?

Let me actually answer this instead of being vague. Here's where I'd buy based on how you'd actually use it:

• Choose Mariana Butte if it's the mountains and Rocky Mountain National Park on Saturdays. 10 minutes from downtown, 10 minutes from the mouth of the Big Thompson Canyon, backing to open space. That's the one I'd pick for my family because that's how we'd actually use it.
• Choose Riano Ridge or Eagle Brook Meadows if it's the fastest access to Fort Collins jobs at Loveland prices. 15 minutes to Harmony, foothills views. That's the arbitrage play, and I think that's the one that people look back on.
• Choose Kinston at Centerra or Avenue South (when residential opens in 2027) if it's brand new and walkable with everything 5 minutes away. East Loveland at 34 and I-25. One of the top-selling new communities in Northern Colorado.
• Choose Sugar Creek if you want to buy before the pricing moves. Sales don't open till spring 2027. Get on the list now.
• Choose downtown around 4th Street if it's walkable to everything, old house character, and you want to buy before the pricing moves. That window closes when Block 4 finishes this fall.

Loveland is the only city up here that's generally convenient to all 4 things at once: Fort Collins, Denver, the mountains, and the interstate. Sales tax is 6.95% versus 8.3% in Fort Collins. The effective property tax rate runs lower. And the market says 8 out of 8 months more buyers every month have chosen Loveland all year. You're getting about 10% more home for the dollar in Loveland than you are in Fort Collins.

Conclusion

Loveland is not perfect. Price per square foot is down 4.4% across the year, worst of the 3 cities. Homes sitting 55 days. The school district is cutting $6 to $9 million. The on-street bike network is below the national average. A beverage distributor is cutting 139 Loveland jobs this year. Most of the new communities sit in a metro district, which can add $150 to $400 plus a month versus an identical house outside of a metro district. That's something we'll ask for on every single new house that we look at. Downtown is still torn up till this fall, and there's no commercial flight out of the airport in sight. The train is a target, not a ticket. That's the real list, and I'm not hiding it.

But here's what I keep coming back to. Loveland has the water. It has a city government studying data centers before one gets built instead of after it. It put $24.5 million into a new downtown without touching the general fund. It has 40 years of compounding arts infrastructure. It has lakes inside the city limits and the canyon to Rocky Mountain National Park sitting in its own backyard. It has a Fortune 500 contractor moving its global headquarters there from Greeley and the country's dominant luxury home builder putting a $900,000 product line on the northwest side of town. It has a rail station coming 3 blocks from downtown that's being rebuilt right now. And it's cheaper than Fort Collins.

I lived there for 9 months and couldn't wait to leave. And if I were doing this all over again today with what I know now, I truly consider staying in Loveland, Colorado versus where I'm at today. I really would.

If that's you, 3 months out or 3 years out, call/text me at 970-893-3533  or book a FREE consultation here. We'll build you a plan, send you the neighborhoods, get you the mill levies and the builder incentives on all new construction. We would love to be an asset on your team. It would genuinely be an honor. Let's schedule a city tour. 4th Street, Benson Park, Boyd Lake, 3 or 4 neighborhoods at your price point. They have become one of the most valuable things we can offer our relocation clients.