Berthoud ranks as the fastest-growing community in the Boulder Valley/Northern Colorado region since the 2010 Census, growing 74.12 percent in that time, with a July 1, 2017, population estimate of 8,889.
The town’s one-year growth rate was also impressive, at 18.69 percent, the highest one-year growth rate of any municipality in the region.
That’s according to data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau, which estimates population as of July 1 each year. The 2016 numbers reflect revisions made by the Census Bureau from what was released a year ago.
“I think it’s great in what it’s doing for the town in terms of our future retail and commercial growth,” said Walt Elish, business development manager for the town of Berthoud. “It’s making us more attractive to the retail, commercial and industrial businesses now. We’re getting inquiries especially from retail establishments.”
Elish said growth has enabled town trustees to begin conversations about building a recreation center, something that was impossible to contemplate with a lower population.
He said a number of residential developments are bringing in new residents, projects that had languished during the Great Recession.
“The recession hit, and it pretty much stopped everything,” he said, adding that development started to pick up again in after 2012.
Last year, Berthoud’s planning department processed 435 residential building permits, up from 264 in 2016 and 111 in 2015. The town has upgraded its wastewater-treatment capabilities and implemented water policies that are more-favorable to developers.
Additionally, Berthoud boasts ample land for development, Elish said.