VOLUME 35 | ISSUE 21
WEEK OF MAY 25, 2023
CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES
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State sees growth in smaller communities Larger cities level off, Census Bureau finds
• Vestas to lay off 200 employees •27J Schools moves online-only Dec. 1
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BUSINESS
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
LOCAL
BY ELLIOTT WENZLER AND SANDRA FISH THE COLORADO SUN
LOCAL OBITUARIES LEGALS CLASSIFIED
During the special portion of the ceremony, the grads moved the tassels to the left, threw the caps in the air, and officially graduated from high school. See more photos from the Eagles’ graduation on page 5, plus local graduates offer their opinions PHOTO BY BELEN WARD on page 7.
BRIEFS: PAGE 2 | OBITUARIES: PAGE 4 | CLASSIFIEDS: PAGE 11 | LEGAL: PAGE 13
Colorado’s smaller cities and towns saw the greatest growth from 2020 to 2022, new U.S. Census Bureau estimates show, while the state’s largest cities and ski towns saw declining or stable populations. The changes come as Colorado’s population ages and people search for more affordable housing, state demographer Elizabeth Garner said. Keenesburg, a Weld County town along Interstate 76 about 40 miles northeast of Denver, logged the most growth with a 65% population explosion over two years. That town grew to 2,080 in 2022 from 1,258 in 2020. In Elbert County, the population of Elizabeth rose from 1,717 to 2,285 from 2020 to 2022, a 33.1% increase. The census estimates released Thursday are based on births, deaths, people moving in and out and the number of housing units, Garner said. So they aren’t based on survey data like the census taken every 10 years or the annual American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Previous estimates showed the state’s total population in 2022 at just over 5.8 million people, up about 1% since 2020. Of the top 15 cities and towns for growth between 2020 and 2022 most were under 10,000 population. Six of the top 16 were all or partially in Weld County, with most of the top-growth towns north or east of SEE GROWTH, P23
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