Moving to Frederick, Colorado

Who lives here

Frederick is a statutory town in south-west Weld County, a couple of miles east of I-25 where it meets Colorado 52, between Firestone to the north and Dacono to the south. It was laid out as a coal town in 1907 (the history has the story), and since 2000 it has grown fast: the 2020 census counted 14,513 people, up from 8,679 in 2010 (Wikipedia’s infobox), and the Town’s own demographics page now puts it at 16,873 people in 5,614 households, a median age of 37 and a median household income of $117,087, across 15.96 square miles. The Town’s community profile dates those figures to 2023 estimates and calls the town halfway between Denver and Fort Collins.

A Mayor and six-member Board of Trustees run the Town with a Town Manager; the Board meets on the first and third Wednesdays at 7 pm, with work sessions at 5:30, and Town Hall is at 401 Locust Street, open weekdays 8 to 5 (Mayor & Board of Trustees). Voters have moved regular Town elections to November of even-numbered years; the next is November 7, 2028 (Elections). Frederick shares a recreation district, a library, a fire district and a chamber of commerce with Firestone and Dacono, but water, police, trash and zoning are the Town’s own. One thing to know early: three ZIP codes, 80530, 80504 and 80516, cover the town, and not every property in it is inside the parks district (district residency).

Housing

Mostly single-family homes in subdivisions built since 2000, with the old grid of Fifth Street and its cross streets downtown. The Town’s community profile gives one dated figure: an average single-family sale price of $569,819 across 109 units sold in 2024 (its real-estate data are credited to CoStar and the Town as of June 2024). The Town’s What Matters page claims 46 percent more house for the same money than the Denver metro area and lists the Town’s property-tax mill levy at 6.555, against 26.401 for Dacono, 16.567 for Erie and 6.805 for Firestone. The neighborhood names on the Town’s trash schedule are a map of where people live: Wyndham Hill, Silverstone, Moore Farm, Raspberry Hill, Eagle Valley, Fox Run, Summit View and Clark Ranch east of I-25; Country Meadows, Hauck Farm, Rinn Valley, Nelson Lakes and Wildflower to the west; Carriage Hills, Hidden Creek, Maplewood, Prairie Greens, Savannah and Downtown Frederick in between. The Town’s Fiber Internet page says Intrepid Fiber is building a town-wide network, with ALLO Communications as the provider, due to finish in late 2026 (Fiber Internet).

Before you fall for a house, ask whether it is in a homeowners’ association and a metropolitan district (the Town itself has a Frederick Metropolitan District, organised in 2019) and what each charges, and look the address up on Weld County’s property portal, whose list of tax authorities shows every district that taxes it, “Carbon Valley Rec” included. The listings in the sidebar show what is for sale.

Oil and gas

This is oil country and wells sit among the houses. Frederick lies in the Denver-Julesburg Basin and more than 600 wells have been drilled inside its boundaries (Oil & Gas Operations); the Town’s environmental constraints map, linked from that page, shows existing wells and ones being drilled. K.P. Kauffman owns more than 100 active wells in town, almost all low-producing, and the Town has spent three years pressing the state to make the company plug and clean them up: the state rejected the company’s closure plan in October 2023, five leaks were reported in town in January 2024, the Board passed a temporary moratorium on new oil and gas applications in April 2024, and in June 2025 the state ordered two Frederick wells plugged within a year (Oil & Gas in your Neighborhood). Look any address up before you buy.

Schools

Frederick is in St. Vrain Valley Schools, based in Longmont. Its Frederick feeder is Frederick High School (5690 Tipple Parkway), Coal Ridge Middle School (6201 Booth Drive, Firestone), Thunder Valley K-8 (600 5th Street), Legacy Elementary (7701 Eagle Boulevard), Centennial Elementary (10290 Neighbors Parkway, Firestone), Prairie Ridge Elementary (6632 St. Vrain Ranch Boulevard, Firestone) and Spark! Discovery Preschool (555 8th Street); Grand View Elementary at 6601 Aggregate Boulevard has a Frederick address but belongs to the Erie feeder. Carbon Valley Academy, a pre-K-to-8 charter in the district, is at 4040 Coriolis Way (Colorado Department of Education). Schools are assigned by address and the boundaries do not follow town lines, so use the district’s boundary lookup for any house you are considering. Open enrollment into another St. Vrain school runs December 1 to 15, 2026, with seat offers by January 8 (Open Enrollment). The district’s 2026-27 calendar has Thanksgiving break November 23 to 27, winter break December 21 to January 1, spring break March 15 to 19 and the last day of school May 27, 2027.

Getting around

By car. The Town’s community profile calls the I-25 and Highway 52 interchange one of the busiest in northern Colorado, with I-25 carrying more than 100,000 vehicles a day through town, and puts Denver International Airport 28 minutes away, Boulder 22 miles and the Northwest Parkway nine minutes; the Town’s What Matters page says about 35 minutes to downtown Denver and 33 to DIA. CDOT is resurfacing nine miles of Colorado 52 east of I-25 through December 2026 (roadwork updates). The Town plows in tiers, emergency routes and arterials first and residential streets only after a storm drops more than six inches, one pass down the middle (Snow and Ice Control).

Transit is thin. No bus route serves Frederick: the three towns’ state-funded transit feasibility study ended with a committee weighing next steps and a pointer to Way to Go’s carpools and vanpools, and the community profile mentions RTD and FlexRide as “nearby” and a Bustang stop on Highway 119 at I-25, in Firestone. Via Mobility runs rides paid for by the Town for residents 60 and over, people with disabilities and some others who qualify, weekdays 8 to 3, to Frederick, Firestone, Dacono, Longmont, Boulder, Louisville and Lafayette (Senior Resources). On foot and by bike, the Town counts 21 miles of trails, 26 developed parks and 594 acres of open space; the Frederick Recreation Area around Milavec Lake is the biggest.

Services

Water east of I-25 comes from the Town; west of I-25 the Left Hand Water District supplies drinking water and the Town only raw water. The Town bills stormwater to everyone and trash monthly. Usage rates were adjusted in February 2025 so that households using 5,000 gallons or less pay less and average users about 9 percent more. Buyers start service with the Residential Utility Billing Agreement; renters’ bills go to the landlord; transfers cost $10 and are handled at 311 Fifth Street, weekdays 9 to 4 (Utility Billing; Connecting service; 720-382-5500).
Sewer is the St. Vrain Sanitation District, 303-776-9570, sewer emergencies 303-994-7572 (district site).
Trash and recycling are a Town contract with Waste Connections (303-288-2100): one 96-gallon trash cart weekly and one 96-gallon recycling cart every other week, Fridays east of I-25 and Tuesdays west of it, a day later in holiday weeks (Garbage & Recycling).
Electricity is United Power and natural gas Black Hills Energy (New Resident Welcome Kit).
Police is the Frederick Police Department at 333 Fifth Street, 720-382-5700; non-emergency dispatch 720-652-4222 (Police). Dogs must be licensed each January, $5; cats free (Pet License).
Fire and ambulance is the Frederick-Firestone Fire District, 8426 Kosmerl Place, 303-833-2742 (about).
Library is the High Plains Library District’s Carbon Valley Regional Library at 7 Park Avenue, Firestone, open until 8 Monday to Thursday.
Recreation is the Carbon Valley Parks and Recreation District, with the rec center on Fifth Street and the gymnastics center on Frederick Way; a visit costs district residents $5.50 and others $8 (rates). The Town runs the parks and Bella Rosa Golf Course.

Before you decide

Wells. Check the Town’s well map for any address, and read the K.P. Kauffman timeline above.
Water restrictions. The Town declared a Stage 1 water shortage for its customers east of I-25 on May 20, 2026: no watering 10 to 6, three days a week at most, as guidance (Water Use Guidance). Read the rules before seeding a lawn.
Which district. Confirm on the county’s property portal whether the address pays the parks district, the Town’s metropolitan district and an HOA.
The ballot. On November 3, 2026 Frederick votes on a one percent transportation sales tax (2D) and up to $26 million of road bonds (2E) (the update).
Traffic. The I-25 and Colorado 52 interchange is the Town’s front door and, by its own account, one of the busiest in northern Colorado.

Spend a Saturday here first. Explore Frederick: five places in walking order is Fifth Street, Frederick with kids the version with children, and what’s on this week the calendar.