Why visit Erie
Townapedia lists 29 museums and landmarks, 35 parks and trails, 63 places to eat and 3 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include WOW! Children's Museum, Miners Museum/Lewis House;Miners Museum, Colorado National Speedway and Colorado National Golf Club.
Weather in Erie
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Erie
The Town of Erie is a home rule town located in Weld and Boulder counties, Colorado, United States. The town population was 30,038 at the 2020 United States census, a +65.64% increase since the 2010 United States census. At the 2020 census, 17,387 (58%) Erie residents lived in Weld County and 12,651 (42%) lived in Boulder County. Erie is a part of the Denver-Aurora-Greeley, CO Combined Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor.
From the Wikipedia article Erie, Colorado (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do3
Theater Company of Lafayette
Cinema and theater · 3.9 mi
300 E Simpson st, Lafayette
Palisade Park Amphitheater
Cinema and theater · 3.4 mi
680 West 168th Place, Broomfield
Museums and landmarks29
WOW! Children's Museum
Museum · 3.9 mi
Children's museum in Lafayette, Colorado
110 North Harrison Avenue, Lafayette
Tu-Sa 09:00-17:00
Boulder Valley Grange No. 131
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.9 mi
Building in Colorado, United States of America
Lafayette House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.8 mi
Coal mining era building, Lafayette
Lewis House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.0 mi
Lafayette, Colorado, United States
Lincoln School
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.9 mi
Town hall in historic school building in Erie, Colorado
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Miller House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.9 mi
House Lafayette, Colorado
Kulgren House
Monument and historic site · 4.0 mi
209 East Cleveland Street, Lafayette
Kaleidoscope Art Collective
Museum · 3.9 mi
209 E Simpson St, Lafayette
We-Fr 14:00-18:00; Sa-Su 10:00-15:00
17 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds35
23 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes63
Busaba Erie
Restaurant · Thai · 2.9 mi
3120 Village Vista Drive, Erie
Mo,We-Sa 11:30-14:00,16:30-20:30; Su 16:30-20:30
East Simpson Coffee Company
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 3.9 mi
201 East Simpson Street, Lafayette
Mo-Su 07:00-17:00
Fuego Azteca
Restaurant · Mexican · 0.8 mi
605 Briggs Street, Erie
Su-Th 11:00-21:30; Fr,Sa 11:00-22:30
Mezcal Bar & Grill
Restaurant · Mexican · 3.2 mi
16818 Sheridan Parkway, Broomfield
Su-Th 10:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 10:00-22:00
Pho-Ever
Restaurant · Vietnamese, Dessert, Noodle, Pho, Sandwich, Soup · 0.9 mi
680 Mitchell Way, Erie
Mo-Su 11:00-20:30
Santiagos
Restaurant · Mexican · 4.0 mi
104 North Public Road, Lafayette
Tu-Sa 06:00-20:00; PH unknown
Si Señor!
Restaurant · Mexican · 2.9 mi
3120 Vista Village Drive, Erie
Mo-Th 10:30-21:00,Fr 10:30-22:00,Sa 10:30-21:30,Su 10:30-21:00
Tacos El Rey #2
Restaurant · Mexican, Tacos · 3.8 mi
3336 Arapahoe Road, Erie
Mo-Fr 07:00-19:00, Sa 08:00-19:00
Dutch Bros. Coffee
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 2.7 mi
640 Commons Drive, Erie
Su-Th 05:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 05:00-23:00
Ghost Box Pizza
Restaurant · Italian Pizza · 4.0 mi
Mo-Th 16:00-20:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-21:00; Su 11:00-20:00
51 more on the map.
History
In the mid-1860s, coal was discovered in southwestern corner of Weld County in the Territory of Colorado. Erie was originally settled in 1867 and named after Erie, Pennsylvania, the former home of early settler Richard Van Valkenburg.
In 1870, railway service was established by the Denver-Pacific Spur Railroad, and in 1871, the Denver & Boulder Valley Railroad was built through the area, connecting Boulder and Brighton. The Erie, Colorado Territory, post office opened on Jan 24, 1871, and the Town of Erie was incorporated on November 16, 1874. The first board of trustees consisted of five permanent and prominent members of the community; George Meller, Richard Van Valkenburg, John T. Williams, Joseph J. Wharton and John A. Rowe. The first school was established in 1874, with 33 students enrolling.
Although local residents had mined coal for a decade, the first official underground coal mine in Erie opened in 1876; operated by Ira Austin. The railroads facilitated coal transport to the nearby communities and to Denver, helping the town grow quickly. Erie was unique among local coal mining towns because the local coal miners actually owned land or houses in town, instead of setting up temporary camps. Thus it became the greatest coal mining town in Colorado.
From the History section of Erie, Colorado on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Churches and places of worship8
Congregational Church
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 3.9 mi
300 East Simpson Street, Lafayette
Saint Columba Antiochian Orthodox Church
Church · Orthodox · 3.3 mi
726 North 119th Street, Lafayette
Shopping6
Gas and EV charging14
Schools, colleges and libraries28
Alicia Sanchez International School
School · 4.3 mi
655 Sir Galahad Drive, Lafayette
Healthcare5
Children's Hospital Colorado North Campus, Broomfield
Hospital · 3.5 mi
469 West State Highway 7, Broomfield
Boulder Centre for Orthopedics & Spine Broomfield
Clinic and pharmacy · 3.4 mi
1185 State Highway 7, Broomfield
Map of Erie
191 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Boulder County has had 17 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for fires.
- 2024-07-31: Stone Mountain Fire (Fire)
- 2021-12-31: Wildfires And Straight-Line Winds (Fire)
- 2021-12-30: Marshall Fire (Fire)
- 2020-10-17: Calwood Fire (Fire)
- 2020-03-28: Covid-19 Pandemic (Biological)
- 2020-03-13: Covid-19 (Biological)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 10 miles away.
- Lafayette 5 mi southwest, about 7 min by car
- Broomfield 6 mi south, about 10 min by car
- Frederick 6 mi northeast, about 9 min by car
- Louisville 7 mi southwest, about 12 min by car
- Gunbarrel 7 mi west, about 12 min by car
- Longmont 9 mi north, about 15 min by car
- Northglenn 9 mi south, about 15 min by car
- Firestone 9 mi northeast, about 15 min by car
- Thornton 10 mi southeast, about 16 min by car
- Westminster 11 mi south, about 18 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Erie CO City Haall, Bahooka, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Erie Colorado Public Library 02, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie Colorado Public Library 03, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie Community Skate Park 06, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie Colorado Public Library 04, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie Colorado Public Library, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie Colorado Public Library 01, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie Community Park Rules, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie Community Center Exterior 07, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie Community Center Exterior 06, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie Community Center Exterior 01, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie Community Center Exterior 05, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie Colorado 1889 Brick Building, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie Community Center West Entrance, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie Community Center Exterior 02, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie Community Park Welcome Arch, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie Community Center Exterior 04, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie Parkway Looking North East, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie Community Center Exterior 03, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie Community Park Shelter 01, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie Colorado Post Office, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Old Erie Colorado City Hall, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Town Hall Erie Colorado 03, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Town Hall Erie Colorado 01, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Lincoln School, Erie, CO, Polarisld33, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lincoln School Erie CO, Hustvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Erie Colorado Miner Memorial, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie Colorado Miner Memorial 2, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Town Hall Erie Colorado 02, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Erie CO 1888 United Methodist Church, Erie Bard, CC BY-SA 4.0
- WOW Childrens Museum (44111932564), Craig Talbert, CC BY 2.0
- Congregational Church (Lafayette, Colorado), Jeffrey Beall, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Miller House (Lafayette, Colorado), Jeffrey Beall, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lafayette House, Jeffrey Beall, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Boulder Valley Grange Number 131, Jeffrey Beall, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lewis House, Jeffrey Beall, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Grilled to perfection (40629274974), Let Ideas Compete, Public domain
- Grilled Ribs (40446808635), Let Ideas Compete, Public domain
- Birthday pie cake (40446765075), Let Ideas Compete, Public domain
- Dig in (41343001991), Let Ideas Compete, Public domain
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