Thornton, Colorado

By 1981, Thornton's population had swelled to 43,000 persons covering 19 square miles. That same year, the worst tornado in the Denver metro area's history touched down in the City of Thornton, sending 53 people to the hospital. That twister didn't slow the city's progress, however: a few years later, Thornton was raising millions of dollars to build an interchange between I-25 and 92nd Avenue (the Thornton Parkway), and, a few years after that, the city opened its own golf course, ThornCreek. By the year 2005, Thornton's population had exploded to well over 100,000, and the city was enjoying the fruits of Colorado's continued prosperity.