Living in Littleton, CO

Arapahoe County (county seat; city limits also extend into Jefferson and Douglas Counties)

Littleton's identity runs through a genuine, dated 19th-century railroad-town history, not a generic "Denver suburb" label. The Littleton Main Street Historic District dates from the town's 1890 incorporation (245 residents voted to incorporate that year), built on rapid settlement that followed the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad reaching the area in 1871 and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad completing its own line in 1887 -- red pressed-brick commercial buildings, many still standing, anchored by the NRHP-listed 1920 Littleton Town Hall (a Jules J.B. Benedict-designed Italian Renaissance building). Littleton is also genuinely unusual among this dataset's Denver-metro suburbs in spanning three counties: it is the county seat of Arapahoe County, with city limits also extending into Jefferson and Douglas Counties. The South Platte River, which runs through the city, carries real documented flood history -- the June 1965 flood crested 25 feet above normal, destroyed or closed 13 of the region's 27 bridges, and swept away dozens of homes -- though First Street Foundation's current modeling characterizes today's flood risk as comparatively minor (7.1% of properties at risk over 30 years). The RTD D Line's Littleton-Mineral and Littleton-Downtown stations, opened July 14, 2000, give residents a real, if partial, transit option into downtown Denver. Littleton Public Schools carries an Overall Niche Grade of A and ranks #4 among Best School Districts in Colorado (13,251 students across 20 schools), a genuinely strong district relative to Englewood Schools and Adams 12 Five Star Schools built alongside this record. Housing runs expensive -- a $625K-$629K median/average sale-price band as of mid-2026 -- with household income cited anywhere from $98,839 to $110,339 depending on source, both figures reading as comparatively affluent. Littleton's population skews meaningfully older than Englewood's or Northglenn's: a 40.8 median age and roughly 20.1% 65-plus population share, well above the national average, reflecting a genuinely more established, affluent inner-ring-suburb character. Crime data sends a mixed signal -- NeighborhoodScout's standard high-crime framing versus CrimeGrade's comparatively favorable B+ 2026 safety grade -- disclosed rather than resolved. Like the rest of the Front Range, Littleton carries real Hail Alley homeowners-insurance exposure and a low-frequency but genuine tornado risk, not a hurricane or coastal-storm profile, and not the extreme-heat risk of the Arizona desert markets built earlier in this dataset. Colorado's flat 4.40% state income tax (2026, subject to a TABOR-driven surplus mechanism) applies here as it does statewide.

Explore Littleton in depth

• Moving to Littleton: Pros, Cons & What to Know
• Cost of Living in Littleton
• Housing in Littleton
• Taxes & Insurance in Littleton
• Climate in Littleton
• Schools & Families in Littleton
• Healthcare & Safety in Littleton
• Pros and Cons of Living in Littleton
• Retiring in Littleton

Housing

Taxes

The tradeoffs

Who this fits

Best for: Retirees and families who specifically want a genuine, historic, walkable downtown with real light-rail access into Denver, a top-ranked school district, and a more established, comparatively affluent inner-ring-suburb character than Englewood or Northglenn built alongside this record.

Maybe not for you if: Buyers prioritizing the lowest possible housing cost, or the youngest possible community, should weigh Littleton's expensive housing band and its notably higher 65-plus population share (~20.1%, versus ~15% in Englewood and ~11.6%-13% in Northglenn) against those two markets; anyone confirming a specific address's tax or service jurisdiction should verify carefully given Littleton's real three-county split.