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Compare towns

Olathe vs Center

118 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (3.2× in Olathe) and home values (+95% in Olathe).

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Olathe, COOne of the healthiest townsColorado · 1,793 people
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Center, COHomes around $194KColorado · 2,120 people
Swap order
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

OlatheOne of the healthiest towns
HealthHealthier than 65%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates SchoolsBetter than 35%of CO districts All about Olathe →
CenterHomes around $194K
Housing$194K typical home64% below the CO typical home SchoolsBetter than 6%of CO districts Health67% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates All about Center →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Property tax bill3.2×
Tax bills are bigger in Olathe
Olathe $944Center $294
Home values+95%
Homes cost more in Olathe
Olathe $245,600Center $126,000
Growth since 2010+22.7 pts
Olathe has grown faster since 2010
Olathe +9.2%Center -13.5%
Work from home+16.9 pts
More people work from home in Olathe
Olathe 16.9%Center 0%
Street grid+85%
Center has the more walkable street grid
Center 104Olathe 56.2
Average commute7 min
Center has the shorter commute
Olathe 19 minCenter 13 min
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $1,500 more a month in Olathe

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Olathe$2,560/mo
Typical home $460K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.38% · or rent about $967/mo · Housing →
Center$1,060/mo
Typical home $194K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.23% · or rent about $490/mo · Housing →

The difference: $1,500 a month, about $18,000 a year, between Olathe and Center.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Colorado ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
–OlatheNot graded B−CenterSafer than 53% of U.S. towns
Schools
C+OlatheBetter than 35% of districts in the state DCenterBetter than 6% of districts in the state
Health
B+OlatheHealthier than 65% of U.S. towns CCenterHealthier than 33% of U.S. towns
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
OlatheCenter
Snow a year22″25″
January low18°F4°F
July high90°F80°F
Growing season (days)167d120d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)55th19th
Outdoors & history
OlatheCenter
Trails1 mi0 mi
Conserved land0%0%
Archive photos25
Famous people born here2—
Community
OlatheCenter
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined10

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

118 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

OlatheCOCenterCO
Olathe ↔ Center118 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

OlatheCenter
People
Population 1,793Lowest 2,120Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +9.2%Highest CO: +14.8% -13.5%Lowest CO: +14.8%
Median age 37.8±4.6Lowest about the CO average 37.9±7.9Highest about the CO average
Center and Olathe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 20.1%±6.6Lowest CO: 21% 28.7%±6.9Highest CO: 21%
Center and Olathe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 14.7%±2.6Lowest CO: 15.6% 16.2%±5.2Highest CO: 15.6%
Center and Olathe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 7.6%Lowest CO: 45.7% 17%Highest CO: 45.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 0.7%±1.2Lowest CO: 6.4% 4.1%±3.7Highest CO: 6.4%
Center and Olathe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $55,767±$19kHighest 42% below CO $45,750±$23kLowest 52% below CO
Olathe and Center are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $245,600±$24kHighest 54% below CO $126,000±$29kLowest 77% below CO
Rentmedian gross, monthly $967±$99Highest 45% below CO $490±$444Lowest 72% below CO
Olathe and Center are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $944Highest 64% below CO $294Lowest 89% below CO
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 55.2%±17.5Highest CO: 52.9% 14%±14Lowest CO: 52.9%
Below poverty line 25.5%Highest CO: 9.4% 19.9%Lowest CO: 9.4%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 63.7%Lowest CO: 66.2% 69.8%Highest CO: 66.2%
Typical home builtmedian year 1979Highest 9 yrs older than CO 1972Lowest 16 yrs older than CO
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 minHighest 23% below CO 13 minLowest 50% below CO
Work from home 16.9%±13.6Highest CO: 21% 0%±1.6Lowest CO: 21%
Work in townworking residents 7.6%Lowest 19.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 miLowest 12.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.73Lowest 0.76Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Montrose (32%)Alamosa (9%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in CenterFew work in Olathe
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0% 0%
Trailsmapped miles 0.6 miHighest 0.4 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.4 mi 0.4 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3Highest 2Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 56.2Lowest 104Highest
Schools
School district Montrose County School District Re-1JCenter Consolidated School District No. 26 Jt. of the count
High school in town Olathe Middle/High SchoolCenter High School
Students per teacherat that high school 13.6Highest 11.8Lowest
Colorado average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Olathe neighborsTown Square →
T Weaver · 5d

Olathe School Spirit

1 neighbor in Olathe can answer.

Center neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Center’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Olathe and Center

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Towns like Olathe

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Ignacio1,250 people · $246K homes
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Las Animas2,540 people · $133K homes
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Florence3,885 people · $250K homes
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Burlington3,152 people · $208K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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