If you're dreaming of trading city traffic for wide-open skies, Byers, Strasburg, and Bennett are three eastern Colorado towns worth putting on your radar. Each sits along the I-70 corridor east of Denver. Byers is in Arapahoe County; Strasburg and Bennett each straddle the Adams/Arapahoe county line — worth knowing, because your county sets your property tax bill, your building and zoning department, and your well and septic permitting. They share a small-town DNA, but they are not the same town, and the differences matter a lot when you're buying a home.
So Which Town Is Actually Right for You?
Honest answer: it depends on what you're running toward, not just what you're running from. Some buyers want acreage and a slower pace. Some want a town that's growing fast and already has the infrastructure to support it. Some want the tightest-knit little school district in the state. Let's break it all down.
What Do Homes Actually Cost in Each Town?
Here's a quick snapshot using the most current data available:
| Town | Median Price | Change vs. Prior Year | Avg. Days on Market | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Byers | $525K | +23.5% | ~10 days | Redfin, Nov. 2025 |
| Strasburg | $505K* | -20% | 54 days | Movoto, June 2026 |
| Bennett | $434K | +4.2% | 99 days | Redfin, Oct. 2025 |
*Strasburg's figure is a median list price (Movoto); Byers and Bennett are median sale prices (Redfin), so the three are not directly comparable.
What the Numbers Are Telling You
Byers is moving fast and trending up sharply. If you find something you love out there, do not sit on it. Strasburg saw a notable price dip compared to a year ago, which makes it interesting from a value standpoint right now. Bennett is the most affordable of the three and is taking longer to sell, which means buyers there have a little more room to breathe during negotiations.
None of these are numbers I made up to make a point. They're sourced and dated, and real estate markets move, so always check current listings before drawing any firm conclusions.
How Do the School Districts Stack Up?
This one's actually pretty fun to dig into because each district has its own personality.
Byers 32J
Byers 32J runs one PreK-12 campus — about 275 students in the elementary and 235 in the junior-senior high. If you see a much larger enrollment number for the district, that is because Byers 32J also authorizes online schools serving students statewide, so check which number a source is quoting before you compare districts.
Strasburg 31-J
Strasburg 31-J serves approximately 1,200 students across a full PreK through 12th grade setup, including an elementary school with 565 students, one middle school, one high school, and one alternative high school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 18 to 1, and Niche rates the district as "above average" based on Colorado Measures of Academic Success data for the 2024-25 school year. If you want a district with more programming options and a larger peer group for your kids, Strasburg has the infrastructure to support that.
Bennett
Bennett has been growing so fast (more on that in a second) that its school district is being pushed to keep pace. It's worth researching current capacity and programs directly with the district if that's a priority for your family.
Is Bennett Really Growing That Fast?
Yes. Wildly fast, actually. According to U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data cited in a January 2026 report, Bennett's projected 2026 population is 4,474, reflecting an 11.1% annual growth rate and a 55.3% population increase from 2019 to 2024. That is not a typo.
That kind of growth brings amenities and development, but it also brings growing pains. The good news is Bennett has been investing in infrastructure ahead of demand. The town's Water Resource Recovery Facility came online in November 2018 and was fully operational by January 2019, which means the sanitary sewer system is modern and built to handle expansion. That matters more than people realize when you're comparing small towns, because older or limited water and wastewater systems can put a real ceiling on development.
Strasburg, by comparison, had a 2026 population of 3,434 and is growing at a steadier 1.84% annually, per World Population Review (June 2026). It's been here, it's not going anywhere, and it has a lot of its community character already locked in.
What's the Vibe in Each Town?
This part is harder to put in a table, but it might be the most important part.
Byers
Byers is agricultural to its core. Located about 40 miles east of Denver along I-70, the town has roughly 1,500 residents and its economic backbone is farming and ranching. According to the I-70 Corridor Chamber of Commerce, Byers is home to the world's largest dry-land farming family. If you want 40-plus acres, horses, cattle operations, and neighbors who wave at you from a tractor, Byers is your town. Just know the commute to Denver from that stretch of I-70 is real, and it adds up.
Strasburg
Strasburg hits a sweet spot that a lot of buyers are looking for. It's got enough going on to feel like a real community, the income profile is strong (median household income of $117,845 per World Population Review, June 2026), and it still has that small-town feel without being so remote that you're planning a supply run every time you need groceries.
Bennett
Bennett is the one that's actively being built right now. If you want to get in before it fully arrives and you're okay with some construction noise and growing pains, the price point is the most accessible of the three and the town is clearly investing in itself.
One More Thing Worth Paying Attention To
Here's a stat that should catch your eye if you're thinking about this region long-term. According to USAFacts citing U.S. Census Bureau data from July 2026, Arapahoe County lost the most residents of any Colorado county between 2024 and 2025, with a net loss of 1,940 people. Meanwhile, Elbert County (which borders this area to the south) led Colorado in percent population increase during that same period, at 4.1%.
People are moving away from the urban core and toward the eastern plains. That trend is shaping every one of these towns in real time.
So How Do You Actually Decide?
Here's the shortcut I'd give a friend over coffee. If you want big land and a true agricultural community, go look at Byers. If you want a more established small town with solid schools and room to grow, Strasburg is worth serious attention. If you want the most affordable entry point in a fast-moving market with modern infrastructure already in place, Bennett deserves a close look.
And honestly, the best thing you can do is drive out and spend a Saturday morning in each one. Get a feel for the roads, the neighbors, the distance to the things you need. No blog post replaces that.
Chelsea Pruitt Real Estate works with buyers across all three of these towns and the surrounding eastern Colorado area, so if you want to talk through what fits your situation before you start driving around, reach out. A conversation costs nothing and might save you a lot of wrong turns.