Report: Front Range is emerging as a hub of new heartland

The Front Range will see an influx of 2.6 million people over the next 32 years as it emerges as a major center of a new American heartland in the West, according to a Brookings Institution report.

The report by the Washington, D.C., think tank, found that the rising influence of the 15 Colorado counties from Larimer south to El Paso is being fueled by the most highly educated, most productive work force in the region and some of the nation's top research centers.

"It's the only place among Western centers that is outpacing national performance," said Mark Muro, policy director at Brookings' Metropolitan Policy Program.