Colorado

Distance from Denver to Thornton

Straight-line distance

11.4mi

Denver, CO and Thornton, CO are 11.4 miles (18.4 km) apart in a straight line. From Denver, the shortest path starts out heading NNW (344°).

kilometers
18.4
nautical miles
9.9
heading from Denver
344° NNW
heading from Thornton
164° SSE
DenverThornton

Orange line: great-circle path · ring: midpoint · thin lines: county borders

How far Denver is from Thornton

The great-circle distance between the Census internal points of Denver and Thornton is 11.4 miles, 18.4 km or 9.9 nautical miles. That is the shortest path over the Earth's surface, computed with the haversine formula on a sphere with the mean Earth radius, 6,371.0 km. A course held on one compass bearing (a rhumb line) would be 11.4 miles, practically the same at this range.

Measurements

Miles
11.4
Kilometers
18.4
Nautical miles
9.9
Bearing from Denver
343.7° NNW
Bearing arriving at Thornton
343.7°
Bearing from Thornton
163.7° SSE

Halfway between Denver and Thornton

The great-circle midpoint is at 39.841154, -104.911215 (39°50'28.15"N 104°54'40.37"W). The nearest incorporated place of 1,000 or more people is Thornton, CO, with 146,689 residents, 5.7 miles from the midpoint. To find towns near the midpoint of any two places, use the halfway tool.

Time zones and daylight

Both use America/Denver, so there is no time difference. On June 21, Denver gets 14 h 59 min of daylight and Thornton 15 h 00 min; on December 21, 9 h 21 min and 9 h 20 min. The two sit at nearly the same latitude, so their day lengths match closely all year.

Population compared

Denver has 5.0 times the population of Thornton. From July 2020 to July 2024, Denver changed by +1.6% and Thornton by +3.2%. Both are in Colorado.

  1. 01Denver, CO729,019 (+1.6%)
  2. 02Thornton, CO146,689 (+3.2%)
July 1, 2024 population and change since July 2020, Census Vintage 2024.

Questions people ask

How far is Denver from Thornton?

11.4 miles, 18.4 km or 9.9 nautical miles along the great circle between the two Census internal points. Road distance is longer.

Which direction is Thornton from Denver?

NNW. The great-circle path leaves Denver on a bearing of 343.7° and arrives at Thornton on 343.7°. The return trip starts on 163.7°.

What is halfway between Denver and Thornton?

The midpoint is at 39.841154, -104.911215. The nearest incorporated place of 1,000+ is Thornton, CO, 5.7 miles from it.

Is there a time difference between Denver and Thornton?

Both use America/Denver, so there is no time difference.

Which is bigger, Denver or Thornton?

Denver, with 729,019 residents in July 2024 against 146,689 for Thornton, 5.0 times as many.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census 2024 Gazetteer internal points and Vintage 2024 estimates; time zones from Open-Meteo.

  1. 01Census 2024 Gazetteer, places
  2. 02Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  3. 03SunCalc library (Vladimir Agafonkin), algorithms after Jean Meeus
  4. 04IANA time zone database (clock times and daylight saving rules)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.