Greeley
Horace Greeley,the great New York newspaperman said,"Go West, young man," a young idealist named Nathan Meeker heard him. Meeker did come and along with 59 other settlers and put down roots here in the heart of the Colorado plains.
Meeker called his new settlement "Greeley" in hornor of his boss he designed it to be an agricultural community based on the following principles; cooperation, irrigation, agriculture, temperance, religion and education.
Greeley is the largest city and the county seat of Weld County with a population of around 84,519, located between the Cache La Poudre and South Platte rivers with prairie extending to the east,the Rocky Mountain Front Range to the west with an elevation of 4,658 ft. above sea level.
Weld County average wage - all industries 31,564.
With Greeley's strong agricultural roots it still maintains a friendly warm small town attitude where the residents look out for each other. There are 80 churches which accommodate most all denominations.
It is easy to understand why Greeley is nicknamed the "All American City" attracting companies such as Con Agra and State Farm Insurance building corporate headquarters.Diversity of industry, educational facilities with a strong agribusiness give Weld County a degree of stability not often seen for it's size. Weld County ranks in the top five counties nationwide for the amount of agricultural products sold. The oil and natural gas industry contributes over 623 million to the economy also providing some of the highest paying jobs in the area. Some other manufacturing facilities include Owens-Illinois and Kodak.
The University of Northern Colorado in Greeley has an enrollment of approximately 11,000 students with a nationally recognized music department.
Aims Community College the largest two year institution in the state, provides strong educational and employment opportunities.
The Greeley Evans School District # 6 has over 15,000 students grades K-12 with a student teacher ratio of 20:1. There are 3 high schools, 4 middle schools, 17 elementary schools, 4 alternative schools and 4 charter schools as well as several private schools in the area.
Northern Colorado Medical Center is a 326 bed full service regional medical center offering outstanding health care for Greeley residents as well as the surrounding rural areas.With a level II trauma center as well as a family birthing center, regional hart care program and specialized cancer treatment programs.
Shopping is convenient at the Greeley Mall with it's seventy stores including major anchors, Cinemark, Dillard's, J C Pennies and Sears. In addition strategically placed neighborhood retail centers are through the town.
Seniors find Greeley to be a desirable location for retirement due to the climate with 340 days of sunshine per year, average summer temperature is 85. The great variety of recreational choices and the 2 active senior centers are ideal for all senior lifestyles. There are a large number of amenities and services through the city making it making enjoyable community to live in.
With Greeley's temperate climate and the Rocky Mountains only 30 miles away you can easily golf on one of the 5 public or private golf courses one day and go skiing the next.
Resident enjoy having 25 parks there is plenty of space devoted to playgrounds, ball fields, bike trails and tennis courts. In addition the Greeley Recreation Center offers over one hundred programs for adults and children for fun inexpensive recreation.
If you are more interested in spectator sports the University of Northern Colorado is a powerhouse in football,basketball, and women's volleyball. Denver only an hour away has several professional sports team's including the; Broncos, Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets and Colorado Rockies.
Culturally Greeley is an amazing town for it's size, the Union Colony Civic Center Auditorium a performing arts facility seats 1,700 and is host to the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra, Greeley Chorale, ballet and a variety of stage productions.
There are a large variety of fun interesting events; auto racing, Spomer Bison Ranch, Greeley's Rocky Mountain Stampede, Weld County Fair, Kodak's Greeley Hot Air Balloon Harvest to name a just a few.
Windsor
Windsor is a charming small town located exactly in the middle between Greeley, Loveland and Fort Collins it's unprecedented growth is a result of an established and thriving business community. This is lead by large corporations such as Eastman Kodak, Tenneco Packaging, University Photo Products, I C O N Industries along with a solid base of small local business.
Windsor's history spans 121 years with the original settlers being of German-Russian decent they traveled to Northern Colorado to work in the sugar beet fields. The towns first industry was a flour mill and in 1903, a sugar beet processing plant was established, eventually the plant became part of the Great Western sugar Co.
The quality and value of housing has lead to an influx of residents who prefer a smaller quieter community to live in and can easily commute to work in nearby towns. Greeley, Loveland and Fort Collins are all 12 miles from Windsor.
The elevation is 4,800 ft. above sea level. Seniors find Windsor to be a desirable location for retirement due to the climate with 340 days of sunshine per year with average temperatures of 85 in the summer. The population is around 16,178 with the average wage for Weld County - all industries 31,564.
As with all Front Range Communities Windsor is within an easy driving distance of Colorado's famous Rocky Mountains and the entire out door activities that are available there.
Employment opportunities are many with Kodak Colorado Division, Tenneco Packaging, Metal Container a subsidiary of Anheuser Bush, ICON Industries,University of Northern Colorado or Colorado State University.
There are 15 churches in Windsor of various denominations.
The local school system in Windsor is Weld County RE-4 with 1 high school, 1 middle school, 4 elementary school and 1 charter school with approximately 3,152 students the student/teacher ratio is 20:1.
Medical Arts Center of Windsor is home to the Windsor Community Pharmacy and Physicians of Windsor Medical
Group it is affiliated with Northern Colorado Medical Center of Greeley.
Poudre Valley Health Center offers several types of medical care including the Windsor Family Clinic Windsor branches of the Orthopedic Center of the Rockies and the Fort Collins Woman's Clinic.
Hospitals the area are MC Kee Medical Center in Loveland, North Colorado Colorado Center in Greeley, Poudre Valley Hospital in Fort Collins there is also a Windsor Care Center providing senior long term care.
Windsor boasts of a new 47,000 sq. ft. community recreation center offering a wide variety of program and activities for all ages. Rental and banquet facilities with catering for every occasion including meetings and conference space for small and large groups.
There are 3 world class golf courses and accompanying golf-based communities.
A community owned swimming pool and 2 outdoor in-line skating /hockey rinks for summer or winter family fun.
Windsor has over 116 acres dedicated to parks with in the town. Several new park areas are currently under construction with 20+ miles of Poudre Trail and Windsor Trail for your biking or hiking enjoyment. The Parks include 82 acres with developed areas and 173 acres of planned parks.
Fort Collins
Fort Collins is a great town to raise a family, build a career or retire in. Known as the "Choice City" it truly has something for every one. It was founded as a military fort in 1864 and then as a town in 1873.
Fort Collins is located 65 miles north of Denver and 45 miles south of Cheyenne Wyoming along the Rocky Mountain Front Range. In close proximity to Horsetooth Mountain Park and Reservoir, Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes-Poudre Ranger District, Poudre Canyon and Viestenz Mountain National Park.
The county seat for Larimer county and largest city in northern Colorado with a population of around 130,000, 2005 median family of four income 66,400.
The average summer temperature is 84 with 300 days of sunshine, in winter average temperature is 40 with low humidity and the elevation is 4,985 ft. above sea level.
The hub of Fort Collins is Old town Square a charming area to stroll, shop in the many art galleries, unique boutiques, eat in splendid restaurants, enjoy the several theaters or lively night spots.
The town has received a great deal of national recognition, awards and accolades for its "Quality of Life" listed here are a few of them;
Best places to start and grow a small business - Inc Magazine
American dream Town - one of the best towns in the U S - Outside Magazine 2005
The top 5 places to retire - MSN July 2003
# 8 college town by ePondunk - the power of place
There are over 110 churches serving most every denomination.
Fort Collins is a college town home to Colorado State University established in 1870 with a current enrollment of approximately,700 students.
Front Range Community College offers Associates Degrees in arts, science, general studies and applied science. The college also offers 12 high school vocational programs and 90 associate degrees and certificates, current enrollment 5,100.
Aims Community College, ( Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley, Fort Lupton), offers over 85 associate degrees and certificates enrollment 2005 14,000.
The Poudre School district has an enrollment of 23,000 with a student/certified staff ratio of 22:1. The students have consistently performed from 3 - 15 percentage points above the state average in each subject at each grade level.The district has 2 early childhood schools, 30 elementary, 10 junior high, 6 senior high.
Fort Collins has attracted many large companies with high tech technologies, Hewlett - Packard, Agilent Technologies, LSI Technologies, Colorado State University and Poudre Valley Health Systems, Larimer County, Platte River Power Authority. There are also a large number of manufacturing companies, Waterpik technologies, Woodward Governor, New Belgium Brewery, O'Dell Brewing Company, Hatch Company, Advanced Energy are a few of them.
There are 3 major malls and 25 neighborhood shopping centers. The Foot Hills Mall offers opportune shopping with 120 stores major anchors are Foley's, J C Pennies, Mervin's and Sears.
The senior center in Fort Collins has it all a 25 yard, 4 lane lap pool, 10- person spa, gymnasium, multi - use area with stage, classrooms, craft rooms, media center/library.
Poudre Valley Hospital is one of the newest and most modern hospitals in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region with over 391 active staff physicians and 281 beds.
Fort Collins abounds with recreational facilities with 40 parks, 56 private and public tennis courts, 6 golf courses and 16 baseball diamonds/football fields. For boaters there are 3 area lakes that accommodate all kinds of water craft. The trail system is extremely popular with the people of the "Choice City". According to one study 78 percent of Fort Collins residents reported using the trails. the Park Planning and Development continually strives to expand the trail system to reach and better serve the growing boundaries of the city.
For the children the fun doesn't stop with the Discovery Science Center, Edora Pool and Ice Center, Fort Fun and the Farm at Lee Martinez Park.
Budweiser Event Center is home to the Colorado Eagles Hockey Team and hosts other entertainment and sporting events including the county fair and rodeo, meetings and conventions.
The Denver Broncos, Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets play their home games in Denver just an hour away.
Lincoln Center has been around since 1978 and has been one of Northern Colorado's largest and most diverse presenters of professional theater, dance, music, visual arts and children's programs. With two indoor performing arts spaces a performance hall of 1,180 seats and a mini theater of 220 seats, three indoor galleries, conference facilities and outdoor sculpture and performance garden it is Fort Collins cultural arts center.
Mishawaka Amphitheater with a view of the Poudre river from almost everywhere in the amphitheater and some of Colorado's finest bands gathers crowds on beautiful days and even more thrilling nights for some quality outdoor music.
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