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When Horace Greeley, the great New York newspaperman said, "Go West, young man", a young idealist named Nathan Meeker heard him. Meeker did come west and, along with 59 other intrepid settlers, put down roots here in the heart of the Colorado plains. Meeker called his new settlement "Greeley," in honor of his boss.

Meeker designed Greeley to be an agricultural utopia based on the following principles: cooperation, irrigation, agriculture, temperance, religion and education. Times have changed, but Greeley is still a community with strong agricultural roots, where residents look out for each other.

Greeley is the largest city and the county seat of Weld County. It is a place with small town values and warmth and big city amenities and comforts and it's booming! With companies such as Con Agra and State Farm Insurance building corporate headquarters here, Greeley's population has risen to nearly 77,000 residents in the latest census. Up from 60,000 since 1990.

Thriving industry, a comfortable climate (over 300 days of sunshine per year!), not to mention proximity to the Rocky Mountains, all help Greeley live up to its nickname; "An All American City."

Community Facts

Population: (as of 2001): 77,930
Elevation: 4,658 ft. Climate: 340!
days of sunshine per year and 14 inches of precipitation.
Geography: 60 miles northeast of Denver, 50 miles south of Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Churches: There are over 80 churches in Greeley serving every denomination.
Median family income: $30,056.

Education

The University of Northern Colorado is known for its strong Business, Elementary Education, and Nursing programs. Over 11,000 students are enrolled here. District 6 offers residents of Greeley a stellar educational option for their children. The teacher to student ratio is 24:1 and average ACT scores are 21.1. The main campus of Aims Community College is also in Greeley.

Recreation

There is a lot to do in Greeley. Golf (with 2 very good public courses) and tennis (countless courts) are popular pastimes and the numerous parks offer miles of walking/jogging/in-line skating/biking paths.

Every year, for about 10 days in June and July, Greeley goes cowboy when it welcomes world class rodeo to town for the Independence Stampede. Entertainment is a big part of the Stampede as well and national acts such as Kenny Chesney, have participated in recent years. The annual Northern Colorado/Greeley Jazz Festival is another big event, where thousands of the top high school and college musicians come to strut--and strum--their stuff.

Beyond the borders of Greeley is a wide world of outdoor activity. Just to the east of town lies the beautiful and unique Pawnee National Grassland and to the west are the Rocky Mountains, the ultimate playground for the outdoorsman (and outdoorswoman).

If you're more interested in sports as a spectator than as a participant, UNC is a small college powerhouse, particularly in football, basketball, and women's volleyball. And Denver with its plethora of professional sports teams (including the Broncos, Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, and Colorado Rockies) is only an hour away.

Culturally, Greeley is light years ahead of similarly sized cities for two reasons. The first is that The University of Northern Colorado has a superior, nationally recognized music department. The second is Greeley's Union Colony Civic Center, which hosts a variety of stage productions, music acts, ballet, and is the home of the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra and the Greeley Chorale.

Health Care

The North Colorado Medical Center sits conveniently in the center of town and provides excellent, full-service healthcare for Greeley residents. As a Level II Trauma Center complete with AirLife (a regional air-medical transport service) NCMC is at the forefront of regional healthcare.

Employment

The major employers of Greeley include Conagra, Inc., the University of Northern Colorado, State Farm Insurance, and the North Colorado Medical Center. Unemployment is a low 3.2%.

Map of Community