Loveland Colorado

Loveland Colorado is a community in the northern part of Colorado’s Front Range and resides in Larimer County. Not to be confused with the Colorado ski area by the same name, the town of Loveland is a neighbor to Fort Collins, Windsor and one of the newest communities and shopping districts named Centerra. People around the country and perhaps the world have heard of Loveland for one particular reason. Every year, hundreds of thousands of Valentines are packaged inside larger envelopes and sent to Loveland, where volunteers hand-stamp them with a Valentine’s verse which is selected through a contest in a local newspaper. The volunteers then send the greetings on to the intended recipients with the postmark from “Loveland”.

More Town Facts

Region: Front Range	County: Larimer
Latitude: 40.404722	Longitude: -105.085833	Elevation: 4,982 ft (1,519 m)

Loveland has been a part of Colorado since it was founded in 1877. Along with Loveland Pass above Keystone, and the Loveland Ski Area on that Pass, the city of Loveland was named after William A.H. Loveland, the president of the Colorado Central Railroad. The newly constructed rail line crossed over the Big Thompson River and the town of Loveland was built in the area. Originally, the entire area was devoted to agriculture, producing wheat, sugar beets and sour cherries. About 1901, when sugar became expensive and difficult to acquire, the fields were planted with sugar beets and became a mainstay for the area. In nearby Windsor Colorado, farm workers were brought in and the Great Western Sugar Company became the largest factory and employer in the region. During the late 1920s the Spring Glade orchard was the largest cherry orchard west of the Mississippi River. At that time the cherry orchards produced more than $1 million worth of cherry crops per year. Unfortunately over time, droughts, blight and finally a killer freeze destroyed the cherry industry. The success of the sugar beets, however lasted until the factory closed in 1985.

Fort Collins and Loveland have grown considerably over the years, migrating toward each other, and now only a section of county-owned open space physically separates the two cities. From small beginnings of only a couple hundred residents in 1880 to well over 50,000 residents counted in the 2000 census, Loveland has become a very desirable place to live. Agriculture is no longer the primary revenue, and technology driven jobs became a major employer in the Front Range for the 21st century. Corporate giants like Hewlett-Packard now employ area residents, as do smaller water quality manufacturers and a large medical center. Loveland has received numerous awards as a great place to live, by Money Magazine, USA Today, AARP the Magazine, and others. It is a center for art and sculpture and many artists display their work in galleries, art museums and outdoors throughout the city and parks. Loveland is considered by many to be the sculpture city of Colorado, and they host an annual sculpture show every August. For the beauty of the area, the easy access to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park nearby, the warm hospitality from the residents and the extensive and amazing artwork all around, Loveland is a wonderful place to visit and explore.