| City of Greeley, Colorado | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
| The Weld County Courthouse in Greeley | |
| Nickname(s): James Michener's Home in the West, The 970, G-Town, Greality | |
| Location in Weld County and the State of Colorado | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | State of Colorado |
| County | Weld County Seat[1] |
| Founded | 1869 |
| Incorporated | 1885-11-15[2] |
| Named for | Horace Greeley |
| Government | |
| • Type | Home Rule Municipality[1] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 30 sq mi (77.7 km2) |
| • Land | 29.9 sq mi (77.5 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) |
| Elevation | 4,658 ft (1,420 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 92,889 |
| • Density | 396.3/sq mi (1,195.4/km2) |
| Time zone | MST (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP codes[3] | 80631-80634 & 80638-80639 |
| Area code(s) | 970 |
| FIPS code | 08-32155 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0180649 |
| Highways | US 34, US 85, SH 257, SH 263, SH 392 |
| Website | www.greeleygov.com |
|
|
|
The City of Greeley is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Weld County, Colorado, United States.[4] Greeley is located in the region known as Northern Colorado. Greeley is situated 49 miles (79 km) north-northeast of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 92,889.[5] Greeley is the 12th most populous city in the State of Colorado. Greeley is a major city of the large Front Range Urban Corridor.
Contents |
Greeley is located at (40.415119, -104.723988).[6] Elevation above sea level is 4,658 feet.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 30.0 square miles (78 km2), of which 29.9 square miles (77 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.30%) is water.
Greeley is bordered on the south by the towns of Evans and Garden City, and the three together are often collectively (although incorrectly) referred to as "Greeley". The Greeley/Evans area is bounded on the south by the South Platte River, and the Cache la Poudre River flows through north Greeley. The intersection of U.S. Highways 85 and 34 is often cited as the location of Greeley, although the actual point of intersection lies within the city limits of Evans. Greeley contains the western terminus of State Highway 257 and borders State Highway 392 on the north.
Greeley experiences a semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk). High temperatures are generally around 90°F-95°F (32°C) in the summer and 40°F-45°F (4°C) in the winter, although there is significant variation. The hottest days generally occur around the third week of July and the coldest in January. Nighttime lows are near 60°F (16°C) in the summer and around 15°F-20°F (-9°C) in the winter. Record high temperatures of 106°F (41°C) have been recorded, as have record low temperatures of -25°F (-32°C). The first freeze typically occurs around October 10 and the last can be as late as May 1. Extratropical cyclones which disrupt the weather for the eastern two-thirds of the US often originate in or near Colorado, which means Greeley does not experience many fully developed storm systems. Warm fronts, sleet, and freezing rain are practically non-existent here. In addition, the city's proximity to the Rocky Mountains and lower elevation, compared to the mountains west of the city, result in less precipitation and fewer thunderstorms. This is paradoxical, because adjacent areas (mostly farmland) experience between 7 and 9 hail days per year.[7]
The climate in Greeley, as well as all of Colorado, is extremely dry. The Chinook winds coming off the mountains often raise temperatures to near 70°F (21°C) in January and February, and sometimes to near 90°F (32°C) in April. Greeley's elevation and low year-round humidity means that nighttime low temperatures are practically never above 68°F (20°C), even in the very hottest part of the summer. The diurnal temperature range is usually rather wide, with a 50-degree (Fahrenheit) difference between daytime high and nighttime low not uncommon, especially in the spring and fall months. Rapid fluctuation in temperature is also common – a sunny 80°F (27°C) October afternoon can easily give way to a 28°F (-2°C) night.
| Climate data for Greeley, Colorado | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 74 (23) |
76 (24) |
82 (28) |
91 (33) |
96 (36) |
103 (39) |
106 (41) |
102 (39) |
99 (37) |
91 (33) |
80 (27) |
75 (24) |
106 (41) |
| Average high °F (°C) | 40.0 (4.4) |
46.2 (7.9) |
55.0 (12.8) |
63.0 (17.2) |
72.3 (22.4) |
83.1 (28.4) |
88.7 (31.5) |
86.6 (30.3) |
78.2 (25.7) |
66.0 (18.9) |
49.7 (9.8) |
41.3 (5.2) |
64.18 (17.88) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 15.6 (−9.1) |
20.9 (−6.2) |
28.0 (−2.2) |
35.8 (2.1) |
45.4 (7.4) |
54.2 (12.3) |
59.3 (15.2) |
57.5 (14.2) |
48.2 (9.0) |
36.9 (2.7) |
25.4 (−3.7) |
17.2 (−8.2) |
37.03 (2.80) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −25 (−32) |
−20 (−29) |
−4 (−20) |
−3 (−19) |
25 (−4) |
35 (2) |
42 (6) |
41 (5) |
17 (−8) |
5 (−15) |
−7 (−22) |
−24 (−31) |
−25 (−32) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 0.53 (13.5) |
0.38 (9.7) |
1.16 (29.5) |
1.81 (46) |
2.55 (64.8) |
1.80 (45.7) |
1.42 (36.1) |
1.18 (30) |
1.19 (30.2) |
0.89 (22.6) |
0.84 (21.3) |
0.47 (11.9) |
14.22 (361.2) |
| Snowfall inches (cm) | 6.5 (16.5) |
4.4 (11.2) |
7.8 (19.8) |
6.3 (16) |
0.8 (2) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0 (0) |
0.9 (2.3) |
2.6 (6.6) |
8.5 (21.6) |
5.8 (14.7) |
43.6 (110.7) |
| Source: NOAA [8] | |||||||||||||
| Windsor | Eaton | |||
| Loveland | Kersey | |||
| Greeley | ||||
| Milliken | Evans |
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 480 |
|
|
| 1880 | 1,297 | 170.2% | |
| 1890 | 2,395 | 84.7% | |
| 1900 | 3,023 | 26.2% | |
| 1910 | 8,179 | 170.6% | |
| 1920 | 10,958 | 34.0% | |
| 1930 | 12,203 | 11.4% | |
| 1940 | 15,995 | 31.1% | |
| 1950 | 20,354 | 27.3% | |
| 1960 | 26,314 | 29.3% | |
| 1970 | 38,902 | 47.8% | |
| 1980 | 53,006 | 36.3% | |
| 1990 | 60,536 | 14.2% | |
| 2000 | 76,930 | 27.1% | |
| 2010 | 92,889 | 20.7% | |
|
|
|||
As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 76,930 people, 27,647 households, and 17,694 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,572.5 people per square mile (993.4/km²). There were 28,972 housing units at an average density of 968.8 per square mile (374.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 55.4% White, 1.87% African American, 0.83% Native American, 1.15% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, 13.77% from other races, and 2.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 34.49% of the population.
There were 27,647 households out of which 33.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.0% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 19.0% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $36,414, and the median income for a family was $45,904. Males had a median income of $32,800 versus $24,691 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,775. About 10.1% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.4% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
The crime rate (per 100,000 people) tends to be slightly above average. In 2004, Greeley reported six murders, 58 rapes, 58 robberies, 316 aggravated assaults, 854 burglaries, 3,891 larceny thefts, and 430 auto thefts.[10] Greeley police report that there are roughly 450 gang members and about 25 different gangs in Greeley. The two main gangs are Sureños and Norteños, and each gang has smaller units or cliques that consist of Greeley's gangs. Most all gang members, gang violence, and crime in Greeley occurs on the north, east and southeast side of the city. Some of the city's larger Sureno gangs are the Sur Town Locos, La Vatos Trece, Mexican Pride Surenos,Mexican Clicka Trece, and South Side Pride. The larger Norteno gangs are the North Side Locos, Red Rag Gang, Varrio North Town, Kiwanis Park Familia, and North Side Assassins.[11] Crime in the Greeley metropolitan area came to national attention in 2010, when a Weld County sheriff's deputy was shot and killed in Evans by Reuben Reyes after an automobile pursuit. Reyes was a known member of a Sureños gang in Greeley. [12]
Among the companies based in Greeley are the meatpacker Swift & Company, the outsourcing company StarTek, and the contractor Hensel Phelps Construction.
According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[13] the largest employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | JBS Swift & Company | 4,192 |
| 2 | North Colorado Medical Center | 2,889 |
| 3 | Weld County School District Six | 2,189 |
| 4 | U.S. Government | 1,400 |
| 5 | County of Weld | 1,383 |
| 6 | State Farm | 1,350 |
| 7 | City of Greeley | 1,130 |
| 8 | Wal-Mart | 1,015 |
| 9 | Aims Community College | 874 |
| 10 | StarTek | 702 |
Greeley is located in (or just west of) the area previously occupied by the Overland Trail station of Latham (originally called the Cherokee City Station). The Latham station (also known as Fort Latham) was built in 1862 and named in honor of Milton S. Latham, one of California's early senators. The stagecoach station was at the confluence of the South Platte River and the Cache la Poudre River. The web site www.Over-Land.com describes it as "probably the most important and busiest facility on the Overland Trail" (since it was a river crossing and a junction point for the spur of the Trail south to Denver). It is believed that here occurred the birth of the first white child born in Colorado, a girl. Fort Latham was the headquarters of the government troops during the Indian troubles of 1860-64 and the county seat (the post office being called Latham).
Greeley began as the Union Colony, which was founded in 1869 as an experimental utopian community "based on temperance, religion, agriculture, education and family values."[14] by Nathan C. Meeker, a newspaper reporter from New York City. Meeker purchased a site at the confluence of the Cache la Poudre and South Platte Rivers (that included the area of Latham, an Overland Trail station), halfway between Cheyenne and Denver along the tracks of the Denver Pacific Railroad formerly known as the "Island Grove Ranch." The name Union Colony was later changed to Greeley in honor of Horace Greeley, who was Meeker's editor at the New York Tribune, and popularized the phrase "Go West, young man".[15]
James A. Michener attended Colorado State College of Education, now the University of Northern Colorado, from 1936–1937. He was a Social Science educator at the Training School and at the College from 1936-1941. He conceived the idea for his acclaimed 1976 novel Centennial during his stay in Greeley, basing it on the real history of the town and the Colorado region.[16]
Egyptian Islamist Sayyid Qutb studied at the Colorado State College of Education in 1949. In The America I Have Seen (1951), he portrays Greeley as a hotbed of debauchery, rife with "naked legs" and "animal-like" mixing of the sexes.[17][18]
Connie Willis, author of The Doomsday Book and other novels, currently lives in Greeley.
Most areas in Greeley lie in Weld County School District 6. Three high schools, Greeley Central High School, Greeley West High School, and Northridge High School, are in and serve Greeley. There are also 3 charter schools (University Schools, Frontier Academy, Union Colony Preparatory School).
There are at least five private schools inside the Greeley city limits: Trinity Lutheran School, St. Mary Catholic School, Dayspring Christian Academy, Shepherd of the Hills, and Mountain View Academy.
Greeley is also home to Aims Community College, Academy of Natural Therapy, University of Northern Colorado and Institute of Business & Medical Careers.
North Colorado Medical Center is the primary medical facility for Weld County. The hospital opened in 1904 as the Greeley Hospital. The name of the facility evolved over the years to Weld County General Hospital and that became North Colorado Medical Center. The Center is operated by Banner Health based out of Phoenix, Arizona. The hospital recently expanded its facilities and added a new addition which expanded its emergency room and increased the amount of rooms available for patients in other departments.
On June 23, 2011 It was announced that Poudre Valley Health Systems and the University of Colorado Medical School announced a pending joint operations agreement. If approved, it would overtake NCMC as the largest regional hospital in Northern Colorado. In 2010, Greeley Medical Clinic, the largest and oldest medical group in Greeley announced it was affiliating with PVHS.
On December 12, 2006 the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E) staged a coordinated predawn raid at the Swift & Co meat packing plant in Greeley and at 5 other Swift plants in western states, interviewing illegal workers and hauling hundreds off in buses.[20]
Greeley was featured in the books Fast Food Nation and Chew on This by Eric Schlosser.
In August 2010, Leprino Foods announced plans for a new $270 million factory in Greeley which could employ up to 500 people. Construction began in July 2010.[21]
On November 16, 2011, Greeley was featured in an episode of South Park entitled "The Poor Kid". In the episode, the characters Eric Cartman and Kenny McCormick were placed in a foster home in Greeley and forced to attend school at Greeley Elementary. Cattle were prominently featured in many scenes, and a sign welcoming visitors to the town described Greeley as "The Exact Opposite of Hawaii".[22][23]
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||