Loveland

Understand

The city is in the Colorado Front Range region at the base of the foothills just east of the mouth of Big Thompson River Canyon at the intersection of U.S. Highway 34 and U.S. Highway 287. Longs Peak and other mountains of the Front Range are visible from much of the city. Lake Loveland, an early agricultural reservoir in the irrigation system of the region, is located in the city limits and provides a recreational facility for the city residents.

Because of its location along U.S. 34, at one of the principal access routes to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, Loveland receives a significant amount of pass-through tourist traffic, especially in the summer months. In addition, the city serves as a "bedroom" community to commuters in many directions: to employment locations in Boulder, Westminster and other parts of the Denver Metropolitan area; and also to the college towns of Fort Collins (CSU), Greeley (UNC), and Boulder (CU).

History

The site that is now Namaqua Park was a hub for French fur trappers in the late 1700s. There, Mariano Medina built the first settlement in the area, Fort Namaqua, in 1858. It was a trading post and stage station.

Loveland was founded in 1877 along the Colorado Central Railroad, and named after the company's president, William A.H. Loveland. The city was founded one mile (1.6 km) upstream from the existing small settlement of St. Louis, the buildings of which were moved to the site of Loveland.

For the first half of the 20th century the town was dependent on agriculture. The primary crops in the area were sugar beets and sour cherries. In 1901 the Great Western Sugar Company built a factory in Loveland, which remained as a source of employment until its closure in 1977. 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 cherries per year. A series of droughts, attacks of blight and finally a killer freeze destroyed the industry. By 1960 cherries were no longer farmed.

In the late 20th century, the economy diversified with the arrival of manufacturing facilities by Hewlett-Packard, Teledyne, and Hach, a water quality analysis equipment manufacturer. A new medical center added a substantial amount of employment in that sector as well.

In 2013, a historic flood affected numerous areas in Colorado. It rained heavily for four consecutive days, causing most rivers and creeks to overfill their banks. Estes Park received 8 to 12 inches (200 to 300 mm) of rain, and Lake Estes overfilled its banks. This prompted a lot of water to be released out of the dam, causing the Big Thompson River to swell. The flooding river caused sections of U.S. Highway 34, the main highway from Loveland to Estes Park, to collapse. There was major flooding in Loveland

Climate

Local information

• City of Loveland municipal information.

Get in

By plane

• Denver International Airport (DEN). Closest major commercial airport offering flights from international and national locations. Approximately 60 miles south of city center.
• Fort Collins/Loveland Airport (FNL). Offers flights from Las Vegas, Nevada from Allegiant Air and private flights. Approximately 10 miles from city center.
• Cheyenne Regional Airport (CYS) in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Approximately 60 miles north of city center.

By car

Coming from either the north (Fort Collins or Wyoming) or the south (Denver or New Mexico), I-25 is the highway of choice. U.S. Route 34 is the largest road from the east (Greeley) or the west (Estes Park).