Loveland, Colorado
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Template:Confuse, also in Colorado.
Loveland is a city located in Larimer County, Colorado. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 50,608. The city's public schools are part of the Thompson R2-J School District. The city was founded in 1877 along the newly-constructed line of the Colorado Central Railroad, near its crossing of the Big Thompson River. It was named in honor of William A.H. Loveland, the president of the Colorado Central Railroad. The city was founded one mile upstream from the existing small settlement of St. Louis, the buildings of which were moved to the site of Loveland. For the much 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 1985. During the late 1920's 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. In addition, the city serves as a bedroom community to commuters that travel to employment locations in Boulder, Westminster and other parts of the Denver Metropolitan area.
The city is located in the Colorado Front Range region at the base of the foothills just east of the mouth of Big Thompson 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. Located at one of the principal access routes to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, the city receives much pass-through tourist traffic in the summer months. Lake Loveland, an early agricultural reservoir in the irrigation system of the region, is located in the city limits and provides a primary recreational facility for the city residents.
The city is south of Fort Collins, its larger neighbor and the county seat. The two cities have been steadily growing towards each other over the last several decades and are considered to be a single metropolitan area by the U.S government. The establishment of county-owned open space between the two communities in the 1990s was intended to create a permanent buffer to contiguous growth. At the same time, the city aggressively expanded its incorporated limits eastward to embrace the interchange of Interstate 25 and U.S. Highway 287. In the last decade, the intersection has become a primary commercial hub of northern Colorado, with the construction of shopping centers and the Budweiser Events Center. The city limits are now contiguous with those of Windsor, which has expanded westward from Weld County across Interstate 25.
Situated roughly halfway between the college towns of Fort Collins and Boulder, the city has a reputation as being somewhat conservative in its politics, with a large active population of Evangelical Christians.
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Geography
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Location of Loveland, Colorado
Loveland is located at 40°24'17" North, 105°5'9" West (40.404789, -105.085868)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 66.1 km² (25.5 mi²). 63.6 km² (24.6 mi²) of it is land and 2.4 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 3.68% water.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 50,608 people, 19,741 households, and 14,035 families residing in the city. The population density is 795.3/km² (2,059.7/mi²). There are 20,299 housing units at an average density of 319.0/km² (826.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 92.85% White, 0.37% African American, 0.69% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.21% from other races, and 2.02% from two or more races. 8.57% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 19,741 households out of which 35.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% are married couples living together, 9.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% are non-families. 23.4% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.55 and the average family size is 3.01.
In the city the population is spread out with 26.9% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 92.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $47,119, and the median income for a family is $54,337. Males have a median income of $38,971 versus $26,714 for females. The per capita income for the city is $21,889. 5.7% of the population and 4.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 6.7% of those under the age of 18 and 5.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
The Valentine Re-Mailing Program
Loveland is perhaps best known nationwide as the home of the Valentine Re-Mailing Program. Evey 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 and send them on to the intended recipients. Each year a contest is held through the local newspaper, the Reporter Herald, for residents to submit their verses.
Leading up to Valentine's Day, the city authorizes the placement of red hearts with sponsored personal messages on light poles and other fixtures of the downtown streets.
External links
- City of Loveland (http://www.ci.loveland.co.us/) (official website)
