Greeley, Colorado

Situated along Northern Colorado’s Front Range, Greeley is the most populated city and the county seat of Weld County. The population was around 107,000 residents in 2018.

It’s started out as a farming town and continues that legacy today, however, technology has kept up with the town. It’s home to UNC, the University of Northern Colorado. The approximately 12,000-student large university was founded on April 1st, 1889.

Guggenheim Hall University of Northern Colorado Greeley — Guggenheim Hall at the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley. Photo: Peter Romero

Greeley is located near the middle of Weld County at 4,675 feet of elevation. There’s a myth that when you smell manure in the air in Denver, there’s a storm coming that’s blowing air from Greeley.

History

The town was founded as Union Colony in 1869, an experimental utopian society, but later named after Horace Greeley, editor of the New-York Tribune, who came to the area in 1859 during the gold rush.

Recreation

Camping: Read about the camping near Greeley and Pawnee National Grassland.

Greeley CO City Hall — Greeley City Hall. Photo: Bbean32

Accommodations

Booking.com

Hotels and lodging:

Read about the best hotels in Greeley.

Special Events

Jun – Greeley Blues Jam – Weekend of live blues music at Island Grove Regional Park. This is a fantastic music festival to kick off the summer in early June.

Jun-Jul – Greeley Stampede – Two-week-long July 4th celebration that goes back around hundred years, featuring a rodeo, monster trucks, country music, parades, and fireworks.