For too long, Greeley has been known to the rest of Colorado as either the University of Northern Colorado’s backyard or the onetime summer home of the Denver Broncos.
It was the town with a smell of livestock that just wouldn’t quit.
Now Greeley enjoys quite another distinction: It is the anchor of the fastest growing metro area in the United States.
It may have taken more than 100 years, but the masses are finally heeding the words of newspaperman Horace Greeley. “Go west, young man, and grow with the country.”
And the growth is not just in Greeley. Much of it is in southern Weld County, within half an hour of Denver.
Weld County – physically larger than Delaware and Rhode Island – grew by about 30,000 people between 2000 and 2003 – a 16.8 percent increase. (The U.S. Census Bureau considers Weld a “metro area” since, thanks to Greeley, it has at least one urbanized area of more than 50,000 people.)
Overall, the county now has about 211,000 residents, up from 181,000 in 2000. The city of Greeley now has more than 83,500 residents, adding 6,500 people in that three-year span.
Small towns such as Evans and Windsor also contributed to the growth, attracting Denver-area workers looking for a laid-back lifestyle and a more affordable home.
With growth, however, comes growing pains, especially if many of the newcomers are commuters.
Weld County roadways and highways are becoming increasingly congested, forcing planners to rethink future transportation requirements. Newcomers are not so keen about the odor from feed lots and dairy farms that have been part of the charm, charisma and economy of Greeley and environs for decades.
Five new elementary schools opened in the county this year to ease overcrowding.
Greeley officials also are working to head off a growing gang problem by identifying and helping kids who may veer to a life of crime. And there’s always the Wal-Mart issue: How many mom-and-pop shops will be shuttered to make room for the next big box?
Growing pains, of course, are better than trying to revive a dying economy. So now our friends up north can, and should, take pride in saying: We’re No. 1.
