Weld County, Colorado

Weld County is a place in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is one of the fastest growing areas in the state. As of the 2020 census, over 328,000 people lived there. The main city, called the county seat, is Greeley.

Weld County is part of the bigger area around Denver and Aurora. This means it is close to many other cities and places that people like to visit or live in. The area around Greeley is known as the Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area, and it is included in the larger Denver–Aurora, CO Combined Statistical Area.

History

On May 30, 1854, a law created the Nebraska Territory and the Kansas Territory, splitting them along Parallel 40° North. Today’s Weld County, Colorado, was part of the Nebraska Territory at that time.

Gold was found along the South Platte River in 1858, leading many people to move to the area. Because they felt far from distant governments, people there decided to make their own Territory of Jefferson in 1859. They created several counties, including St. Vrain County, which covered much of what is now Weld County. Although Jefferson Territory was not officially recognized, Colorado became a territory in 1861. That year, Weld County was created and named for Lewis Ledyard Weld, a lawyer who sadly passed away during the Civil War.

Weld County made news when a plane flying from Denver to Portland, Oregon, exploded in 1955. All people on the plane were unsafe because someone had hidden explosives onboard.

From 1950 to 2011, Weld County had more reported tornado sightings than any other county in the United States — a total of 252.

In 2019, Weld County chose to support a measure about gun rights.

Secession proposals

In 2013, some leaders in Weld County wanted to leave Colorado and create a new state, but voters in Weld County did not support this idea.

In 2021, a group in Weld County asked to leave Colorado and join Wyoming, but the governor of Wyoming welcomed the idea while the governor of Colorado asked them to stay.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Weld County has a total area of 4,017 square miles (10,400 km²). Most of this area is land, with a small part covered by water. It is the third-largest county in Colorado by size.

Weld County is located in the flat eastern part of Colorado. In the northeast, you can find the Pawnee National Grassland and the Pawnee Buttes, which rise high above the surrounding land. To the west, there are hilly areas that are the beginning of the Rocky Mountains.

The county has several important roads, including I-25 and I-76. Other major roads like US 85 and US 34 also pass through the area, meeting near the town of Greeley.

Adjacent counties

• Kimball County, Nebraska - northeast
• Logan County - east
• Morgan County - east
• Adams County - south
• City and County of Broomfield - southwest
• Boulder County - west
• Larimer County - west
• Laramie County, Wyoming - northwest

Major highways

• .svg) Interstate 25
• .svg) Interstate 76
• U.S. Highway 34
• U.S. Highway 85
• U.S. Highway 87
• State Highway 14
• State Highway 52
• State Highway 56
• State Highway 60
• State Highway 66
• State Highway 71
• State Highway 79
• State Highway 257
• State Highway 392
• CR 47(Weld County Parkway)
• CR 49(Weld County Parkway)
• CR 126

Transit

• Greeley-Evans Transit
• Express Arrow

National protected area

• Pawnee National Grassland

State protected area

• Fort Vasquez State History Museum
• St. Vrain State Park

Trails and byways

• American Discovery Trail
• Pawnee Pioneer Trails
• Poudre River National Recreation Trail
• South Platte Trail

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Weld County had a population of 328,981 people. About 26.5% of the residents were children under 18 years old, and 12.6% were adults aged 65 or older. The average age for everyone living there was 34.5 years. For every 100 girls and women, there were about 100 boys and men, and for people aged 18 and older, there were about 99 boys and men for every 100 girls and women. Most people, around 80%, lived in towns and cities, while the other 20% lived in the countryside.

The people in Weld County came from many different backgrounds. About 70.5% identified as White, 1.4% as Black or African American, 1.3% as American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% as Asian, 0.1% as Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 11.2% as being from some other race, and 13.8% as being from two or more races. About 29.9% of all residents identified as Hispanic or Latino.

There were about 114,000 homes in the county. About 38% of these homes had children under 18 living in them, and around 20% had only one adult living there without a partner. About 20% of all homes had just one person living in them, and about 8% had someone living alone who was 65 years or older.

There were about 120,000 places to live, but about 5% of them were empty. Of the homes that were lived in, about 72% were owned by the people living there, and about 28% were rented. The rate of empty owned homes was about 1.4%, and the rate of empty rented homes was about 7.6%.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, Weld County was home to 180,936 people. The population density was about 45 people for each square mile (17 people for each square kilometer). There were 66,194 places to live, with an average of about 17 homes for each square mile (6.6 homes for each square kilometer).

Most people, about 81.7%, identified as White. Smaller groups included 0.56% Black or African American, 0.87% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 13.29% from other races, and 2.65% from two or more races. About 27.05% of all residents identified as Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 63,247 homes. About 37% of these homes had children under 18 living in them. About 58% were homes where married couples lived together. About 9% had a female householder with no husband present, and about 29% were not families. About 21% of all homes had just one person living in them, and about 7% had someone living alone who was 65 years or older. The average number of people in a home was about 2.78, and the average number in a family was about 3.25.

The ages of the people were spread out. About 28% were under 18, 13% were between 18 and 24, 30% were between 25 and 44, 20% were between 45 and 64, and 9% were 65 or older. The average age was 31 years. For every 100 girls and women, there were about 101 boys and men, and for people aged 18 and older, there were about 98 boys and men for every 100 girls and women.

The median income for a home in the county was $42,321, and for a family, it was $49,569. Males earned about $35,037 on average, while females earned about $25,757. The per capita income was $18,957. About 8% of families and 12.5% of all people lived below the poverty line. This included about 15% of children under 18 and about 8.5% of people aged 65 or older.

Economy

Weld County is an important place for farming in the United States. It is the top county in Colorado for raising cattle, growing grain, and producing sugar beets. It is also very rich in farming compared to other areas east of the Rocky Mountains.

The county is also a big producer of milk, with almost half of all the cattle in the state. In addition, Weld County has oil and natural gas resources, especially in the Denver-Julesburg Basin.

Communities

Cities

• Brighton ‡
• Dacono
• Evans
• Fort Lupton
• Greeley
• Longmont ‡
• Northglenn ‡
• Thornton ‡

Towns

• Ault
• Berthoud ‡
• Eaton
• Erie ‡
• Firestone
• Frederick
• Garden City
• Gilcrest
• Grover
• Hudson
• Johnstown ‡
• Keenesburg
• Kersey
• LaSalle
• Lochbuie ‡
• Mead
• Milliken
• Nunn
• Pierce
• Platteville
• Raymer
• Severance
• Windsor ‡

Census-designated places

• Aristocrat Ranchettes
• Briggsdale

Unincorporated communities

• Auburn
• Avalo
• Buda
• Carr
• Dearfield
• Galeton (originally called "Zita")
• Gill
• Hereford
• Highlandlake
• Ione
• Keota
• Lucerne
• Roggen
• Stoneham
• Wattenburg

Ghost towns

• Adna
• Agricola
• Chapelton
• Chenoa
• Cherokee City
• Cloverly
• Coleman
• Dearfield
• Elwell
• Flemings Ranch
• Fort St. Vrain
• Fosston
• Gault
• Geary
• Graham
• Green City
• Highland Lake
• Hillsborough
• Hiltonville
• Hungerford
• Ione
• Kalous
• Kauffman
• Koenig
• Lancaster
• Latham
• Liberty
• Masters
• Nantes
• New Liberty
• Osgood
• Peckham
• Platte Valley
• Raymer
• Rinn
• Rosedale
• Saint Vrain
• Serene
• Sligo
• Spanish Colony
• Wentz
• Zilar
• Zita

‡ means a populated place has portions in an adjacent county or counties

Politics

Weld County, like nearby Douglas County in the Denver Metropolitan Area, usually supports Republican candidates. The only time it voted for a Democratic president was in 1964 when Lyndon Johnson won by a large margin against Barry Goldwater. Before that, the county hadn’t chosen a Democratic president since 1936.

Education

Weld County has many school districts that help children learn and grow. Some of these districts include Eaton School District RE-2, Greeley School District 6, School District 27J, Thompson School District R-2J, and Weld County School District RE-1, along with several others that serve the communities in the area.