greeley
Facts History People Activities Recreation Landmarks    
Location Vocabulary Links Resources Teacher Credits    
Home
Facts
History
People
Activities
Recreation
Landmarks
Location
Vocabulary
Links
Resources
Teacher
Credits

Location

Greeley is almost 60 miles northeast of Denver.
Greeley is located about 30 miles east of the foothills of The Rocky Mountains.

Greeley is the county seat of Weld County.

Weld County is larger than many states; including Rhode Island, Delaware, and Washington DC combined. It covers 4,004 square miles.

The land is mostly flat with some rolling prairies and low hills in the west.
The location was chosen to be helpful (beneficial) for farming. Being close to the Cache la Poudre and South Platte rivers was necessary for irrigation and farming. The easy access (It was close) to the railroad also helped to get settlers into town and provided trade access (goods could come to town and be sent from town on the trains).

The Poudre Learning Center teaches about the Poudre River.
It is a place where people can learn about the importance and history of the Poudre River. You can also learn about the biology (what lives there) and geology (the impact of the river on the land and how the river was formed) of the river. The building is the historic Hazelton School that was rebuilt on the site.

Greeley was close to the train tracks.
Being close to the tracks, made it easy for farmers to get their goods to market. It also made it easier to get beef to market and to get sugar beets for the factory. Many of the buisnesses along the train tracks are still for agricultural products.

aerial view map
Above Map ©GlobeXplorer Above Map ©Mapquest
greeley from the air Weld County showing cities
Arial View of Greeley. Click to see larger. Close picture window to come back to this page. (Picture from the District 6 Greeley, Colorado - Birth of a City slideshow) Above Map from Weld County Website.
Weld County- Location Detail Map.http://www.co.weld.co.us/about/maps/map3.html.May 2009.
See a clickable map of Greeley highlighting Points of Interest.
Points of Interest
The Confluence (where two or more bodies of water meet) of the Platte and the Poudre. This is east of Greeley near the airport.
(Click on the thumbnail to see a larger picture.)
poudre at the confluence platte and poudre confluence
The Poudre side of the confluence. Where the Platte meets the Poudre. Look closely to see the difference in currents.
platte poudre confluence 2 platte poudre confluence 3
Where the Platte meets the Poudre. Look closely to see the difference in currents. Where the Platte meets the Poudre. Look closely to see the difference in currents.
plants at confluence plants at confluence 2
Some of the ground cover in the area. More plants in the area.
plants at confluence 3 plants at confluence 4
Flowers Another flower
plants at confluence 5  
Grasses  
The Poudre Learning Center
Poudre Learning Center
Poudre Learning Center The Hazelton School Building
Sign


The bell tower

Owl display
desks
Artifacts Old school desks
More about the Poudre Learning Center  
poudre Learning Center  
Along the railroad tracks, you can still see that agriculture is an important part of Greeley's economy. (How we make our money.)
along railroad tracks along tracks
Along the railroad tracks, there are warehouses, grain and bean elevatores, and silos for storage. Along the tracks
looking up the tracks warehouse
Looking up the tracks Produce warehouse along the train tracks
silos  
Silos along the tracks  
Updated May 28, 2009 8:28 AM

 

Back to Top Facts History People Activities Recreation Landmarks  
©Sara L. Brooks Location Vocabulary Links Resources Teacher Credits