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 (1.6 km) upstream from the existing small settlement of St. Louis, the buildings of which were moved to the site of Loveland. For the first half 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 1920s 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. A new medical center has added a substantial amount of employment in that sector as well.
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. Loveland has aggressively expanded its incorporated limits eastward to embrace the interchange of Interstate 25 and U.S. Highway 34, and is currently developing the area. 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. A new medical center and mall have also been built on the Interstate 25 and U.S. Highway 34 interchange. This area is known as Centerra. The interchange is shared with its smaller neighbor Johnstown, of Weld County.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 25.5 square miles (66.1 km²), of which, 24.6 square miles (63.6 km²) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.4 km²) of it (3.68%) is water.
The city is south of Fort Collins, its larger neighbor and the county seat. The northward city limits are now contiguous with those of Windsor, which has expanded westward from Weld County across Interstate 25.
Loveland Pass, also named after William A.H. Loveland, is not located near the town of Loveland.
As of the census of 2000, there were 50,608 people, 19,741 households, and 14,035 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,059.7 people per square mile (795.3/km²). There were 20,299 housing units at an average density of 826.2/sq mi (319.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 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. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.57% of the population.
There were 19,741 households out of which 35.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.9% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the city the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $47,119, and the median income for a family was $54,337. Males had a median income of $38,971 versus $26,714 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,889. About 4.0% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over.
U.S. Highway 34 runs East to West into the mountains through Loveland. It becomes Eisenhower Blvd. in the city, dividing it in half. Loveland's two main zip codes (80538 and 80537) are separated by this highway.
The city bus system in Loveland is called COLT -- City of Loveland Transit.
Atmosphere
The Loveland-Ft Collins metropolitan area has received numerous awards as a great place to live, by Money Magazine, USA Today, AARP the Magazine, and others. There is a large population of artists in Loveland, which has drawn three foundries, an art museum, and the annual sculpture show in August. Loveland has a reputation as being somewhat conservative in its politics, with a large and active population of Evangelical Christians.
The city is located in the Colorado Front Range region at the base of the foothills just east of the mouth of Big Thompson River 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. Lake Loveland, an early agricultural reservoir in the irrigation system of the region, is located in the city limits and provides a recreational facility for the city residents.
Because of its location along U.S. 34, at one of the principal access routes to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, Loveland receives a significant amount of pass-through tourist traffic, especially in the summer months. In addition, the city serves as a "bedroom" community to commuters in many directions: to employment locations in Boulder, Westminster and other parts of the Denver Metropolitan area; and also to the college towns of Fort Collins (CSU) Greeley (UNC) and Boulder, (CU).
The Valentine Re-Mailing Program
Loveland is perhaps best known nationwide as the home of the Valentine Re-Mailing Program. Every 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. The 2009 Loveland Valentine's Cards are available for purchase for the first time online. The locally produced cards can also be purchased from a number of merchants in Loveland.
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 city streets.
The Public Arts Program
Loveland has just under 300 pieces of art in its public arts collection. The arts collection consists primarily of sculpture; however, the collection also includes murals and other flat work. Over 100 pieces of the city's sculpture can be found in Loveland's Benson Sculpture Garden, widely considered one of the nation's best outdoor exhibitions of artwork.
The Sculpture in the Parkshow, hosted by the Loveland High Plains Arts Council, takes place annually in August and exhibits artwork from artists from the United States and the world.
