We love Greeley. We know it’s an amazing place with great opportunities. But it’s still nice to hear other people say it and then back that up with data.
People may have noticed Greeley’s name popping up around the state when a new study ranked our economy and job market fifth among the fastest-growing in the nation. We also placed 23rd in overall growth.
These numbers reinforce what members of the Greeley community have seen happening for years. We continue to see lots of new business activity and new development applications for commercial and residential projects. Many developers and businesses view Greeley as the next horizon for growth.
As the seat of Weld County, Colorado, we serve as a hub for a population much larger than just Greeley. For employment, recreation, healthcare, entertainment, and shopping, Greeley functions as an economic home base for residents across Northeastern Colorado. A prosperous county, Weld competes well in similar national county-by-county rankings.
Strong energy and agriculture sectors aid an equally strong manufacturing base. With the new UCHealth campus and Banner Health’s continued development, our local health care sector is well-positioned for even stronger growth. Construction and education sectors are also blossoming.
We love Greeley’s continued efforts to grow a robust economy. We must give credit to the regional and statewide community that contributes to our prosperous growth.
As one of the largest cities in Northern Colorado, we are committed to a regional approach to economic prosperity with our regional colleagues, which incidentally, also rank highly in the same survey that lauded Greeley. The collaborative regional efforts of area municipalities will help ensure smart growth and development.
While we’re excited about what Greeley has accomplished, we’re even more excited about what’s coming next. Expect big things to continue in our Downtown. Several notable residential and commercial projects are planned for downtown in the next few years. The Downtown Doubletree is a huge success in combination with the community’s strong slate of cultural events, activities, and programs at the Union Colony Civic Center and through the Downtown Development Authority. Momentum keeps building in our University District as its members work to better connect downtown and the University of Northern Colorado.
We’re excited for the continued growth out west toward Promontory. New permit activity and development projects in these greenfield sites keep coming.
Following the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, we continue to see a lot of new activity in industrial hemp processing. We feel like this is a natural extension of our historically agricultural-based economy.
Our staff is working on a new Hemp Collaborative program designed to encourage networking and connection around the state’s industrial hemp industry. With our Business Retention Program, city staff will visit more than 100 businesses this year to connect them with local services and resources to help them grow.
Greeley has a new Housing Strategy to promote more housing choices by creating more housing options for all income levels over the next five years, encouraging builders to consider Greeley for their next projects.
We continue to diversify and strengthen our economic base, making us more resilient during the inevitable economic growth and recession cycles. Our leadership continues a proactive approach in working with residents and businesses to stretch taxpayer dollars further and keep infrastructure and services growing and improving with the rest of the city.
Make no mistake, Greeley is thriving. Agribusiness, technology, and entrepreneurship are shifting perspectives about Greeley and the rest of Northern Colorado. Home to various industries, Greeley’s strong job growth is making this a great community to live, work, and play.
Benjamin L. Snow, CEcD, is the director of Greeley’s Department of Economic Health & Housing. Snow has nearly 24 years of economic and real estate development experience and has served in Arizona, Colorado, and South Dakota.