Loveland, Colorado

Loveland, the Gateway to the Rockies, was founded 1877 on the Big Thompson River, and along the newly-constructed line of the Colorado Central Railroad. It is located in Larimer County, and is part of the Fort Collins-Loveland metro area. Loveland is located 52 miles (84 kilometers) north of Denver, 13 miles (21 kilometers) south of Fort Collins, and 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Greeley.

Loveland's setting in Colorado's Front Range region, at the base of the foothills just east of the mouth of Big Thompson Canyon, means that residents have abundant outdoor recreation opportunities at their doorsteps. For example, the city 27 public parks and 15.5 miles (25 kilometers) of recreation trails that run from Boyd Lake State Park, in the northeast to the Big Thompson River. The city also operates one nine-hole and two 18-hole golf courses. Larimer County has 3,488 acres (1,411 hectares) of open spaces and natural areas. And then there are the biggies: Rocky Mountain National Park and the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests are just west of town. Of course, you don't want to forget the ski areas! Sites like Loveland Ski Area, Vail, and Breckenridge are only a couple of hours drive from Loveland.

In Loveland, residents can enjoy spending time in the city's historic downtown, with its great collection of restaurants, cafés, antique shops, stores, and galleries. And Loveland boasts a multi-million dollar collection of bronze sculptures placed throughout the city.

But what's the best thing about Loveland? Some would say it's the community's romantic heart. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people forward their valentines to Loveland for the postmark. The Valentine Re-mailing Program, which is run by the Chamber of Commerce, celebrated its 60th year in 2006, and saw more than 200,000 valentines from throughout the world post-marked, stamped, and resent.

See our 7 Jobs in Loveland, Colorado