Weld County, Colorado

Weld County Education, Geography, and History

Weld County is one of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 252,825. The county seat is Greeley. Weld County was created on November 1, 1861 as one of the 17 original counties of the Territory of Colorado. The county is named in honor of Lewis Ledyard Weld, the first Secretary of the Territory of Colorado.

Weld County comprises the Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Denver-Aurora, CO Combined Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Weld County Name

Weld County is named in honor of Lewis Ledyard Weld, the first Secretary of the Territory of Colorado.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Weld County History

On May 30, 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act created the Nebraska Territory and the Kansas Territory, divided by the Parallel 40⁰ North (Baseline Road or County Line Road or Weld County Road 2 in the future Weld County). Present-day Weld County, Colorado, lay in the southwestern portion of the Nebraska Territory, bordering the Kansas Territory.

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,017 square miles (10,400 km2), of which 3,987 square miles (10,330 km2) is land and 30 square miles (78 km2) (0.7%) is water. It is the third-largest county in Colorado by area.

Weld County lies within the flat eastern half of Colorado; the northeastern portions of the county contain the extensive Pawnee National Grassland and the Pawnee Buttes, which protrude 250 feet above the surrounding terrain. The western border are low hills reveal the presence of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains further west.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Northeast: Kimball County, Neb.
• East: Logan County
• Southeast: Morgan County
• South: Adams County
• Southwest: Boulder County
• West: Larimer County
• Northwest: Laramie County, Wyo.
  

Education

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