Loveland, Colorado averages 300 days of sunshine per year. Better remember to bring the sunscreen!
Known as the Sweetheart City, Loveland, Colorado celebrates Valentine's Day every year with a Valentine Re-mailing Program that encourages people to send acts of love through the mail to family, friends and partners. The program reaches around 160,000
people worldwide, and is just one of the many reasons Loveland is an ideal place to have your happy ending.
Getting to Know Loveland
An Inspirational Place
Small town charm colors the landscape around of this northern Colorado settlement. An area known for inspiring theater, arts and music it was the onetime home of the Poets Co-op Open Poetry Readings, an archive of which is available online. Loveland, CO was originally made famous in 1950 by Guy Lombardi with the hit song "There's A Lovely Lake in Loveland". Which is true, as a matter of fact there are several.
A Little Big Sprawl
Loveland sits at the foot of the Rocky Mountains in north-central Colorado, along the I-25 Front Range Corridor. Forty-six miles north of Denver, it is one of three components of the Tri-City region, which also includes Greeley and Fort Collins. The entire region is home to over 500,000 residents, with Loveland comprising only 1/7th of that number, or about 68,000. The town spans across 30 square miles through 15 different neighborhoods of people from all economic backgrounds. Essentially, this is a small town within a sprawling rural expanse. A car or motorcycle is essential for getting around the area as a whole, unless you are an outdoorsy athletic type who really, really likes to ride a bicycle. In that case, you have an alternate mode of transportation and no need for a gym membership, but only in the summer months. The actual city itself is what was essentially an Old West town that has been modernized and gentrified into a tidy little borough with an artsy hum about it. It's a bit like Santa Fe, with more current structures and, for the most part, a planned out street grid, the downtown portion of which can be covered on foot. You can get around even if you don't ride in a car or on a bike. Just take the COLT (City of Loveland Transit), which runs Monday through Saturday on two different routes that cover the majority of the shopping and neighborhood sectors. The fare to ride the COLT varies depending on age and socioeconomic status. It's roughly 50 cents all the way up to $1.50 per ride, transfers included.
Parking Love
Rental apartments are abundant, from frugal studios to modest one-bedroom apartments and all the way up to three-bedroom premier apartments. Rent ranges per month, depending on size and subdivision location. Be prepared to have your credit score checked. Some property management companies offer to do this for free as a signing incentive. Parking is fairly abundant in these parts, yet most apartments for rent in a large complex provide a parking space as part of the deal. Outlying neighborhoods have more parking, whereas sectors closer to the nucleus of the city see less parking availability, yet nothing near what you would find in a major city (or, more accurately, what you wouldn't find).
The Lay of the Land
A common dynamic marks the Loveland rental apartment rates in that they are cheap to moderately priced in the most congested area. Areas that are directly adjoining and more expansive tend to have higher rates. Here is a guide of the 15 neighborhoods that comprise Loveland and how the rental rates vary.
Lovely Loveland Neighborhoods
No matter where you land in Loveland, you'll be glad you did. Compared to other areas of the country the rent prices can land a bit on the lower side, but there are still some areas pricier than others in the land of love. The more dollar signs you see next to a neighborhood in Loveland, the more expensive it is.
Little Dam:An area with an above-average demand for real estate, Little Dam is at 4.6% vacancy. Most homes are single-family residential houses and townhomes built between 1970 and 1999. $$$$
County Rd. 21 - W. County Rd. 16: This area is situated among Lon Hagler Reservoir, Mariano Reservoir and Boedecker Lake. Plenty of playground area for outdoor enthusiasts year round, so you'll be able to enjoy that sunlight Loveland is famous for. The majority of the population is comprised of relatively affluent, married couples, so don't forget a stroller. $$$
Campion: Ryan Gulch Reservoir and Cattail Pond sit within this area. TThis urban neighborhood is occupied primarily by folks of Finnish and Czechoslovakian descent.$$$$
Kelim - Redmond: This is a suburban neighborhood with a slightly higher rental rate.. 53.2% of residential real estate was built in this area after 1999. It is among the 15% highest income neighborhoods in America.$$$$
Kings Corner: This small neighborhood is considered an urban area. It is comprised mainly of small to medium homes, apartment complexes and apartment high rises. $$$
14th St. SW/S. Taft Ave.: This centrally located urban neighborhood has a very low vacancy rate of only 1.8%, making it lower than 92.4% of all U.S. neighborhoods. It is comprised mainly of small to medium sized homes and townhomes. $$$
City Center: This is considered to be a suburban neighborhood occupied by a mixture of owners and renters in apartment complexes and high apartment buildings. Some historic residences in this area were built as early as 1940. $$
E. Eisenhower Blvd./Madison Ave.: Rent in this area is lower than most Colorado neighborhoods, and real estate vacancy is relatively low - at 4.8%. Most residential properties in this area were built after the year 2000. $$
W. Eisenhower Blvd./N. Wilson Ave.: Bordering the south shore of Lake Loveland, this urban neighborhood has an average rental rate of $775.00 per month. It is occupied by a diverse population of ancestry and career paths.$$$
Aspen Dr./W. 29th St.: This urban neighborhood sits along the western shore of Lake Loveland. The average rental rate is $757.00 per month. Most of the residential property is established, but not old having been built between 1970 and 1999.$$
W. Eisenhower Blvd./Taft Ave.: Bordering on the west shore of Lake Loveland this area has a 16.6% vacancy rate. It is also considered to be an ideal neighborhood for retirement.$$$
Madison Ave./E. 29th St.: Situated among half a dozen small lakes, vacancy in this neighborhood is at a mere 4.1%. Residents are from a tapestry of backgrounds, notably Mexican, English, Irish and Swedish..$$
Garfield Ave./E. 57th St. This neighborhood sits at the western shore of Horseshoe Lake. It is an urban area with a reasonable average rental price.$$$
Aspen Dr./Antero Dr.:Average rental prices in this neighborhood are about 60% higher than those in other neighborhoods in Colorado. It is an average income area with residents claiming ancestry from Germany, Ireland, England, Mexico and Cambodia. $$$
W. 57th St./Taft Ave. This area is considered an urban neighborhood populated by people in service, sales, clerical and tech support occupations.$$$
Life in Loveland
Loveland offers numerous rental apartments among a collective of lakes, streams, ponds and trails. It is essentially one big recreational area nestled in a lush valley at the entrance to the Big Thompson Canyon, known as the "Gateway to the Rockies." It is well-known for its vast offering of outdoor activities that include water skiing, swimming, boating, fishing, rafting, hiking and horseback riding. Any outdoor enthusiast would be hard-pressed to find cause for boredom in this town.