GREELEY, Colo. — When thinking about Greeley, what comes to your mind? Perhaps it's the Greeley Stampede, the University of Northern Colorado or agriculture.
But it is also one of the fastest-growing cities in the country, and people who live and work in the biggest city in Weld County wanted to share their thoughts with Denver7 | Your Voice on everything from development to immigration to water rights to downtown festivals.
What is Denver7 | Your Voice? Read about the new project here.
Denver7 recently stopped by and had coffee at Aunt Helen's Coffee House and talked for hours with people coming in for a latte or a bite to eat.
"The best secret in Colorado"
For eight years, Aimee Hutson has owned Aunt Helen's Coffee House in downtown Greeley, and when it comes to growth and change in the city, she is excited about it. But she's not sure folks around the Front Range truly know the community.
"I've always said Greeley is the best secret in Colorado, and it just feels like sometimes we're left out here with nobody caring about what's going on here," Hutson said.
With a population of approximately 112,000, the city still maintains a small-town feel and a historic downtown, and recently rebranded with a new logo and slogan "Discover the Draw."
Matt Estrin, who has lived in Greeley for 15 years and owns several downtown businesses, said he still remembers what people said about the city when he first moved to Colorado.
"All I heard about was how Greeley was this gross, smelly place," Estrin said. "It has won me over. I absolutely love this town."
Gii Astorga, a Greeley native and event coordinator for the Greeley Downtown Development Authority, said it's an extremely diverse area.
"Our events that we have coming up are Cinco de Mayo, Día de Los Muertos, and Mexican Independence Day, and unique things like our Friday fest every Friday," he explained.
While at the coffee shop, Trevor Fritzler with the popular Fritzler Farm Park stopped by. He sat down with us for a cup of coffee.
"We just do big fall festivals with beer gardens and a world-class haunted house," he said. "I remember when West Greeley was cornfields, and that's growing dramatically. I'm really excited about Greeley's growth."
However, growth comes with growing pains, including concerns about the economy, traffic and development.
"Decisions being made that are going to impact the region for generations"
Denver7 | Your Voice wanted to hear about what, if anything, Greeley residents are anxious or worried about.
When we brought the question to Pam Bricker, a retired business owner and longtime Greeley resident, she said she is troubled over businesses downtown — or rather, lack thereof.
"You can see this corner right here that's completely empty," she told us. "Several businesses can't handle it anymore."
Nick Kenny, a professional, said he feels unease about who is ultimately making the decisions about the region's future.
"My practice is here in Northern Colorado, and there are a lot of decisions being made that are going to impact the region for generations to come, from water rights to these massive developments and where they're happening in town," said Kenny. "And I worry that the young people don't have as much of a voice or representation in what changes are going to happen to the community."
Fabio Hernandez, of Windsor, stopped by the cafe for lunch and took some time to talk with Denver7. He explained that he is less concerned about growth. His focus is on the economy.
"I've been through layoffs recently," he said. "I work in the tech industry, so I've been lucky on that front because it is a place with a lot of opportunities and good-paying jobs. But even there, there's been a lot of people leaving and layoffs and over-hiring."
Hernandez said he would also like to see more diversity in Northern Colorado.
"I know more people, more people, and more people are moving into Colorado, and more folks from different cultures, so that would be a kind of nice thing to see grow and maybe get developed more in Colorado," he said.
National politics: "Ideologies are starting to separate communities"
When you ask people in Greeley how they feel about the direction of the country, you may be met with some reluctance to talk politics in a solidly conservative county.
"From a family standpoint, we watch what's going on in the country, and we have our opinions," said Estrin, the long-time Greeley resident and business owner. "But from a business standpoint, we try to keep our head down and just do what we gotta do."
However, the divisive nature of political discourse was a common theme.
"I hate that we're at that point of political ideologies are starting to separate communities, families, friendships, making workplaces awkward," Kenny said.
Some social issues, such as immigration, concern Hernandez.
"I don't love some of the direction that we're going, to be honest, with immigration and in general, some of the policies that seem to be a little bit more kind of like 'Us first and no one else,' and a little bit isolationist in terms of how we're kind of trying to run things," he said.
In general, though, people preferred talking about their local issues, veering away from national politics.
"There's a lot of things in this world that I don't agree with," said Astorga, the event coordinator for the Greeley Downtown Development Authority. "But at the end of the day, what can I do to make a difference?"
Bricker agreed.
"I want to get away from the Democrat, Republican thing. I want it to be: What's good for your community? What is good for you?" she said. "That sometimes gets lost in the big political things that are going on right now. It's going to be a tough four years is what I keep saying."
What stories should we tell out of Greeley?
One of the goals of Denver7 | Your Voice is to hear the good, the bad and the areas of improvement — and that includes the news coverage you see of your community. We asked the folks we talked to for complete honesty: How does the news portray Greeley, and what are they getting wrong and what are they getting right?
National polling shows trust in the media is low,and in Greeley, several people understood that perspective.
"I trust local more than I do national news," Hutson told us. "I feel like there's a lot more spin, but I think our local news does a good job of keeping things on track."
Many people said they pay attention to the news, but specifically choose news that aligns with their ideological perspective.
"My husband and I usually listen to the news that we like, and not necessarily others," Bricker said.
When asked what local media could be covering more, several people suggested more positive coverage of local communities.
"News doesn't always have to be the clickbait and the doom and gloom," Kenny said.
Astorga, a first-generation American, suggested increased focus on the achievements and contributions of Greeley's diverse population.
"The biggest thing about Greeley is that it is a city of immigrants and a city of people who have made this possible," Astorga shared with us.
"You can't dream of what you can't see. And so to be able to be the dream would be a really big honor, and hopefully we can make that be a thing for my community."
Hutson and other downtown business owners said they hope to see coverage of development moving west or away from downtown, jeopardizing their businesses and the historic district.
"The county commissioners are considering a proposal of moving the courthouse and all of the county buildings out to O Street, which was about five miles north, and that would just kill the downtown businesses," Hutson said.
Denver7 | Your Voice is designed to amplify and elevate perspectives in places like Greeley and all over the state.
"I just think that's really important," said Brickman. "I really appreciate what you're doing, getting back to people, not just me, just people in general, and getting their feelings. This is a nice [place] — 'Greeley Nice,' I always say."
This marks our fourth Denver7 | Your Voice, where we want to hear from you about what matters most in your community. We started in Longmont, Castle Rock and Aurora and are deciding where to go next. We hope to hear what makes our communities special, the challenges facing them, and everything in between. Have an idea? Or want to tell Jaclyn your thoughts on Greeley? Fill out the contact form below.
