Economy & Economic Development  April 29, 2016

‘Gateway to Northern Colorado’ welcomes visitors

Wellington?  Where is Wellington?

It’s a common question that most people in Fort Collins (our big sister to the south) and other communities have when someone mentions Wellington or going to Wellington. Wellington is 10 minutes north of Fort Collins via Interstate 25 or Colorado Highway 1 and 30 minutes south of Cheyenne along the I-25 corridor.

We consider Wellington the “Gateway to Northern Colorado.” Travelers along I-25 exit at Wellington for fuel and food, along with other needs, then travel west to Poudre Canyon and Roosevelt National Forest, north to Red Mountain Open Space and Soapstone Prairie Natural Area or east to the Pawnee National Grassland. Wellington’s locale provides access — avoiding the traffic of Fort Collins — to beautiful and historic open space, the Rocky Mountains and a litany of mountain vistas and activities.

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Wellington has a great “small old town” feel with a rapidly developing population filling multifamily, affordable single-family homes and large homes. Our town is undergoing a facelift under the direction of the town, using an action plan developed from a comprehensive evaluation of the town and the activities of the Main Street Program and the Chamber of Commerce working with the local business owners.

Wellington covers about three square miles with a zoned growth area of 16 square miles ripe for annexation as landowners wish. A large portion of our 7,900 residents works in Cheyenne and towns and cities to the south and east of Wellington.

We are anticipating a new middle school/high school in the near future. The current elementary schools and middle school are recognized nationally for their excellent programs. Wellington has an extensive connected parks and trails system, providing outside activities for our residents and visitors. Area cyclists use Wellington as a rest and food stop during their rides through the country. Our first microbrewery, Old Colorado Brewery, has just opened in a remodeled historic grain elevator and has its roots in the Fort Collins Northern Hotel many years ago. Our popular downtown Friday night auction is located in an early 1900s livery stable which later became a repair shop for the first automobiles in the area.

We enjoy quality town activities including a great Fourth of July parade and fireworks along with vender booths, beer garden, car show, tractor show and pull; a weekly summer farmers market; concerts and movies in the park, Trick or Treat Down Main Street and costume contest every Halloween (attended by 800 to 1,000 children), a Frisbee golf tournament and a Christmas Parade of Lights. The circus visits every few years.

Our businesses provide destination shops, day-to-day services, a great grocery store, restaurants, dental and medical services, and manufacturing activities. More than 25,000 vehicles travel past Wellington each day supporting our active highway frontage commercial development.  However, we need to grow a larger sustainable business community to provide jobs and income to the residents and are recruiting destination restaurants, shops and service businesses for residents and friends to use and enjoy.

Wellington is short on empty buildings but has a lot of affordable land and utilities. The planned growth of the town is designed to grow from a central core of business and urban residential to rural residential and concentrate commercial and industrial development in a central northern corridor. Wellington straddles I-25 and has two interchanges, making access to Wellington quick and simple.

We have a great town and would love to have you stop by to get acquainted.

Wendell Nelson is board chairman of the Wellington Area Chamber of Commerce.

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