Windsor is a
home rule municipality
Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories ...
in
Larimer and
Weld counties in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town was 32,716.
Windsor is located in the
Northern Colorado
Northern Colorado is the name for a region in the state of Colorado and a proposed state in the northeastern portion of Colorado.
Region
Northern Colorado is a region in the northern portion of Colorado. It borders northwestern Colorado, nort ...
region.
History
In 1873, a settler named J.L. Hilton built a small house situated half-way between Greeley and Fort Collins. The “half-way” house, as it became known, directed travelers along a route, which was soon adopted by the Greeley, Salt Lake and Pacific railway. The railroad brought investors and farmers to Windsor in increasing numbers. Windsor's rich alluvial plains lent themselves to extensive wheat production and the establishment of one of the town's first commercial enterprises, a flour mill, which through a subsequent fire in 1899, was rebuilt and became the Windsor Milling and Elevator Company.
A rich wheat farming district, the area around Windsor first drew permanent residents in the early 1870s. Two factors were to play a critical role in stimulating Windsor's early development: irrigation and the railroad. Irrigation increased crop variety and production and the railroad shipped this bounty to market. The town was platted in 1882, the same year the Windsor Railroad Depot was built, and incorporated in 1890. It was named for the Rev. Samuel Asa Windsor. By 1900, tariffs on foreign sugar had created a market for new sources of sugar. Research in the improved cultivation of
sugar beets was taking place at Colorado Agricultural College in Fort Collins, and the capital to advance production and manufacture of beet sugar was coming together. In 1903 a factory for producing sugar from sugar beets was built in Windsor. Sugar beet cultivation required large numbers of "stoop laborers," a need that was met by ethnic
German immigrants from Russia. With large families and a strong work ethic, the German-Russians who settled in Windsor and other sugar beet areas would achieve financial success within one generation and own the highest producing beet farms. The
Great Western Sugar Company
The Western Sugar Cooperative is a grower owned American agricultural cooperative originating from the Great Western Sugar Company in 1901.
History
The Great Western Sugar Company was incorporated in February 1901 by Charles Boettcher and other ...
fueled Windsor's economy through the mid-1960s, when the Windsor factory closed. Plentiful water and land drew
Kodak
The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...
to Windsor where it opened a manufacturing plant on the heels of the sugar factory's closing.
Kodak
The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...
's opening spurred economic development in the town, and a population surge as the sugar beet factory closed. Later in the 1980s Metal Container Corporation (MCC) opened a can factory and Deline Box Company opened a factory, which closed in December 2010, that primarily served the
Budweiser
Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, part of AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States.
''Budweiser'' may also refer to an unrela ...
facility in
Fort Collins
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
, Colorado.
In the last two decades, its central location among the population centers of northern Colorado, together with its proximity to
Interstate 25, have made it the site of rapid urban growth, particularly on the western edge of town, as it grows towards the interchange on I-25. In the 1990s, the town limits were westward into
Larimer County
Larimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 359,066. The county seat and most populous city is Fort Collins. The county was named for William Larimer, Jr., the founder of Denver.
...
. The incorporated town limits west of Interstate 25 are now contiguous with Loveland, and are separated from southeast Fort Collins by the Fossil Creek Open Space public lands of Larimer County acquired through a county-wide vote-approved sales tax.
In this century, there has been significant industrial development on the southeast side of town.
Vestas
Vestas Wind Systems A/S is a Danish manufacturer, seller, installer, and servicer of wind turbines that was founded in 1945. The company operates manufacturing plants in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Taiwan, India, Italy, Romania, the Un ...
has a wind turbine factory, and several related companies, Hexcel and Ice Energy have headquarters in Windsor.
Owens Illinois
O-I Glass, Inc. is an American company that specializes in container glass products. It is one of the world's leading manufacturers of packaging products, holding the position of largest manufacturer of glass containers in North America, Sout ...
has a glass factory that primarily serves the
Budweiser
Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, part of AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States.
''Budweiser'' may also refer to an unrela ...
facility in
Fort Collins
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
, Colorado. Windsor has also attracted digital services providers in recent years, such as farm management software provider
Agworld whose North American headquarters is based here.
2008 tornado
On May 22, 2008 at approximately 11:50 a.m., a tornado devastated the town and many areas of Weld County and Larimer County, killing one camper in his RV, and injuring 14 other people in its wake. The National Weather Service tornado damage assessments conducted on Friday May 23 and Saturday May 24 documented large areas of damage. On the
Enhanced Fujita scale
The Enhanced Fujita scale (abbreviated as EF-Scale) rates tornado intensity based on the severity of the damage they cause. It is used in some countries, including the United States, Canada, China, and Mongolia.
The Enhanced Fujita scale repl ...
there were pockets of EF3 damage especially near the Missile Silo Park Campground west of Greeley and to homes and businesses in eastern Windsor. Wind estimates in the heavily damaged areas were as high as 130 to 150 mph.
While the time of year and location of the tornado were not unusual, the
west
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...
to northwest path of the tornado was highly unusual, and the tornado occurred earlier in the day than is typical for the area.
The storm was preceded by golf-ball to baseball sized hail and heavy rain, with hail damaging a much larger area than the actual tornado.
![Windsor-co-tornado-2008-05-22](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Windsor-co-tornado-2008-05-22.jpg)
In addition to the damages to homes, the tornado damaged many businesses and government buildings. The winds knocked over 15 railroad cars, vehicles, and semi trucks. The tornado hit the Windmill Daycare Center; the staff and children all survived, suffering only minor cuts and bruises. The tornado caused extensive damage to the
Windsor Milling and Elevator Co. Building, a building on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
. It would take nearly 10 years for the damage to be repaired. The tornado devastated many of the town's park and recreation facilities, including the cemetery, ball fields, swimming pool, the town's main park, and a new arts and heritage center.
The
Red Cross
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...
housed several hundred individuals and arranged for housing of livestock in the immediate aftermath of the tornado. Governor
Bill Ritter visited the Windsor area and declared a local state of emergency. The
Colorado National Guard
The Colorado National Guard consists of the Colorado Army National Guard and Colorado Air National Guard, forming the state of Colorado's component to the United States National Guard. Founded in 1860, the Colorado National Guard falls under t ...
was dispatched to assist and protect the town. On May 26, 2008, President
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
designated the area as a Federal disaster area.
The tornado caused $193.5 million in damage from about 24,000 auto and homeowner claims. The U. S.
Small Business Administration
The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) is an independent agency of the United States government that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses. The mission of the Small Business Administration is "to maintain and stren ...
(SBA) approved more than $3 million in disaster loans to individuals and businesses in Weld County who suffered damage from the storm.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.
The
Cache la Poudre River
The Cache la Poudre River ( ), also known as the Poudre River, is a river in the state of Colorado in the United States.
Name
The name of the river () is a corruption of the original Cache à la Poudre, or "cache of powder". It refers to an ...
runs through the west and south sides of town.
The main business district of town is east-west, along
State Highway 392, which also serves as Windsor's Main Street. The BNSF line runs north of Main Street. The historic early grid of the town extends for roughly six blocks north and south of Main, and less than 10 blocks east and west, with a vibrant square green, called Main Park southeast of downtown. The park is surrounded by residences, and by the Town Hall (formerly Park School), at the north end.
Commercial development extends to the Water Valley development, along
State Highway 257, near the intersection with Windsor Lake, a small
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
in the irrigation system of Weld County, is one block north of the BNSF tracks. The lake is a popular spot for fishing. In the last decade, a 2.25 mile bike path was completed which circumscribes the lake. In addition to this reservoir, there are a number of other lakes and reservoirs that are former gravel mines along the
Cache la Poudre river. These lakes have spurred housing developments and a golf course along their banks.
The
Poudre Trail bicycle and pedestrian trail along the north bank of the
Poudre includes a segment within the town of Windsor that connects the town with the City of Greeley.
Climate
Windsor experiences a
semi-arid climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer
* Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan
* Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...
''BSk''). High temperatures are generally around 85 °F (29 °C) in the summer and 42 °F (5 °C) in the winter, although there is significant variation. The hottest days generally occur in late July and the coldest in January. Nighttime lows are near 57 °F (14 °C) in the summer and around 15 °F (-9 °C) in the winter. Record high temperatures of 103 °F (39 °C) have been recorded, as have record low temperatures of -41 °F (-40 °C). The first freeze typically occurs around September 17, and the last often occurs in mid-May. The most precipitation typically occurs in May.
Extratropical cyclone
Extratropical cyclones, sometimes called mid-latitude cyclones or wave cyclones, are low-pressure areas which, along with the anticyclones of high-pressure areas, drive the weather over much of the Earth. Extratropical cyclones are capable of ...
s which disrupt the weather for the eastern two-thirds of the US often originate in or near Colorado, which means Windsor does not experience many fully developed storm systems.
Thunderstorms
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm or a lightning storm, is a storm characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere, known as thunder. Relatively weak thunderstorms are somet ...
are frequent during summer afternoons. Windsor typically experience between 6 and 12
hail days per year and one of the highest concentrations of tornadic activity anywhere. The area where Colorado, Nebraska and Wyoming meet receives the most hail of any location in the United States.
Some days in the winter and spring can be warm and extremely dry, with
Chinook wind
Chinook winds, or simply Chinooks, are two types of prevailing warm, generally westerly winds in western North America: Coastal Chinooks and interior Chinooks. The coastal Chinooks are persistent seasonal, wet, southwesterly winds blowing in from ...
s often raising temperatures to near 70 °F (21 °C) in January and February, and sometimes to near 90 °F (32 °C) in April. Windsor's elevation and low year-round humidity means that nighttime low temperatures are practically never above 68 °F (20 °C), even in the very hottest part of the summer. The diurnal temperature range is usually rather wide, with a 50-degree (Fahrenheit) difference between daytime high and nighttime low not uncommon, especially in the spring and fall months. Rapid fluctuation in temperature is also common – a sunny 80 °F (27 °C) October afternoon can easily give way to a 28 °F (-2 °C) blizzard within 12 hours.
Demographics
Historically, many of the town's inhabitants were of Germans-from-Russia origin. Beginning in the early 1970s, as the population grew with industrialization, the ethnic makeup diversified. The town's German-Russian heritage is still evident in the town's churches, festivals and traditions.
Arts and culture
The town hosts a Summer Concert Series at the lakeside Boardwalk Park, accompanied by food vendors and a beer garden serving locally brewed beer.
A Harvest Festival takes place on the
Labor Day weekend, and includes a parade, carnival, concerts, a hot air balloon festival, and home and garden fair.
Museums
The Windsor Art and Heritage Center hosts a variety of art shows throughout the year, and provides opportunities for the community to participate in art and cultural programs for all ages.
The Boardwalk Park Museum contains seven original historical buildings, including a train depot with caboose and freight car, schoolhouse and teacher's quarters, farmhouse with summer kitchen, and a beet shanty and prayer meeting house.
The Windsor Community Playhouse, founded in 1981, produces theatrical productions.
The Windsor Severance Fire Rescue Museum houses displays of the history of Windsor Fire Department, established in 1902. The fire department was dissolved as a division of the Town of Windsor and re-organized in 1950 as the Windsor Severance Fire Protection District (now Windsor Severance Fire Rescue).
Sports
The
Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC
Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC is an American professional soccer team based in Windsor, Colorado. The club was founded in 2021, and made its competitive debut in 2022. The team plays in USL League One, the third tier of the American soccer pyr ...
is an American professional soccer team which made its debut in 2022. The team plays in
USL League One
USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019. The Division III league is operated by United Soccer League, the same group that operates the Division II USL Championshi ...
, the third tier of the American soccer pyramid, and is owned by the Katofsky family and the Future Legends ownership group.
The
Northern Colorado Owlz
The Northern Colorado Owlz are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are based in Windsor, Colorado and will play their home games at the u ...
baseball team of the
Pioneer League relocated to Windsor and will begin their first season at
Future Legends Complex
Future Legends Complex is a sports complex the western United States, located in Windsor, Colorado, southeast of Fort Collins.
On November 30, 2020, the Orem Owlz of the Pioneer League announced that they would move from Utah to Windsor and pla ...
in 2022.
The
Colorado Eagles
The Colorado Eagles are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Loveland, Colorado. The Eagles play in the Pacific Division of the American Hockey League.
The Eagles were founded as an expansion franchise in 2003 in the Central Hoc ...
hockey team of the
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
is located in Windsor and is owned by Martin Lind.
Parks and recreation
![Windsor Lake CO - West ariel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/Windsor_Lake_CO_-_West_ariel.jpg)
The town has 25 developed and undeveloped parks, totaling over .
Main Park features
pickleball courts, basketball courts, sand volleyball courts, a playground and several picnic shelters.
Boardwalk Park is adjacent to Windsor Lake, and features a barrier-free wheelchair-accessible playground, picnic shelters, swim beach, boating, fishing, and a trail.
Chimney Park features athletic fields, baseball diamonds and an outdoor swimming pool, and includes property that was part of the Great Western Sugar factory.
Eastman Park, adjacent to the
Cache la Poudre River
The Cache la Poudre River ( ), also known as the Poudre River, is a river in the state of Colorado in the United States.
Name
The name of the river () is a corruption of the original Cache à la Poudre, or "cache of powder". It refers to an ...
, features a skate park, picnic shelters, athletic fields, trails, playground, and off-leash dog park. Diamond Valley features baseball and softball diamonds.
The Windsor Community Recreation Center offers classes, events, athletic leagues, senior recreation, and adaptive recreation.
Education
The Weld RE-4 School District operates the following public schools in Windsor:
* Early College High School
* Grandview Elementary
* Mountain View Elementary
* Skyview Elementary
* Tozer Primary School
* Windsor Charter Elementary
* Windsor High School
* Windsor Middle School
Media
The ''Windsor Ledger'' newspaper began publishing in 1898. It became the ''Poudre Valley'' in 1902, and the ''Windsor Beacon'' in 1946.
Windsor is home to
TownSquare Media
Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...
offices, as well as
KUAD-FM
KUAD-FM (99.1 MHz, "K99") is a country music-formatted radio station licensed to Windsor, Colorado, United States. The station serves the Ft. Collins-Greeley and Cheyenne areas. The station is currently owned by Townsquare Media
Townsquare Me ...
99.1 is a country music station.
Notable people
*
Jean Bethke Elshtain
Jean Paulette Bethke Elshtain (1941–2013) was an American ethicist, political philosopher, and public intellectual. She was the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Professor of Social and Political Ethics in the University of Chicago Divinity School with ...
, political philosopher born in Windsor
*
Benjamin Harrison Eaton
Benjamin Harrison Eaton (December 15, 1833 – October 29, 1904) was an American politician, entrepreneur and agriculturalist in the late 19th and early 20th century. Eaton was a founding officer of the Greeley Colony and was instrumental in the ...
, Governor of Colorado
*
Greg Myers, former National Football League player
See also
*
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
References
External links
Town website
{{authority control
Towns in Weld County, Colorado
Towns in Colorado
Populated places established in 1882
1882 establishments in Colorado
Towns in Larimer County, Colorado
German-Russian culture in Colorado