Greeley, 55 mi/90 km north of Denver, which was used as the model for James Michener's Centennial, was one of the nation's first planned cities. It was founded by Nathan Meeker, an employee of frontier booster Horace "Go West, Young Man" Greeley.
Known as the City of Trees, Greeley has three museums. Centennial Village Museum is a collection of buildings—a Cheyenne tepee, a log courthouse, a Victorian home—that recall the region's past (April-October). The Meeker Home Museum is an adobe house once owned by the town's founder that's now filled with family treasures. The Greeley Municipal Archives has a large collection of historical photographs and documents.
Greeley's Independence Stampede (late June to early July) includes a rodeo and a barbecue. The Weld County Fair is held in late July. Greeley is also famous for the stink of its meatpacking plants, an odor that sometimes travels as far as Boulder or Denver, when conditions are right.
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