Northeast

Northeastern Colorado often catches visitors by surprise with its wide-open grasslands and seas of golden wheat - a land of infinite flats. Locals call it "Colorado's Outback," or "The Other Colorado" in proud celebration of the area's pioneer traditions and expansive natural beauty.

While throngs of gold-seekers paraded to and from Colorado's hills, homesteaders quietly moved onto these prairies and built communities. The roots are still visible today. Old emigrant trails, antique buildings and abandoned settlements pepper the landscape. The Pony Express passed through, as did Kit Carson and Buffalo Bill. Residents love to celebrate and share their area's history. Nearly every summer weekend contains a gunfight reenactment, draft-horse pull, mountain man rendezvous, antique carriage parade, or heritage festival.

Of course, it wouldn't be Colorado without outdoor recreation. Sun-splashed lakes and reservoirs offer plenty of water sports, and hunters can find pheasants, antelope, deer, geese, ducks, quails and wild turkeys. But what makes Northeast Colorado special is its boundless generosity. The people are friendly, the towns small and pretty, the pace unhurried. And when you look up and see the endless sky reaching to the horizon, you realize that it doesn't take mountains to make a destination.

LARGEST CITY: Sterling, 11,278

FAMOUS RESIDENTS: Journalist and novelist Hal Borland was raised in Flagler. Big-band legend Glenn Miller graduated from high school in Fort Morgan. Mountain man Kit Carson traded for furs in the area and has a county and a town named after him.

HERITAGE HIGHLIGHTS: The northern plains of Colorado were once the setting of the largest overland routes to the West Coast in the United States. Everyone from soldiers to pioneers to American Indians traversed these wide-open plains, and left significant marks upon the area. This region of Colorado also claims exceptional historical claims to early and mid-nineteenth century Americana, from the operation of a historic carousel to the home of the famous big band leader Glenn Miller.

FUN FACT: Between April to October, Northeast Colorado hosts well over 150 fairs, rodeos, tournaments, and old-time celebrations.

ADDITIONAL ARTICLES:
Kit Carson County Carousel
Town of Fort Morgan