[8] The city forms part of the Fort Collins-Loveland Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor.

[11] The nearby Big Thompson, Colorado Territory, post office opened on November 12, 1862.

[13] Loveland was officially founded in 1877[14] along the newly constructed line of the Colorado Central Railroad, near its crossing of the Big Thompson River.

The city was founded one mile (1.6 km) upstream from the existing small settlement of St. Louis, the buildings of which were moved to the site of Loveland.

In 1901 the Great Western Sugar Company built a factory in Loveland, which remained as a source of employment until its closure in 1977.

A series of droughts, attacks of blight, competition from growers in other states (particularly Michigan[15]), and finally a killer freeze destroyed the industry.

By the late 1960s, cherries were no longer farmed at scale, although orchards remained in southeast Loveland and nearby Masonville into the 1990s.

This prompted a lot of water to be released out of the dam, causing the Big Thompson River to swell.

The northern city limits are now contiguous with those of Windsor, which has expanded westward from Weld County across Interstate 25.

Its climate is characterized by warm to hot summer and long and moderately cold winter (sometimes severely).

Due to its low annual precipitation, Loveland's climate can sometimes be categorized as cold semi-arid.

In addition, the city serves as a bedroom community to commuters in many directions: to employment locations in Boulder, Westminster and other parts of the Denver Metropolitan area; and also to the college towns of Fort Collins (CSU), Greeley (UNC), and Boulder, (CU).

Loveland has aggressively expanded its incorporated limits eastward to embrace the interchange of Interstate 25 and U.S. Highway 34, and is currently developing the area.

The intersection has become a primary commercial hub of northern Colorado, with the construction of shopping centers and the Blue Arena.

For decades people from across the world have sent their valentines to Loveland, Colorado, to be hand-stamped with a cachet and verse, and a specially designed postal cancelation.

A new verse and stamp are selected each year through a contest held by the Loveland Chamber of Commerce and residents can submit their poems and artwork to be judged.

Thompson designed a cachet with the message, "A Valentine Greeting from Sweetheart Town, Loveland, Colorado," and the image was a heart pierced by an arrow over the Rocky Mountains.

In addition to the mailing program, community members can pay to purchase a large valentine message on wooden hearts that are displayed on the streets across Loveland.

There is a large population of artists in Loveland, which has drawn three foundries, an art museum, and the annual sculpture shows in August.

[27] The Sculpture in the Park show, hosted by the Loveland High Plains Arts Council, takes place annually in August and exhibits artwork from artists from the United States and the world.

Lake Loveland, an early agricultural reservoir in the irrigation system of the region, is located in the city limits.

The city council is a nine-member policy-making board, led by the mayor, who is elected for a two-year term by the community at large.

The Fort Collins / Loveland Airport serves corporate and general aviation needs, but does not currently have commercial airline service.

Hourly shared shuttle services to and from DIA are also offered by Green Ride Colorado and Red Lion to reach the Loveland and Fort Collins area.