Basic Information
- Type of Place
- Independent City or Town
- Metro Area
- Politics c. 1860?
- Unions, Organized Labor?
Sundown Town Status
- Sundown Town in the Past?
- Surely
- Was there an ordinance?
- Don't Know
- Sign?
- Yes, Strong Oral Tradition
- Year of Greatest Interest
Census Information
| Total | White | Black | Asian | Native | Hispanic | Other | BHshld | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | ||||||||
| 1870 | ||||||||
| 1880 | 236 | |||||||
| 1890 | 698 | |||||||
| 1900 | 1091 | |||||||
| 1910 | 3651 | 3647 | 0 | 4 | ||||
| 1920 | 5065 | 5061 | 4 | |||||
| 1930 | 5506 | 5408 | 0 | 98 | ||||
| 1940 | 6145 | 6145 | 0 | |||||
| 1950 | 6773 | |||||||
| 1960 | 9734 | 9725 | 2 | 7 | ||||
| 1970 | 16220 | 16112 | 19 | 89 | ||||
| 1980 | 30244 | |||||||
| 1990 | 37352 | 35436 | 111 | 266 | 179 | 1360 | ||
| 2000 | ||||||||
| 2010 | ||||||||
| 2020 | 76378 | 76180 | 1380 | 1745 | 2656 | 9916 | 6944 | 6897 |
Method of Exclusion
- Threat of Violence
- Violence Towards Newcomers
- Private Bad Behavior
- Realtors
- Reputation
Main Ethnic Group(s)
Group(s) Excluded
- Black
- Native American
- Hispanic
Comments
Loveland is a former sundown town which, according to many oral narratives, excluded people of colour. According to a lifelong resident “Black people were not allowed to be within the city limits after hours,” and “Brown people were basically treated as second-class citizens” (Rayes, 2021b).
People coming into Loveland were greeted with signs that read : “Welcome to Loveland – Elev. 5000 – Nationally Famous Sweetheart Town – Won’t You Stay Awhile – Industrial Opportunities – Diversified Agriculture.” A smaller handmade sign read, “We observe the Jim Crow Laws here.” Neighborhoods which had homeowners associations also prevented people of color from purchasing homes within their neighborhoods. Oral accounts recall the various “White-Trade Only” signs which were posted in several of the businesses situated in downtown Loveland (Lowe, 2016). Other accounts speak of signs in some downtown stores, restaurant windows and drinking fountains reading “No Mexicans Allowed.” According to various residents, some people of Hispanic and Native American descent were allowed to stay, as they were recruited as cheap labor for the production of sugar beets. They, however, were segregated to the east-side of the city. Although known as a former sundown town, issues relating to racial discrimination remain present in Loveland to this day. It is, according to the 2020 census, the city which has the largest percent of people who identify solely as white (KUNC, 2021; Rayes, 2021a).