Where to Live in
Greeley

The 2026 Greeley Shortlist

The 2026 Vibe Check

Greeley is splitting. If you’re not from here, you won’t see it yet, but the fracture lines are drawn along 6th Street and 35th Avenue.

On the east side of town, the old agricultural rust is being scrubbed away. Central is the epicenter of this. The city poured money into the "Greeley Creative District," and now you’ve got coffee shops serving oat milk lattes a block down from welding shops. The gentrification is real but fragile; walk south of 8th Street and you’re back in gritty, functional worker housing.

Meanwhile, the Westlake area is getting choked with new builds. The "affordable" subdivisions off 65th Avenue are selling fast, but traffic on 23rd Street during a shift change at JBS is a nightmare. The real shift is the university creep. UNC is swallowing the northeast corner, pushing student housing further into residential blocks that used to be quiet.

The divide is simple: East 20th Street is the line. Cross it westward and you get older, cheaper housing and longer drives. Stay east and you’re paying a premium for walkability and a view of the Front Range that isn’t blocked by feedlots. The city is betting big on "agri-tech," but right now, it’s a town with two hearts beating at different speeds.

The Shortlist

Central / Downtown

• The Vibe: Gritty Revival
• Rent Check: $$ (A 1BR here runs $1250-$1450; you're paying for the zip code).
• The Good: This is the only spot where you can actually walk to dinner and a beer. Centennial Park is the town's living room. You’re steps from WeldWerks Brewing Co. (the IPA scene is elite here) and the Greeley Stampede grounds. The historic brick buildings give it a texture the suburbs lack. Walkability score is the highest in the city by a mile.
• The Bad: Parking is a war zone, especially during Friday Night Fights at the high school or any event at the Union Colony Civic Center. Noise bleed is real if you live near 9th Avenue. Petty theft exists; don't leave your bike unlocked on the porch.
• Best For: Young professionals who want a social life without driving to Denver, and restaurant owners.
• Insider Tip: Park near 9th Street and 10th Street on a Tuesday night and walk to Smokey’s Pub & Grub. That’s the pulse.

Westlake / North High

• The Vibe: Family Machine
• Rent Check: $$ (Steady at $1190-$1250 for 1BR, but buying is the game here).
• The Good: This is where the money is moving. Westlake is anchored by Northridge High School, which has better funding and sports programs than the rest of the district. The Poudre River Trail access near 65th & 23rd is excellent for runners. You get bigger yards and newer roofs. The Saddleback golf course community keeps the manicured look intact.
• The Bad: You are married to your car. The commute to the east side of town (Downtown/UNC) during 5 PM shift change at JBS is 25 minutes of stop-and-go on 35th Avenue. It’s generic suburbia—zero character. You will drive past a King Soopers (Kroger) to get to another King Soopers.
• Best For: Families with school-age kids who prioritize square footage and school ratings over culture.
• Insider Tip: Drive Revere Drive near the golf course to see where the local doctors and lawyers live.

Glenmere / Evans

• The Vibe: Quiet Rustic
• Rent Check: $ (A steal at $1050-$1150 for 1BR).
• The Good: This is the "Old Greeley" that hasn't been touched by the gentrification wave yet. You get massive yards, mature trees, and zero HOA headaches in the older sections. It’s close enough to the Evans amenities (Walmart, fast food row) but feels detached. Glenmere Park is arguably the prettiest park in the county with the lake and the peacocks. It’s undervalued because it’s technically "Evans" or the 'wrong' side of the tracks to some snobs.
• The Bad: The stigma. Locals will tell you to avoid the area east of 3rd Street due to property crime, and they aren't entirely wrong—it's rougher around the edges. Older housing stock means maintenance issues (plumbing, wiring). The wind whips through here harder than in Westlake.
• Best For: First-time homebuyers who need a workshop, and people who want land without the Westlake price tag.
• Insider Tip: Look for side streets off 29th Street. You can find houses with massive lots for cheap, and you're a 5-minute drive from everything.

University District

• The Vibe: College Transient
• Rent Check: $ (Renter's market, mostly $1000-$1150).
• The Good: Proximity to UNC. If you’re a grad student or a young professional working at the university, you can bike to work. The Campus Commons area is seeing some refresh, and you’re close to the action at The Foundry (movie theater/bowling). It’s the cheapest way to live near the city center without being in the grit of Downtown.
• The Bad: Noise. Constant student parties, especially near 10th Street and 16th Street. Parking is non-existent on game days or when the dorms overflow. The housing stock is mostly 1960s-era rentals that landlords refuse to update. Expect thin walls and drafty windows.
• Best For: UNC students, visiting professors, or anyone on a 1-year lease who doesn't care about owning a lawn mower.
• Insider Tip: Avoid renting on 21st Avenue west of the campus if you want sleep. Stick to the blocks closer to 8th Street for slightly quieter neighbors.

Strategic Recommendations

For Families: Westlake is the obvious answer, but you already knew that. The real move is the edge of Westlake near 65th Avenue and 11th Street. You get the Northridge school district without the mega-mortgage of the inner circle. If your budget is tighter, look at the Heath neighborhood (south of 23rd St), but check the flood maps first.

For Wall St / Commuters: You’re not actually commuting to Wall St, but if you're driving to Longmont or Boulder for tech money, you want Central or the East Side (10th Street to 20th Street). You avoid the I-25 bottleneck by taking US-85 (Central Ave) north. Living west of the tracks adds 15 minutes to that drive every single morning.

The Value Play (Buy Now): Glenmere / Evans. Specifically, the area bounded by 3rd Street and 35th Avenue, and 1st Avenue to 23rd Street. The city is talking about revitalizing the river corridor and the "East Side" plan eventually pushes this way. The investors are ignoring it because of the "Evans" address, but the location is unbeatable for price-per-square-foot. Buy a fixer-upper on 29th Street before the flippers catch on.