Editing Windsor, Colorado (section)

==History==
In 1873, a settler named J.L. Hilton built a small house situated half-way between Greeley and Fort Collins. The “half-way” house, as it became known, directed travelers along a route, which was soon adopted by the Greeley, Salt Lake and Pacific railway. The railroad brought investors and farmers to Windsor in increasing numbers. Windsor's rich alluvial plains lent themselves to extensive wheat production and the establishment of one of the town's first commercial enterprises, a flour mill, which through a subsequent fire in 1899, was rebuilt and became the Windsor Milling and Elevator Company.

A rich wheat farming district, the area around Windsor first drew permanent residents in the early 1870s. Two factors were to play a critical role in stimulating Windsor's early development: irrigation and the railroad. Irrigation increased crop variety and production and the railroad shipped this bounty to market. The town was platted in 1882, the same year the Windsor Railroad Depot was built, and incorporated in 1890. It was named for the Rev. Samuel Asa Windsor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=9746|title=Profile for Windsor, Colorado|publisher=[[ePodunk]]|access-date=June 16, 2010}}</ref> By 1900, tariffs on foreign sugar had created a market for new sources of sugar. Research in the improved cultivation of [[sugar beet]]s was taking place at Colorado Agricultural College in Fort Collins, and the capital to advance production and manufacture of beet sugar was coming together. In 1903 a factory for producing sugar from sugar beets was built in Windsor. Sugar beet cultivation required large numbers of "stoop laborers," a need that was met by ethnic [[Germans from Russia|German immigrants from Russia]]. With large families and a strong work ethic, the German-Russians who settled in Windsor and other sugar beet areas would achieve financial success within one generation and own the highest producing beet farms. The [[Great Western Sugar Company]] fueled Windsor's economy through the mid-1960s, when the Windsor factory closed. Plentiful water and land drew [[Kodak]] to Windsor where it opened a manufacturing plant on the heels of the sugar factory's closing.

[[Kodak]]'s opening spurred economic development in the town, and a population surge as the sugar beet factory closed.  Later in the 1980s Metal Container Corporation (MCC) opened a can factory and Deline Box Company opened a factory, which closed in December 2010, that primarily served the [[Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch)|Budweiser]] facility in [[Fort Collins, Colorado|Fort Collins]], Colorado.

In the last two decades, its central location among the population centers of northern Colorado, together with its proximity to [[Interstate 25 (Colorado)|Interstate 25]], have made it the site of rapid urban growth, particularly on the western edge of town, as it grows towards the interchange on I-25. In the 1990s, the town limits were westward into [[Larimer County, Colorado|Larimer County]]. The incorporated town limits west of Interstate 25 are now contiguous with Loveland, and are separated from southeast Fort Collins by the Fossil Creek Open Space public lands of Larimer County acquired through a county-wide vote-approved sales tax.

In this century, there has been significant industrial development on the southeast side of town.  [[Vestas]] has a wind turbine factory, and several related companies, Hexcel and Ice Energy have headquarters in Windsor.  [[Owens Illinois]] has a glass factory that primarily serves the [[Budweiser (Anheuser-Busch)|Budweiser]] facility in [[Fort Collins]], Colorado. Windsor has also attracted digital services providers in recent years, such as farm management software provider [[Agworld]] whose North American headquarters is based here.

===2008 tornado===
{{main|Late-May 2008 tornado outbreak sequence}}

On May 22, 2008, at approximately 11:50 AM, a tornado devastated the town and many areas of Weld County and Larimer County, tragically taking the life of a Vietnam War veteran in his RV, and seriously injuring 78 other people in its wake.  The National Weather Service tornado damage assessments conducted on Friday, May 23, and Saturday, May 24, documented large areas of damage.  On the [[Enhanced Fujita scale]], there were pockets of high-end EF3 damage west of Greeley near the Missile Silo Park Campground, and to numerous homes and businesses in eastern Windsor.  Wind estimates in the heavily damaged areas were up to 165&nbsp;mph.<ref name="www.weather.gov/bou/TornadoMay22nd2008">{{Cite web |title=May 22, 2008 Windsor Tornado |url=https://www.weather.gov/bou/TornadoMay22nd2008 |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=www.weather.gov/bou/TornadoMay22nd2008 |language=EN-US}}</ref>  While the time of year and location of the tornado were not unusual, the west to northwest path of the tornado was highly unusual, and the tornado occurred earlier in the day than is typical for the area.<ref name="crh.noaa.gov">{{cite web |url=http://www.crh.noaa.gov/bou/?n=news_116 |title=Weld County Tornado of May 22, 2008 rated as an EF3 |publisher=[[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date=February 25, 2011}}</ref>  The storm was accompanied by up to baseball sized hail and torrential rainfall, damaging a much larger area than the tornado itself.
[[File:Windsor-co-tornado-2008-05-22.jpg|thumb|Home in Windsor, CO severely damaged by tornado on May 22, 2008.]]

In addition to the damages to homes, the tornado damaged many businesses and government buildings.  The winds knocked over 15 railroad cars, vehicles, and semi trucks.  The tornado hit the Windmill Daycare Center; the staff and children all survived, suffering only minor cuts and bruises.  The tornado caused extensive damage to the [[Windsor Milling and Elevator Co. Building]], a building on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. It would take nearly 10 years for the damage to be repaired. The tornado devastated many of the town's park and recreation facilities, including the cemetery, ball fields, swimming pool, the town's main park, and a new arts and heritage center.

The [[Red Cross]] housed several hundred individuals and arranged for housing of livestock in the immediate aftermath of the tornado. Governor [[Bill Ritter]] visited the Windsor area and declared a local state of emergency. The [[Colorado National Guard]] was dispatched to assist and protect the town.  On May 26, 2008, President [[George W. Bush]] designated the area as a Federal disaster area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allbusiness.com/government/government-bodies-offices-us-federal-government/14731623-1.html |title=Colo. tornado merits disaster designation |publisher=[[Greeley Tribune]] |access-date=February 25, 2011}}</ref>

The tornado caused $193.5 million in damage from about 24,000 auto and homeowner claims.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.greeleytribune.com/article/20090520/NEWS/905199942 |title=Tornado damage costs top $193 million |date=April 28, 2006 |publisher=[[Greeley Tribune]] |access-date=February 25, 2011}}</ref>  The U. S. [[Small Business Administration]] (SBA) approved more than $3 million in disaster loans to individuals and businesses in Weld County who suffered damage from the storm.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ci.windsor.co.us/DocumentView.aspx?DID=1904 |title=Town of Windsor Final Tornado Report |access-date=February 25, 2011}}</ref>