Longmont was founded in 1871 by the Chicago Colorado Colony, a group that laid out a grid of streets and planted trees on the high plains east of the Rockies. Main Street downtown still keeps that plan, with historic storefronts, a farmers market, and the Longmont Museum, which traces the city's agricultural and industrial past. Union Reservoir offers boating and sunset views, Sandstone Ranch gives families trails and a historic farmstead, and the St. Vrain Creek greenway winds through town beneath cottonwoods. Boulder County's craft beer scene, including Longmont's own breweries, adds a lively evening note.