Timnath is located between Fort Collins and Windsor on the east side of Interstate 25.

The community dates its formal history to 1882 when the Greeley, Salt Lake and Pacific Railroad purchased a 100-foot wide right-of-way from area landowners to build a rail line between Greeley and Fort Collins. A small settlement, located at the site of a new railroad switch and platform, as a result experienced robust growth.

The Rev. Charles Taylor, minister of the Presbyterian Church that was organized in 1883, chose the biblical name of Timnath for the community. By the early 1900s, it had become a shipping point for agricultural and livestock products. People started businesses to meet the needs of the surrounding farms and the community itself.

Timnath incorporated in 1920. The 2000 census counted a population of 223, but Timnath is poised for exponential growth. The town has annexed enough land to increase the population to more than 11,000 in an area of nearly 16 square miles.

Timnath government has a full-time town administrator and a volunteer town board.