Fort Collins CO area

[Glass]

Looking for any input on the Fort Collins CO area. I got offered a job down there and just looking for any input good or bad. From what I gather the only downfall is a high, aggressive housing market. Some people say it has to many people but overall it seems chill and spread out. How are the people generally? Is it a good place to raise a family. How close is hunting opportunities?

Hard to make decisions when you have a big family (kids 10, 8, 7 and 5)! I appreciate any help.

 

[ewade07]

Where are you moving from?

 

[Whiskey_Fish]

Moved from FTC to Cheyenne this year. PM me for questions. It’s a cool town. Losing the local vibe quickly however. It is expensive and getting crowded. Killer hunting is not super far away.


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[Glass]

Where are you moving from?

North Dakota

 

[ericF]

Fort Collins is about the ideal size of town for us. It is big enough to have everything you need, but not so big that you will spend your life in traffic. Plus you have everything you could possibly want in the hour drive to Denver. Granted I-25 has become a pain in the ass over the last 10 years, but I can still get to DIA or most anything in the northern side of Denver in about an hour. The city council of Fort Collins went really liberal this last election but the overall people are a pretty good mix. To counterbalance that, we have a very conservative Sheriff in Justin Smith and he is very well spoken about some of the problems we face. Go look at one of his facebook posts to see his writing style and how he lays things out. As for the Kids, the schools are very good with lots of options and tons of sports options in town. The downside is that sports can be very competitive with some crazy parents.

As for the hunting, you have good Deer hunting within an hour of town. Ok elk hunting within that same hour, but we always go for a longer trip to a better unit. Good Antelope hunting out at Pawnee every couple years along with easy access to Wyoming if you want to go that route. We have decent Waterfowl hunting and good fishing depending on how you like to fish. Upland birds are 2-3 hours away on the Eastern plains. We technically live in Timnath, but that is just the other side of I-25. As Whiskey_Fish said, it is starting to get crowded, but overall has alot to offer.

 

[deadi]

I left Fort Collins 4 years ago. Nice city when we moved there but legal Pot and population boom have made it significantly less desirable. If you are set on it check out Laporte and Wellington, both just north of FC. Unless you own an acreage hunting is always a drive.

 

[Glass]

Moved from FTC to Cheyenne this year. PM me for questions. It’s a cool town. Losing the local vibe quickly however. It is expensive and getting crowded. Killer hunting is not super far away.


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For the love me I cant figure out to PM you.

We are looking more at Windsor, Severance, or Berthoud for towns. The job is actually in Loveland so those put me at 15-20 min drive

I am planning the move from North Dakota to Co to provide my family a better opportunity at things, my wife is a professional organizer, and artist so the area is way better for her. From what I see it is fairly safe as well for the kids with good schools all around. We are also searching for a nicer overall climate to live in. So with that
Is it safe?
Why did you move away?
What town would recommend to look at? We are looking for a bit larger lot so we may just build.
How is the culture?
I have one adopted African American child, will there be diversity for her?
How is the general cost of living?
How crowded do the mountains get "close" to Fort Collins/loveland?
Seems like there are lots of outdoor opportunities within the towns is that accurate?
How is the weather?

There are more questions for sure. I do appreciate any information you can provide

 

[KurtR]

For the love me I cant figure out to PM you.

We are looking more at Windsor, Severance, or Berthoud for towns. The job is actually in Loveland so those put me at 15-20 min drive

I am planning the move from North Dakota to Co to provide my family a better opportunity at things, my wife is a professional organizer, and artist so the area is way better for her. From what I see it is fairly safe as well for the kids with good schools all around. We are also searching for a nicer overall climate to live in. So with that
Is it safe?
Why did you move away?
What town would recommend to look at? We are looking for a bit larger lot so we may just build.
How is the culture?
I have one adopted African American child, will there be diversity for her?
How is the general cost of living?
How crowded do the mountains get "close" to Fort Collins/loveland?
Seems like there are lots of outdoor opportunities within the towns is that accurate?
How is the weather?

There are more questions for sure. I do appreciate any information you can provide

You need more posts to pm people

 

[Gunnersdad49]

Is it safe?
As safe as any city it's size. There is crime, but there are very few places that I wouldn't walk alone in at any time of day or night.

What town would recommend to look at? We are looking for a bit larger lot so we may just build.
Anything East of I-25 will be more affordable. Some of the smaller towns in the foothills like Drake, Masonville, etc could also be an option if you are handy and don't mind maintaining your own road.

How is the culture?
Rapidly vanishing. Ft. Collins is a college town, but it is getting big and fewer and fewer people get to know their neighbors. Now it's a good place to visit a brewery or 10, if you are into that kind of thing.

I have one adopted African American child, will there be diversity for her?
CSU imports thousands of people of all color and creed annually. They end up living here and having kids. The population is majority white, but kids of all skin tones should fit in fine.

How is the general cost of living?
Housing is through the roof. Everything else will likely be higher than where you are from, but not by much. Housing is the biggie.

How crowded do the mountains get "close" to Fort Collins/loveland?
It depends on if you want to park at the GreyRock Trailhead and hike GreyRock Trail, or if you are able to find a spot on a map and sneak your own way into there. Established trailheads and campgrounds get flat hammered with people.

Seems like there are lots of outdoor opportunities within the towns is that accurate?
Within town? there are some ponds for fishing, but nearby, as mentioned above, you can find deer, elk, moose, sheep, goats, bears, and antelope, along with waterfowl and small game.

How is the weather?
Generally great. Lots of sunshine, the number 300 days of sunshine is thrown around a lot. It gets cold, there is some snow, but it rarely lasts more than a few weeks.

Just jumping in with a few answers from my perspective. Let me know if I can help any further.

 

[Whiskey_Fish]

Is it safe?
Why did you move away?
What town would recommend to look at? We are looking for a bit larger lot so we may just build.
How is the culture?
I have one adopted African American child, will there be diversity for her?
How is the general cost of living?
How crowded do the mountains get "close" to Fort Collins/loveland?
Seems like there are lots of outdoor opportunities within the towns is that accurate?
How is the weather?

There are more questions for sure. I do appreciate any information you can provide

We did technically live in Windsor the last couple years because you have to sell body parts to buy a similar house in Fort Collins, small, historic, walkable area.

Safe: comically so.

Why did we move: Mainly for a job. But we had been looking. The number of people moving into the area buying $450k houses and acting like they own the whole town got old. The traffic sucks. And a lot of local businesses are getting run out by capital companies buying up all the commercial real estate.

Town? I’d go as far west as possible. W Loveland and Berthoud is cool. Wellington is a subdivision with its own interstate exit and a big soccer field, hard pass.

Culture: beer, bikes, Patagonia jackets, generally mellow people. OK ish food. Decent performing arts scene. Not nearly as liberal as people like to complain about.

Diverse: no.

Cost of living is expensive in my opinion. Moved 60 miles north and feel rich.

In Poudre and Thompson canyon the trailheads have overflow parking lots, and they get used all year. Get an hour west and it thins out some.

The outdoor opportunities are great, but solitude is fleeting.

There is no better weather anywhere else I’ve ever been.


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[cnelk]

^^^ Good info above.

I moved to the area 31 years ago from N Minnesota. Best thing I ever did.
Cant beat the weather. But its getting time to maybe start looking elsewhere.
Taxes are high, cost of living is high, most people are high.

Get used to Subarus holding up traffic on the mtn roads.
[Dont drive Poudre Canyon Sunday afternoons]

Good schools. They are building a new Middle/HS in Wellington right now, and will be building another Middle/HS just north of Timnath on Prospect Rd very soon. New elementary being built south of Timnath.
New schools = major growth

Dont get trapped in hunting / fishing close to FoCo. There is much better hunting the further away you go.
Definitely worth the drive.

You can hunt/fish in Wyoming in an hour +
You can hunt in Nebraska 3+ hrs
You can hunt in Kansas 3-4 hrs

Get a small boat, an atv and a snowmobile and you be able to fish / hunt every month of the year
[Thats what I do]

I25 to Denver is a deathtrap. They are finally making a 3rd lane to help congestion.

It will help if you vote 'RED'....

 

[Phaseolus]

I grew up and lived there the first 26 years of my life, I left 34 years ago so this post has little modern relevance. If I had to live on the Front Range FoCo would be my choice

 

[Chad.frank]

Unfortunately I agree with most of what is being said here. My sister and brother in law have lived in FC for 30 plus years. They have an old house in basically walking distance of what’s called old town. I’ve spent lots of time out there over the weekend eats and the population boom is definitely something. I do like the city very much though and Loveland area is also very nice. Traffic is easily the worst I’ve seen though. I have many great friends that live out there and the climate is fantastic.

This wasn’t much help but I hope you and your family find the right place for you. Good luck.


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[Fatcamp]

Our two oldest kids moved there so we visit. It's ok. We live in a city with a 100 year traffic plan so the traffic to us is absolutely horrid. I've lived in several major cities and think that Fort Collins just never really had a plan when they started building which now amounts to stupid traffic situations. And honestly, I don't think legal marijuana helps. I know, I know, multiple studies show that pot smokers are better drivers or whatever, but I don't think so. Every time we drive we see some really stupid traffic event. Now thankfully everyone is usually going so slow it doesn't amount to much, but it borders on the ridiculous. We even joke about it now.

I think if you want big game hunting it would be amazing. Straight west until you run into forest roads and you will find bear, elk, and deer sign everywhere. Everywhere. I've never had time to explore much, but have no doubt with a little effort I would be tipping stuff over.

The town is cool enough. People seem a bit tense. We see offended at customer service types quit a bit, but really, we are from a very chill city so it might just be us being sensitive to it. Coming from Nodak you might feel the same. I highly(no pun intended) recommend you visit first without kids. Just you and the wife. Flights are dirt cheap to DIA, and it would be well worth your time.

 

[Glass]

I appreciate all the feed back so far. It really does mean a lot.

I was down there and drove around to all the potential towns we would look at after my interview. I drove to my interview at 8 am, then from 11-5 I drove around to Loveland, FC, Windsor, Johnstown, Berthoud, Drake, Campion and Mead. I then went over to Platville and down to DIA. In all that time I never once thought traffic was bad at all (on a Thursday). What am I missing here? I was not on the interstate much though.

We have really high housing here in ND as well and the overall cost of living is high. Alone, I would stand to save $150 on groceries a month down in CO from what I saw at Sprouts. Our home cost 320 here in ND, comparable in Loveland would be about 400-420 (so not overly to much higher).

We don't go out to eat or really drink beer so those things don't excite us. Overall the mainly healthy culture and the mountains are what attract us.

Taxes are not so much different then here, 4% more in income tax, but cheaper sales tax by 5%. Is there water restriction often and how crazy does it get to water a garden/yard?

I see the worst case scenario being we move and hate it. There are more jobs, and other places to live out there. If we buy a house I dont see loosing my butt on it with how things are going out there

 

[Glass]

^^^ Good info above.

I moved to the area 31 years ago from N Minnesota. Best thing I ever did.
Cant beat the weather. But its getting time to maybe start looking elsewhere.
Taxes are high, cost of living is high, most people are high.

Get used to Subarus holding up traffic on the mtn roads.
[Dont drive Poudre Canyon Sunday afternoons]

Good schools. They are building a new Middle/HS in Wellington right now, and will be building another Middle/HS just north of Timnath on Prospect Rd very soon. New elementary being built south of Timnath.
New schools = major growth

Dont get trapped in hunting / fishing close to FoCo. There is much better hunting the further away you go.
Definitely worth the drive.

You can hunt/fish in Wyoming in an hour +
You can hunt in Nebraska 3+ hrs
You can hunt in Kansas 3-4 hrs

Get a small boat, an atv and a snowmobile and you be able to fish / hunt every month of the year
[Thats what I do]

I25 to Denver is a deathtrap. They are finally making a 3rd lane to help congestion.

It will help if you vote 'RED'....

Arent taxes crazy high in MN? I like the thought of new schools for the kids. How much does a deer tag cost in WY, NE or KS?

 

[Fatcamp]

The interstate and trying to get somewhere at a particular time in Fort Collins are the difference. Cruising the outskirts doesn't really give you a full taste of what it's like.

 

[Titan_Bow]

I’ve lived in northern Colorado for 15 years. My wife and I moved here from South Carolina. We are just a little south of Loveland and Fort Collins, 13 years in Longmont and now 2 in Erie. I think this is a great place to raise kids. As a father of a special needs child, the services and facilities available for our daughter are unheard of in many parts of the country. Being in an area where you’ve got access to both urban and rural environments is nice. Real estate prices are really expensive. East of i-25 will get you more house for the money but the commutes gonna suck. Traffic along I-25 has gotten progressively worse. They are in the midst of widening it, but it’s pretty bad. However, if you’ve ever driven in Atlanta or Boston or LA, you’d probably laugh at what we are calling bad traffic.
I think the marijuana thing gets blown out of proportion. Sure it’s legal to buy it, but the people that make it sound like the whole population is walking or driving around high, are just constantly on the lookout for it to reinforce their negative view of “potheads”. I’d be much more concerned with the possibility of drunk drivers leaving one of the many craft beer tap rooms than I would be of someone whose smoked a joint.
The congestion in the mountains is the one thing that I hate about Colorado. It’s so bad now. Forget archery hunting designated Wilderness, because there is going to be 20 trucks at every trailhead. Forget those spur of the moment family camping trips because every campsite is occupied. Forget going for a hike if you didn’t plan right and leave the house at 4am, because there will be no parking at the trailhead. I will say though, Poudre Canyon is way less stressful than trying to come back down the i-70 corridor on a Sunday afternoon!
The area has definitely increased in population in the 15 years we’ve been here. But it has been a great place to raise our kids. When our kids are off to college and out of the house though, my wife and I are going to be looking elsewhere, most likely Montana.


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[Whiskey_Fish]

...my wife and I are going to be looking elsewhere, most likely Montana.


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Keep going up and left. That’s my motto. If you get to Seattle, go around and keep on going.


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[curt514]

I moved my two kids and wife from Missouri a couple years ago. We were looking at Colorado and Utah. I have family in Colorado and my wife has family in Utah. Just a broad look at both.

Between the two Colorado has a higher crime rate, higher population density, and higher cost of living. I had been going back and forth and through Denver for the last 10 years and the amount it has changed is amazing. I looked at going south but there is a limited job market if you go much further south than Colorado Springs. I looked at the Fort Collins area as well but it was about the same. Don’t get me wrong but the job listings at the time were pretty limited and the posted wages were about the same as what I was making in MO but 4x higher cost for housing.

I was not really interested in the Salt Lake area because let’s face it, who really wants to live closer to their in-laws? Not to mention the “stigma” that goes along with Utah but we gave it a shot. I found a job “industrial maintenance “ pretty easily and my wife was able to get on with the state shortly after. I will admit we have not had the best lock with the schools. Seems like everything around here is stuck in the 80’s. Half day kindergarten, half day Friday’s, seems like no schools at least one day every couple weeks. If you have a dual income household and small kids you understand what kind of issues that causes. If you stayed in the main valley, Salt Lake and surrounding towns, then the commute can be a pain depending on distance and time of day. We move to Tooele. Small town the next valley over. My commute is 30min in and around 35min back and my wife’s is around 40-45min. But we are back to the small town feel. Housing is higher than MO but still about 25% less than CO, depending on the area. lots of tech jobs, manufacturing, mining, oil/gas, medical, etc. And something that seems hard to find but for a large city the streets make sense. They started with a grid and stuck to it. If you have the address you can figure out how to get just about anywhere without having to use GPS.


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