Fort Collins vs Southern WY

OP
Fever Buck
Joined
Jun 21, 2020
Messages
803
Taxes and people/community/culture differences have already been mentioned, but one thing I might add is to give some thought and research to commute differences. Which place will give you the best driving experiences?

Obviously there's snow and ice considerations, but also road maintenance, people, mentality, and numbers. Are the drivers better in Wyo - are they safer, more knowledgeable about driving in that weather? What about traffic flows - does one location give you a better experience driving to/from at the time of day you'll be driving? Where are you less likely to experience compacted snow/ice, because of traffic? Which area is better at maintaining their roads under those conditions? Stuff like that.
Yeah the driving is a good point as well. Was hoping others on this board could provide insight to the commute from Ft Collins to Cheyenne or other areas nearby. I’m very ignorant of it.
 

Wyo_hntr

WKR
Joined
Oct 20, 2023
Messages
1,296
Location
Wy
The commute is what it is. From December to May its a roll of the dice depending on the weather. This year hasn't been bad. Last year was awful. The wind is the primary issue. Blowing snow shuts the interstate down frequently.

I had to commute to ft collins for a week of training. By Friday I was completely over it. Couldn't imagine doing it every week for years on end. But maybe I'm spoiled.
 

fngTony

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jan 18, 2016
Messages
5,719
A former employer of mine did daily delivery runs from Denver to Cheyenne. The drive was brutal because of potential wind and road hazards causing a lot of productivity problems. Normally I would put the commute towards the bottom of my concerns but in this case I would rank it in the top three. You really have to pick your poison between political environment or crappy ass weather. Personally I’d find a place right off I25 near FC but not in the middle of town, that will calm the political climate some and reduce the drive by a good 30 minutes.

After you’ve worked that job for year you’ll know much better about your preferences and use that to negotiate for either a raise (Colorado cost of living) or relocation allowance to move to Wyoming.
 
OP
Fever Buck
Joined
Jun 21, 2020
Messages
803
The commute is what it is. From December to May its a roll of the dice depending on the weather. This year hasn't been bad. Last year was awful. The wind is the primary issue. Blowing snow shuts the interstate down frequently.

I had to commute to ft collins for a week of training. By Friday I was completely over it. Couldn't imagine doing it every week for years on end. But maybe I'm spoiled. Yeah I’m definitely not look in forward to it. My commute right now is about 25-30 min but

The commute is what it is. From December to May its a roll of the dice depending on the weather. This year hasn't been bad. Last year was awful. The wind is the primary issue. Blowing snow shuts the interstate down frequently.

I had to commute to ft collins for a week of training. By Friday I was completely over it. Couldn't imagine doing it every week for years on end. But maybe I'm spoiled.
My commute right now is 25-30 min and I used to have a 1.5-2 hour one way commute in Atlanta. I’ve always said I’d pay a premium to never have to commute like that again. Figured North Fort Collins/Wellington would be closer to 30-35 min. But I’d also love to be right next to work and a WY resident if I could.
 
Joined
Jun 15, 2017
Messages
2,438
Location
San Antonio
My commute right now is 25-30 min and I used to have a 1.5-2 hour one way commute in Atlanta. I’ve always said I’d pay a premium to never have to commute like that again. Figured North Fort Collins/Wellington would be closer to 30-35 min. But I’d also love to be right next to work and a WY resident if I could.
It's not about the commute time, that stretch of i25 is pretty reliable but still gets nasty and dangerous at times. That's not something I'd want to feel pressured into driving to avoid missing work when it gets bad. One crash and you'll regret it.
 
Joined
Jul 22, 2018
Messages
657
Location
Colorado
Humans shouldn't live in a place where semi trucks get blown over on a somewhat regular basis. I live in Greeley, and travel about an hour at most to shoe horses. I won't go to Cheyenne or Denver though. Denver, because it's Denver. Cheyenne because of the wind. The people that say the wind in Cheyenne isn't that bad, probably work inside, and definitely don't shoe horses.

I'd look at a NOCO town east of the interstate (Windsor, Timnath, Eaton, Greeley). Or as others have said, Wellington.
 
Joined
Jun 15, 2017
Messages
2,438
Location
San Antonio
Also, if you blow up your TV, love your neighbor, and take responsibility for your own life and family, the politics don't matter. Pick which place you like better for any reason besides that.
It's nice to have like-minded neighbors though, not that Cheyenne is the shining gem of that but fwiw.
 
OP
Fever Buck
Joined
Jun 21, 2020
Messages
803
Also, if you blow up your TV, love your neighbor, and take responsibility for your own life and family, the politics don't matter. Pick which place you like better for any reason besides that.
I try not to let politics affect me here in CO, but when they try to remove your 2A rights and slowly erode your hunting opportunities, then it’s hard to ignore.
 

Wyo_hntr

WKR
Joined
Oct 20, 2023
Messages
1,296
Location
Wy
You could always just move and deal with everything as it comes. That's what I did 12yrs ago.
 

Hnthrdr

WKR
Joined
Jan 29, 2022
Messages
3,535
Location
The West
Man I loved FC circa 2008… now boulder north is getting more accurate :/ which is a shame, probably didn’t help it was the top town in the U.S. to live in like 5 years running back then… we collected way too much liberal trash in Co, wind blows in Cheyenne, but being a wyo resident has some sweet benefits. Some really cool country just north of the border if you could swing some acreage up there might get you out of some of the wind
 
OP
Fever Buck
Joined
Jun 21, 2020
Messages
803
Man I loved FC circa 2008… now boulder north is getting more accurate :/ which is a shame, probably didn’t help it was the top town in the U.S. to live in like 5 years running back then… we collected way too much liberal trash in Co, wind blows in Cheyenne, but being a wyo resident has some sweet benefits. Some really cool country just north of the border if you could swing some acreage up there might get you out of some of the wind
Probably a dumb question, but how does more acreage help with the wind?
 
OP
Fever Buck
Joined
Jun 21, 2020
Messages
803
Commuting from FC
"Honey, I'll be a little late for dinner......on Wednesday"
View attachment 688465

Rent in Cheyenne. Consider it a scouting trip.
definitely a valid point. Should probably rent until I figure out what’s acceptable as far as missing days at the job. Don’t want weather to get me fired.
 

Fatcamp

WKR
Joined
May 31, 2017
Messages
5,808
Location
Sodak
Everything about driving in FC sucks. It was never meant to have that much traffic.

Trying to get out of there and an hour away every day? That sounds horrible regardless of which direction you go.
 

Scottyboy

WKR
Joined
Dec 17, 2016
Messages
1,131
Location
Minnesota
High housing prices are number one. It's 2hrs away from any good hunting (at a minimum). The school district sucks.

It's apart of the front range. Make no mistake about it, it's changing and not for the better.

That's it in a nutshell. Feel free to pm for more details.
Where would you recommend someone look that has good school districts? I recently took a new job at my employer and can live anywhere within 3hrs of an airport. I don’t much trust the google or Zillow estimates. I was in ten sleep late last year for work and decided I need to end up in WY for many reasons (yes, I know the winters suck but they also suck here in northern MN….at least you get snow, so that’s a huge plus!!).
 
Top