# Tell me about Fort Collins.



## SauronHimself (Nov 21, 2012)

There is a chance I could be relocating to Fort Collins, CO in the next couple months as I am a candidate for an engineering job there. I'll be flying out next week for the on-site interview, but I won't have enough time to explore.

If you've lived there or have visited, please tell me what the area is like.


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## wgscott (Jul 14, 2013)

Former GF lived in the next town over (Loveland). Her dad worked at HP in Ft. Collins. It is flat. Ft. Collins is a college town (Colo. State) and less pretentious than Boulder. Cyclists wave. It is very close to the Mtn Front Range, and far enough from Rocky Flats that your children will have a fighting chance of being born with the correct number of limbs. HTH.


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## SauronHimself (Nov 21, 2012)

wgscott said:


> Former GF lived in the next town over (Loveland). Her dad worked at HP in Ft. Collins. It is flat. Ft. Collins is a college town (Colo. State) and less pretentious than Boulder. Cyclists wave. It is very close to the Mtn Front Range, and far enough from Rocky Flats that your children will have a fighting chance of being born with the correct number of limbs. HTH.


I've been scouting apartments, and the rents appear higher there than here (upstate NY). However, houses don't look too outrageous, and I found a few in the mid $200k range in Loveland that look decent. I also heard the weather is nicer and that the snow melts quickly during the winter. Ideally, I'd want to live somewhere within a reasonable cycling range to work (<20 miles each way).


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## Peter P. (Dec 30, 2006)

I had the opportunity to visit twice, once for a week and another time for four days.

I borrowed a bike for both visits.

As has been said, IT'S FLAT. There's a network of bike lanes and paths that will get you just about anywhere in the city. It was my first time riding in a locale with dedicated bike lanes; drivers seemed to be very aware of my presence and my needs.

As you head toward the outskirts of town you get REAL long climbs, not the short stuff like we have in Connecticut. I rode to Estes Park (@45 miles one-way) and up Rist Canyon (@9 mile climb), nothing in between.

In the summer, there are thunderstorms that form in the mountains virtually every day. It looks like the storm is going to reach Fort Collins AND YOU ARE GOING TO DIE. But it never reaches the city. I guess you DO have to be out of the mountains before the afternoon, however.

It did seem the town had a lot of variety, life, and entertainment due to the college.


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## wgscott (Jul 14, 2013)

Yes, it is very sunny and the snow melts quickly. However, winter basically goes from mid Nov. to mid May. It gets very hot in the summer, but the daily 3pm thunder storm helps moderate it. If you don't do winter sports, you will probably commit suicide when those weird winds start blowing down from the mountains. The Rocky Mtn National Park entrance is quite close. It is also reasonably close to Boulder, if you want to see blond-haired blue-eyed people.


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## SauronHimself (Nov 21, 2012)

Well I hope I get an offer. Fort Collins looked like a really nice area, and I got a driving tour from my recruiter's real estate friend. She took me up the switchbacks to Horse Tooth Reservoir which has a nice view of the town.


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## OldChipper (May 15, 2011)

Might be a bit late, but here goes... While I've never lived there (we live further south near Golden), I have several friends who have lived in Ft. Collins and have enjoyed it. As has been noted, it's a state college town (with a world-class veterinary school if that's of interest). Rental rates across the whole Front Range (Colorado Springs to Ft. Collins) are on the high side lately due to restricted supply, but I've heard the situation is improving. Real Estate prices have been increasing at some of the highest rates in the nation, but mainly in the Denver/Boulder area with Boulder being the worst (median home price in Boulder is over $650K vs. Denver which is $340K-ish). 

Riding is generally good year-round - I've logged over 2000 miles already in 2016 and I don't ride when the roads are sloppy or it's much below 40 degrees. As has been mentioned, we get relatively few major snowstorms in the plains cities along the Front Range and it usually melts very quickly due to abundant sunshine. Around Ft. Collins there's a lot of flat farmland but the canyons to the west/south offer plenty of long climbs. Most of the climbing in Colorado is long (5-10 miles) but not super steep (average grade maybe 6% at the most) like back East or in Europe where they have long AND steep. The major exception is Pikes Peak which just recently began allowing bikes "year round" (though to do it in the winter would be nuts) which is long, steep and tops out at 14,000+ feet. Many many cycling events, charity rides, races, fondos, etc. etc. etc. in Colorado. One potential down side is that, especially around Boulder, it's hard to swing a dead cat without hitting a world-class endurance athlete, current/former pro racer, etc. so your performance expectations vis a vis your fellow riders may be adjusted. Many people in Colorado take their sports very seriously and there are few sports that aren't done here (surfing comes to mind) at a high level. 

Lots of good bike shops in the area as well. 

We moved here 25 years ago from SW Pennsylvania and have loved every day since.


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