Not to live… - 3/11/2022

Moved my family here a few months ago and have been so disappointed. Housing is dismal - you get low quality and almost nothing for what you’re paying. The house we’re renting would easily sell for $600k, but the lot is so tiny, I can literally watch my neighbor make dinner in her kitchen from any window on the right side of the house. Most roads are in poor condition, drivers are some of the worst I’ve experienced and traffic is atrocious. No thought or planning was put into the layout of the town - nothing is conveniently located, neighborhoods back up to industrial areas, trailers parked next to country club mansions. The smell… the cherry on top… more often than not it smells like stockyards outdoors because it wafts over from the town next door. I’m sure FoCo is nice enough to visit, but I wouldn’t live here if given a house for free.

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the train... - 12/13/2021

There is a high cost of living in all of Colorado, and there is a train that runs through the town a honks its horn for about 5 min straight which is very annoying especially at 3 AM. That is why the city loses 2 star IMO. Other than that it is a very fun place to be, friendly people, good weather, feels safe, lots to do.

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50 shades of white and impoverished - 7/22/2021

My family established our home in Larimer County in 1973; this area, Fort Collins, was a quaint, western-ish town we loved to visit. So I’ve visited FoCo multiple times a year since until 2016 when I relocated here from the east coast. FoCo is more expensive than the DC beltway, the city’s planning division, under the leadership of a long-time city manager who sold this place out, has catered to developers making the city completely unaffordable for the majority of service sector employees. The majority are in poverty, but on the bright side, if you’re white, and you really only want to live amongst white people, and be poor, this is your place!

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Lost its charm - 6/13/2021

I moved to Fort Collins in 1993. I loved it. People were friendly and it felt like a community. Now, it doesn't. The growth has created traffic problems that can not be solved because the town is too built up to add or widen roads. The cost of housing has skyrocketed, forcing many long term residents out of the community. There is a significant homeless population which was forced out of the down town area into other parts of town. It has a pretty downtown, lots of bike paths and is close to outdoor recreation but the trails are packed and bike paths are crowded. People aren't as friendly but they do like dogs. It is no longer affordable to live here unless you have a very good job. Even New Belgium an iconic micro brewery that made it big was sold to a foreign mega brewer. You might like Fort Collins if you move here (if you are upper middle class) but you would have liked it more ten years ago.

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Fort Collins could be great. - 7/14/2020

I used to live in Fort Collins and it had its ups and downs:Ups: 1. Great Climate2. Healthy Population3. Plentiful things to doDowns: 1. Population that go off of the majority2. Growth and Sprawl3. Expensive 4. ClaustrophobicSo all in all, Fort Collins could be great if its population would decease would spread out more and the house prices would go down.

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Love It!!! But there are some downers - 12/26/2019

I love It here!!! Outstanding Schools,Educated Population,An Assortment Of Stuff To Do & Entertainment, hidden-gem type and fairly new parks,college-town amenities,nearby recreation, stuff to interest to the historic interest,shop & restaurant-ridden streets,pleasant summers,friendly people, and mostly smiles all around but the downers are a small population of unfriendly people & harsh winters also don't forget lengthy hours of sitting in "stand-still traffic" some gritty areas the growth & sprawl and whatnot...

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Plus and Minus - 10/27/2019

We moved from the midwest to Fort Collins in 2014. Pluses: Beautiful location near Rocky Mountains, historic Old Town with lots of annual festivals, events, restaurants, outstanding breweries, active arts culture. Good K-12 school district and charter schools, excellent health care, tons of outdoor recreation like biking, hiking, white water rafting. It takes two - three hours to get to ski resorts. But it's less than an hour to Estes and Rocky Mountain National Park. People are incredibly friendly. Lots of great churches and other religious organizations, highly educated population, generally well balanced liberal vs conservative politics, home of outstanding Colorado State University (CSU). Only an hour drive to Denver and to Denver International Airport (DIA) as well. Property and sales taxes are lower than in the midwest probably due to Colorado tourism. Fort Collins has well managed city and county government. Beautiful and well maintained city, county, state and federal parks. Cons: population is increasing rapidly and roads are totally inadequate. Traffic congestion is nasty in town and all along the I25 corridor (eastern side of the Rockies). Although we still have lots of sunshine, the air pollution in eastern Colorado is getting worse and it's noticeable most days. There's not a lot of diversity in Fort Collins but it's improving. BIGGEST con is minimal affordable housing choices, especially if you want to buy a single family home! Too many condos and apartments. Not many cities or towns are perfect.

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Not so wonderful - 5/20/2019

It's a very attractive city at the base of the Rocky mountains. There's a great deal to do, with something for everyone. However, the new construction is destroying all the city green spaces to build more houses, so the trees are disappearing and the housing cost is much too high. You just don't get a whole lot for your money unless you want to live outside of town. The traffic is much too dense, because the town is becoming overpopulated, as well as the surrounding areas, and the roads, especially the highways, are not enough to keep up with all the new traffic from the constant building around the town. Denver is about 65 miles down the interstate, but the congestion is so bad that it can take hours to get to your destination. The state will not pay to develop a commuter train, which would solve the traffic issue and severely decrease pollution. They just won't do it. I've lived all over the country, in Chicago and Los Angelos, and the road rage here is WORSE. The anger and aggression is unimaginable. The crime rate is heavily increasing, and city is quickly losing it's appeal to me. There's also still a problem with racism here. It's better than some areas, but it's still too rampant. I'm losing interest in staying here.

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Need a good job to live here - 10/20/2016

I have lived here since 1995. The cost of living here is way about average. The city has grown and housing, food, medical, everything has gone through the roof. Its great for college students, lots of bars and things to do. Housing now is around 350,000 and up and rent close to 1,600 a month. The wages dont keep up with the high cost of things. We own a home, and now worth a lot of money. We are looking to get out, due to the cost of living, and to many people and the traffic is so bad. 30 mins to go 6 miles, is insane. I think I have had my fill of this place, property taxes are killing us. If your thinking of moving here, you better have a great job that pays a lot. I dont think I will miss it to much. Great for raising a family, but with all the growth comes more crime and issues. No perfect place on earth, but I will leave it to the college kids and the ones who want to pay a fortune for a home here. Good-luck. Winters are cold.

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Nice People and Nice Place to Live - 3/3/2016

I was in the Loveland and Fort Collins area for a while - I liked both, but found more fairness in the Ft Collins area. Honestly though both communities were nice communities. I rank it as one of the most friendly places I've lived. I also felt overall like I was treated with fairness, more than in some other places. I still have a friend or two in this area.

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Fort Collins Over All - 11/16/2015

I was born and raised in FTC and I now have 2 children growing up here. When I was growing up Fort Collins was an amazing place to live. It was safe with a lot of fun activities for kids and families. There are still tons of things to do with the family or as a single person but it was WAY over populated (partial thanks to the stupid legalization of pot) and with rude rich college kids. It use to take 10-15 minutes to drive across town but now it can take 30 to 45 minutes. Not to mention in order to buy a home here you are looking at spending 250K and up for a nice 3 bedroom home in a good neighborhood. The jobs that are being created here only pay minimum wage and that does not keep up with the cost of living. Renting a home.... if you do that you wont have any money left over for savings to buy a house or have for a rainy day. A 3 bedroom home here is 1600 a month if not more. Although you will not hear of the crime and drug problem in the local paper there is a huge problem here with drugs not to mention at least one stabbing every weekend in downtown FTC. They have also made it legal to beg for money on the street corners now ( we did not have pan handling here until a year ago) now it is like driving in downtown Denver. Everyone and their damn dog wants a free hand out! After being a native here my family and I are looking to move somewhere else in the US but unfortunately I feel like this is going to be a difficult task.

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Healthcare - 10/14/2015

The hospitals in and around Fort Collins are exceptional.

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Low humidity - 4/9/2015

Fort Collins has a fairly dry climate. This makes winters as well as summers more pleasant. The winters are a little too cold and long for me, but just right for my husband. We both enjoy the summers and being outdoors as much as possible.

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Very Expensive - 4/21/2014

Housing and food are so high in cost here. I have lived here for 20 years and ready to leave. I love the weather, but the cost of living and property taxes are to much. It takes 2 people to work and cant save anything. I am to old for the college town. I go downtown and its so full of young people. I know its a college town . To much drinking and because of the economy, we are seeing more people living with others. I dont understand with all the tourist here, why our taxes are so high. I love the mountains and the weather, but the city has changed alot. If you are into the bars and night life, this town is for you. Wages are low with sky rocket prices. I have owned 4 house here and the taxes keep going up. The food is horrible, not very good restaurants. People are somewhat snobby...and hard to get to know. I hope I am not that way after being here for 20 years. I will leave this place to the young at heart. Its not a bad place to live if you make alot of money. I am sure I will miss it.

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Lots to do, but unfriendly people! - 4/17/2014

I agree with the posts regarding the unfriendliness of the Fort & CO in general. There are many positives for Ft. Collins, but if you value personal connections & friendly neighbors it is not a good place. I grew up in San Diego, moved to the Fort 2008-2012 with my parents to attend CSU, & have been living in Normal, IL for 2 years of grad school. I have never been in a state where the people are so strange & distant. The transient nature, increasing new-age movement & the creepy secret military presence contribute to a dark vibe. Good luck making any genuine friends or putting down roots in a spirit-filled church, if that is important to you. My family & I attended 20+ different churches & never found a home church (comparatively, I made multiple friends in IL within my first week, & the first church I attended became my home). In four years there I made maybe 4 good friends, all who moved away after graduation due to the lack of jobs in the Fort. I didn’t like San Diego very much due to fast pace & overcrowding, but at least the people there I could connect with were real & had a depth of character. People in CO always seem to have a glazed-over look in their eye & have their head in the sky, which is appropriate due to the lack of oxygen at that elevation. Also very into their own lives with little concern for strangers who aren’t in their life bubble, and very suspicious of others. A great place if you like the outdoors, but be prepared to share your nature scape with a glut of other people with the same idea. There isn’t really much isolated wilderness left, & you often have to pay to enjoy it. There is a large Hispanic population here & while I loved my Hispanic friends in San Diego, those here tend to let their children run wild & regularly steal merch from Goodwill (my Dad worked there). The Mexican food is nowhere near as good or fresh-tasting as San Diego, for obvious reasons. Fort Collins has changed a lot in the last 2-3 years, and is beginning to become the next Boulder. It used to be the roads were clear & easy in the summer when the students were gone, but now traffic congestion is a year-round problem. Bus system is ok, but could be better. There are also very few jobs unless you work for the university, HP/Avago/Intel, or settle for a sales job (It took my dad 4 years to finally land a part-time graphic design job, & it was even hard for me to find a part-time job while a student). The rent is creeping up due to high demand, & you can’t find anything for under $1100-1200. My parents rent a 3-bedroom house for $1400/mo. They couldn’t move because they couldn’t find another pet-friendly place. All of that being said, the Fort does still have a lot of things going for it (I just happen to value social interaction slightly more highly than amenities - in my mind, who cares if there’s lots to do if you feel isolated?). Old Town is always a great place to hang out, with hidden gems if you know the right alleys to check out. There are 30+ bars with different vibes, so it is hard to get bored if you like to bar-hop (though only really one legit dance club, wish there were more of those). There is an incredible dance scene, particularly swing, blues & salsa (extending down to Denver). Probably the best part is how easy it is to buy fresh, organic food & live green. CSAs & natural groceries abound & I got raw milk from a dairy in Windsor. The local breweries are awesome. There are a lot of hip restaurants & fairly good sushi for being landlocked. It is the most bike-friendly place I have ever lived, with bike lanes & 25 miles of trails. It is the most laid-back of the four main cities (Denver, Boulder, CO Springs & FoCo). Close proximity to snow sports (1.5 - 2.5 hrs). The weather is pretty good, with a lot of sunshine & warm days interspersed between snow storms. Overall I’d rank it 3 out of 10 for interpersonal connection, 9 out of 10 for things to do, & 6.5 out of 10 for affordability/liveability.

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the city - 11/4/2012

I love it diverse and generally good people . But with the good comes the bad

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Fort Collins is the best - 2/27/2012

Fort Collins is a great city to live in. Good housing, good hospitals, the best university in the State of Colorado and everything else you may need to spend your time - outdoor life, restaurants, entertainment, medical and vet care, great weather; second best veterinary school in the country. Fort Collins is definitely the best place to live. Person that wrote about the "stink" must definitely be thinking about the neighboring city of Greeley, an agricultural area where it does smell like manure year-round; not so Fort Collins.

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Love the weather - 2/8/2012

Fort Collins its a great place to live, nice schools, low crime, very expensive but beautiful

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Cohesive community - 7/18/2011

I don't usually reply to posts on line but have been scanning the Fort Collins site in a fit of homesickness... I loved that last comprehensive (and almost encyclopedic!) post about this sweet city. Very accurate in my estimation. I'm one of a bajillion non-natives who adopted Fort Collins as home and never, ever felt dissed or snubbed by the natives... as if I could even figure out who is native and who isn't. Who cares, is a better response to all that. To the contrary, Ft. Collins welcomes visitors, students, and diversity of all sorts. This is a small city that has a center and a cohesive sense of community - something so many places have lost in the sprawl of the second half of the last century, and something, I might add, we will all need again as the problems we have created in the world come home to roost and we have to again turn to each other for support and resources. I think Fort Collins is just about perfect for that sort of lifestyle - not to even mention everything already mentioned in terms of beauty, climate, education and culture, and outdoor fun everyplace you look. Oh, and if you love organic/healthy food you'll find it in stores (food co-op, Whole Foods, and elsewhere) and restaurants; your own garden will succeed here, too, with all the great sunny days. It seems I have not remedied my homesickness at all, now that I think of it!

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9 out of 10 for its size. 12 yr resident. Comprehe - 7/6/2011

I'm going to try and cover everything I can think of... I have been a Fort Collins transplant since July of 1999. Climate - Beautiful 4 seasons, a few winter snow storms not usually with much accumulation - occasionally a few ft. but then everyone gets a snow day! Temps anywhere from 30s to teens... with occasional negative temps. Spring/Summer occasional thundershowers. Summers anywhere from 80s to high 90s with rare 100s if any. We have breezy days that cool you off when its too hot. Cost of Living - I would say its a little higher than average... Gas is generally about $.25-$.75 cents less than CA but about $.25-$.75 more than places like WY. Groceries are a little more expensive but taxpayers approved a 2.25% tax on groceries that contributes to that. (Speaking of taxpayers... they generally like to increase taxes for silly stuff like parks and recreation.) Rent has recently increased to a level that I consider too expensive for the area. A 2 bdrm apartment is about $900-$1200. (I can't tell you about home ownership other than to say the "rich" areas of town are around 300k and the lower end about 190k.) Utilities I consider to be cheap... coming from CA. Again 2 bdrm apt runs about $50 (frugal) to $100 (above average usage) a month. Crime- Generally not so bad for the population. We've had a few bike/car stealing sprees in the last 12 yrs. A few (major in my eyes) violent crimes. A guy that was entering open windows and molesting women one summer. Then there was a guy that posed as a cop and killed a girl about 8-9 yrs ago. He turned himself in. I know that sounds pretty bad, but seriously in 12 years that is the worst I've seen for crime. There are CSU college parties that get shut down by police sometimes, but in recent years have gotten better. We have many very nice neighborhoods with little crime and a few bad neighborhoods with more crime. There is some gang activity. If Compton is a 10 for gang activity Ft. Collins is a 2. And this behavior is concentrated in those few bad neighborhoods. Politics - I can never tell it varies with all the CSU students. But it may lean more towards democrats. Its close. Religion is mostly Catholic and Protestant. There are a few mega churches in town. The Latter Day Saints are thinking or trying to build a temple here. (I don't know much about it). There is an Orthodox church just outside of town. I think there are a lot of churches in town. Just about all major religions have a meeting place here. Transportation - One of my only Ft Collins pet peeves. No Sunday service and Mon-Sat is 6am-7pm. However, they do cater to the University... during the school year there are later buses but only to areas that have high student population. They've been trying to work on this in recent years but I'm still disappointed. They do have decent disabled services (although they may have made some cuts to it this year). Under 18 is free and Adults are 1.25 per ride or you can buy an annual pass for $154. We have a lot of bike trails and bikers in the community. Social Services - This is a great community for helping those in need. We have 2 homeless shelters that are tucked away and not an "eye-sore" as some would say. There are many social service agencies that help with many needs. Health - Excellent! We have a magnet hospital (not sure what that means LOL) but I have been there many times with kids and adults (I know a lot of accident prone people hehe) and they have always taken very good care of everyone in a timely manner. (even the ones who had trouble paying) There are many excellent Doctor's offices and even low income resources. Additionally, we have excellent disabled resources here. Education - K-12 Average to Above Average with a few free charter schools. Higher Ed - Above Average to Excellent. Community College, University, Several specialty colleges. Costs are reviewed by this website. Last bit... Culture/Recreation/Quality of Life - Excellent!! Horsetooth Reservoir 15 mins away, the best damn DOG PARK in the state of Colorado, awesome parks, a water park for kids, so many biking trails its sick. Tree City! We are a bunch of outdoorsy folks. So many outdoor recreation opportunities within 30 mins I can't list. Culture... I'm not as versed on. We have a newly remodeled arts center for music/plays etc. We have a dinner theater. We have more restaurants per capita than most other cities this size. I can't think of everything but message if you have a specific question on what we have here. Overall... I have lived in Santa Cruz/Felton, CA; Clovis/Fresno, CA; Auburn/Roseville/Sacramento, CA; Watsonville/Moss Landing, CA; Bremerton, WA; Reno, NV; Coos Bay, OR; and Millingon, TN. I've lived in crappy areas and nice areas... Fort Collins is the best place I've ever been. This community has grown so much in the last 12 years, but it has remained a great community. People are mostly very nice here(of course with all cities there are a few idiots) and its a slower paced city. Let me know if you have questions!! ~Laura

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