There are so many reasons to move to Fort Collins so I’ll start with a few and may continue to add to this based on comments and suggestions.
Time! Fort Collins has over 300 days of sunshine a year … take that Seattle! And unlike California, we have a dry heat with very little humidity … take that East Coast, Texas, and the Midwest.
The fun! We are located in a bike friendly city with hundreds of bike lanes to ride around town or head up into the hills to find bike trails that range in capacity from easy to Oh nooooooo ….. You will find plenty of outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, camping, cross-country skiing, boating, 4-wheelers and much more.
School: Colorado State University is nationally recognized and has a top ten veterinarian program along with accredited engineering programs and a business school.
Jobs: HP, Poudre Valley Hospital, Colorado State University are 3 of the top employers, but there are also plenty of small businesses with great entrepreneurship hanging around town.
Restaurants – literally hundreds of options to choose from … do you want fancy food, pub food, or family style because we’ve got them all?
Breweries: You need some beer to go with that meal … well, stop by the New Belgium Brewery for one of their most beloved beers, Fat Tire. Or you can visit the Budweiser plant and possibly see the Clydesdales in the back … or maybe buy an Easy Street Wheat at Odell’s Brewery … but if you want to play pool while drinking, head over to Coopersmith’s and ask for a condition of Keg Punjabi Ale – You will fall in love with it.
Arts – The Northern Colorado area is filled with art galleries and sculpture everywhere. Make sure to see the sculpture in the old town by the fountain … is it flying ducks or geese?
Mountains – They are huge and a great way to navigate because along the front ridge the mountains are to the west … that has saved me hours of aimlessly circling in hopes of finding something that looks familiar … And the best part is that they will always be there when you need them.
75 mph – Wow! In fact, we can drive 75 on the highway … it’s like the Coloautobahn in our own backyard. But watch out for my mom, as she’s that person driving 65 in the speed lane and it looks like the Cadillac is driving just because you can’t see the top of your head … be sure to wave as you pass!
Did I mention the weather? Not just 300+ days of sunshine a year, but less than 15 inches of rain … Seattle didn’t get this for a weekend this spring? Also, if you are lucky enough to live in a south-facing house, you can throw away the shovel because the sun will melt almost any snowstorm in one day.
Many people like me moved to Colorado for the winter fun in the mountains, but it’s the summers that will keep you here. Just make sure you respect mother nature as she is unforgiving and you will love living in Fort Collins … I came here for school … that was 11 years ago!