Fort Collins

other than the dirty people, you will love everyone that has something to complain about…and it is always the governments fault in their eyes. shitty bars, shitty people, it will always be a drug infested under-age alcohol driven place. A place like this should not grow, only burn to ashes in Hell.

If you have to stop here, then go visit the Coopersmith Brewery [even if you came to see the New Belgium (Fat Tire, 1554, etc.) brewery] instead.

www.coopersmithspub.com

Fort Collins is a cute little town, but nothing super duper special. It is definitely dominated by the presence of Colorado State University. The downtown area is old, but quaint and charming. CSU campus is OK, but nothing to stop the presses over.

Seemed like a pretty OK little town, until I rolled through Boulder, now that’s a real college town.

Get the FRAMBOSIN!

I was one year old when we first moved to FoCo. Those were the best 16 years of my life! I really was blessed with a wonderful childhood.

maybe because my brother graduated from here… I had a lot of fun times when I would go to visit him… a nice cool atmosphere most of the year.

My friends & I would take the 30-45 min drive from Cheyenne to Ft Collins to party about once a month! It is a beautiful place!

FC is a good town. Great downtown, a decent mix of old Colorado cowboys and progressive types, college kids, hippies, punks, yuppies, rednecks. Few minorities live here except Hispanics which provide the majority of the culture here. The beer is fantastic, we have 3 excellent breweries and a good brew pub here with cask pale ale. There’s one brewery that’s not so great but I won’t name it here. Close to the mountains too!

However, we are thinking about moving to upstate NY where my wife is from. Don’t get me wrong, FC is a great place but it’s not quite right for us. If you like a nice rainy day or snow storms, you’ll be disappointed. It is practically a desert here. Little snow except for a few storms, and little rain. If you like the colors brown, gold, yellow, and sienna then you’ll love Fort Collins. My wife’s sinuses go through hell in the winter becuase of the lack of humidity. Most of the time campfires are banned in the summer because of forest fire risks. We have been in a bad drought for the past few years, hopefully that’ll change soon.

The job situation is fairly good here. However, most tech jobs are in the Boulder, Longmont, Denver area. Look hard enough and long enough you’ll probably find something in FC. The price of housing is pretty high along the front range and the pay employers dish out really doesn’t make up for it.

People ask a lot about bad neighborhoods. There aren’t really any bad neighborhoods, just bad streets scattered here and there, particularly on the north side of town. They are easy to spot, the structures just look run down. There’s a healthy homeless population but I’ve never felt threatened at night. I think it’s a pretty safe place to live overall.

fun fun fun! go rams

I still have family there so I head back to Fort Collins at least once or twice a year. The schools are top notch…could NOT have imagined growing up anywhere else. And did you know Ft. Collins has more restaurants per capita than any other city in the US? (The most microbreweries, too…I think) Some favorites that I always like to try to get to when I’m back: Coopersmith’s (great pub/microbrewery with AMAZING burgers & sandwiches), Avogadro’s Number (their legendary Fried Cheese is the closest thing to heaven…I won’t eat it anywhere else!!!), and in recent years I’ve discovered Lamar’s Donuts. THE BEST DONUTS AROUND…puts Krispy Kreme to shame! And don’t get me started on Cracker Barrel…how I WISH we had one of those out here in California! Oh, and if you like toffee, you have NEVER had anything as good as Vern’s Toffee…locally made. If you don’t think you’ll get to Fort Collins soon…order their toffee online in the meantime…you won’t be sorry! My boyfriend in L.A. tells me not to come back from a FC visit unless I’m carrying a box of Vern’s Toffee!!!

But besides the schools and amazing food, there is nice shopping, plus it’s a GORGEOUS city with tons of green space, parks, etc…great if you’re a biker as the bike lanes in most places are as wide as the roads! Close to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, which are amazing in the Fall (when the Aspen trees turn colors) and the winter (when their barren white trunks set against the white snow). Some fun shopping/eating/sightseeing up at Estes…and there are even some casinos within a couple of hours drive (Central City, Blackhawk, etc.) if you’re into that. Plus, it’s SAFE; it’s a college town so most people are very educated and progressive-minded; there are four distinct, beautiful seasons (although don’t let the idea of “snowy winters” scare you, as it is so dry and sunny there that even the heaviest snow usually melts within several days, unlike the treacherous midwest); it’s only an hour north of Denver so heading down for a Broncos, Rockies or Avalanche game (IF you can get tickets!!) isn’t too big of a trip; plus Colorado’s new minor league hockey team, the Colorado Eagles, play out at the new Budweiser Center just outside of town in Windsor…which is SO much fun (Colorado LOVES its sports teams)!!

Anyway, can you tell I love it? The people are warm and REAL, and family oriented (and believe me, I know the difference after having lived in L.A. for nearly 18 years now)...it’s just a very, very special place. Everyone I’ve ever spoken to that’s been to Fort Collins (or most anywhere in Colorado, actually), has loved it, and made an immediate promise to themselves to go back.

I hope for those of you who have never been, you will definitely consider it—either to visit, or even better, to LIVE. Have fun!!!