Thoughts on Fort Morgan

[bco24]

Fort Morgan is not the ideal town, but its not the worst, I grew up in Brush. There's a lot industries in FM, Leprino, Cargil, Western Surger, and some other ones. Ya it does stink, some days worse than others. When I really think about it, there isn't much to say about FM, people have called it the drug capital of I-76. A lot of people know it as the town that stinks, some people call it Fort Mexico, because there's a big hispanic populations. Both Brush and FM's school systems aren't that great. FM does have a decent Community Colllege, but other than that, you're better off lookin at Sterling or something.

[left & came back]

I have never seen such talk about a town you hate so. If you don't like where you are at MOVE. Fort Morgan has wonderful things happening right now. The hospital has a full team of Dr. willing and able to do major surgery or to having your lips increased. The Airlife can land on the roof of the hospital or there is a small fully functional airport to use. New houses are being built to increase the value of Fort Morgan. Many people from Denver have decided to move here and drive I-76 to Denver (1hour)then fight triaffic for longer then that and only go 15-30 miles to home. There are wonderful things for the kids to get involved in. Gymnatics, swim team, singing through the school. The high school has a play every year that encourages all age groups to join in. Yes the beet factory is here but only runs for three months out of the year. The Excel is a wonderful tax base for the community. So One day each month they burn the blood. Its not so bad that the housing by it has fallen in prices. There are many more enjoyable things to do. [cut] If you are really interested in Fort Morgan read on the web the paper--The Fort Morgan Times or look up at the houses for sale on Colorado home finders. Otherwise keep an open mind--there is a population that is pretty impressive for such a so called "dump". There is a theater on main street that has four shows each week and they show them twice nightly. Brush has a roller rink for the kids to go to. There is an indoor pool at one of the heath clubs to play in. In the summer the outdoor pool in fun for all ages.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by left & came back

I have never seen such talk about a town you hate so. If you don't like where you are at MOVE.

He is 17 yrs old! And unfortunately, many communities don't provide much for kids that are marching to a different drummer, don't want to do the usual organized stuff.

[reetzmarie]

You could write a book? You must have had one good teacher. Was it your mom? You should do your research a little better though. As you may find out that teen pregnancy is at an all time low. Drug manufaturing and use is at higher per capita than Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming, including Denver and Omaha! Where did those stats come from? Please let me know.

Hey, you are young, so you still have time to learn and grow. Hopefully you will begin to see the positive side of life. Seems to me that you are pretty down on yourself by the way you have put others down. Mexicans and drug users...well...since you obviously dont know, these are two seperate classifications. One is a race of people. The others are a group of people afflicted by addiction and disease.

I am a Mexican American. (A Latina, if you will.) I'm not a drug user and do not steal things in my spare time. I do have a job (administrative) and have raised 4 children here. Two of them left after high school and then returned to live here! My children are also Mexicans! Who have jobs in this community and also attend college!

I have taught them to do their best. Make the community they live in better. Not to whine or make excuses. I hope they teach their children to do the same. I didnt mention my little Mexican grandchildren, did I? Well they live here too. I have been here since the 3rd grade. May parents were born in Colorado, their parents were born in Colorado. And so on... We think Fort Morgan is a great community to live in. We must do what we can to improve and contribute to what ever community we are in.

As you mature I hope your attitude and disposition improve. Going through life with a negative attitude wont get you anywhere no matter where you run off to when (& if ) you graduate. If you do give someone in Fort Morgan some credit.

[treasurehuntermom]

Like any other town, there are plusses and minuses to living in Fort Morgan.

On the plus side, the weather beats the Chicago area, where we lived for twelve years. It does snow here, but the snow usually melts away after a few days and the weather warms to around forty to fifty again. If you are in to cultural things like plays and symphonies, you can get tickets to things in Denver, about an hour and a half to two hours away. In Fort Morgan, things to do include the Library/museum, several parks (including one with ducks to feed, a walking trail along the river, and a swimming pool that was just redone a few years ago. You can get a variety of activities for your kids here, including Tae Kwon Do, Dance lessons, voice lessons, guitar lessons, piano lessons, youth soccer, library activities, activities for kids at the Armory (through the Fort Morgan City Recreation Department), softball, baseball, club volleyball. The activities for kids in the schools include band, orchestra, sports, an international club, and a school musical in the fall and a school play in the spring.

There is a four screen movie theater in Fort Morgan that gets first run shows. (nice for a small town, not all small towns get that). Walmart took out a lot of the competition as far as shopping goes and the selection does seem limited. The Main Street Area may be four blocks long, but the bulk of the commerce is in a two block area. Our downtown area has a Hallmark Store, a JC Penney's, a Maurice's, a local pharmacy, the local paper, a quilting store, a book store, a florist, and a few other little stores. It is not the center of commerce that it was before the chain stores came in.

On the negative side. It is a farm economy, which means it does cycle a bit along with the trials of the farmers. Even the industry we have is mostly tied to farming. Leprino relies on the dairy farmers, the sugar beet factory, and the beef packing plant, for example. We do have a Wardcraft home factory now. Wages in Morgan County tend to run low, especially compared to the cost of housing and utilities, but that seems to be a problem all over the country. The teen pregnancy rate is fairly high. The drinking and drug problem is high. And the schools are struggling. We are on an "Improvement" plan with the State. The teen pregnancy problem is serious enough to warrant a day care at the high school level. There are not a lot of choices for schools, either. For private schools, there is a christian school halfway between Fort Morgan and Brush and Trinity Lutheran goes through the middle school, I think. For High School, it is either public school or home school.

There is a high percentage of non english speaking kids in the schools. I do not know what the percentage is, but I have been in the schools quite a bit and I see it. Many of the children do not speak English. The beef packing plant has begun to bring in workers from Somalia and the Congo, as well. There are also a lot of kids at the high school that have decided that it is a waste of their time and do not bother to do the work it takes to learn, make good grades, and prepare for college or the "real world".

People are so busy trying to make a living that they do not take the time to be friendly. Also, many people here never left and they have been here for generations, so the social aspect is not as open as the suburb in Chicago where we lived and people moved constantly. There is also a strong sense of "We've always done it THIS way" here.

[livecontent]

Highplainsdweller,

I have heard your complaints from many people, in many different towns, in many different generations---I have said it, my friends have said it----we want to get out---we want to be somewhere else---it is the cry of youth. And you should try other places but do not be surprised in many years in the future, you will think fondly of the town of your youth and maybe just maybe you will return.

When your grandchildren sit on your knee, think of the stories that you will tell them, how hard is was, and perhaps, how beautiful it was.

[TinOmen]

Originally Posted by reetzmarie

You could write a book? You must have had one good teacher. Was it your mom?

Actually, I think I know who this kid is. And yes, it probably was his troll of a mother that was his Math teacher in middle school.

Fort Morgan has it's pluses and minuses, but overall it's a good town once you can get past the racism and the smell. I've been told you get used to it, I'm not sure how true that is yet since I haven't been here long enough to attempt such a feat.

I've met some very good people here and have had some great opportunities come my way since I've been here.

But, a previous poster mentioned that there is nothing for kids to do here and sadly that is true. The town has voted down a recreation center twice now and many of the kids here are so mentally lazy it boggles the mind. It's a small wonder our teen pregnancy rate is slightly higher that average.

Our Hispanic population is essentially the life blood of this town, though a good portion of my fellow Caucasians refuse to admit that. And with the Somali's coming in, it brings an ethnic diversity this down sorely needs. The minority population contributes more than most people know or see in their daily lives.

People say that we have a Meth problem here, the truth is that we have the same exact problem with meth here that exists everywhere else in the U.S. Fort Morgan is not a major hub for drug distribution, it may be a drop off point or a stop along the way for a distributor headed toward the front range. But there are those around here who use that sad and untrue argument as a knock against the Hispanic population.

If I can get around the stench, I might start to enjoy it here. True, you do have to deal with the small town attitudes toward the outside world. But, I am sure that once the older generation is Ft. Morgan starts to disappear we may see some more progressive attitudes from transplants and the younger generation that either sticks around or decides to come back. I tend not to look at the town for what it is, but for what it could be....

Although, now that I think about it the big trucks and country music get on my nerves.......

[warriorwiz]

If ya'll think it's so bad why don't you do something about it? I grew up there and now I intend to go back and start fixing things up. If you did the same thing we could make it a better place for everyone.

[warriorwiz]

Geosd,

I grew up in Fort Morgan from middle school through high school. I joined the Air Force and now live in Colo Springs.

Depending on what you are looking for, Ft. Morgan may or may not be the town for you. The population there is seems to be half caucasion and half hispanic, not much diversity or culture. The folk have a very small town mentality, they do not really pay much attention to outsiders...or anyone else for that matter. That can be a good thing if you prefer to stay to yourselves.

Many of the families there have lived there from generation to generation...mine for example. My Great Grandmother, Grandmother, Mom and sister still live there and are happy with there lives. I see nothing wrong with that if that makes them happy.

The scenery is...well, there isn't one. I love living in the Springs next to the Mtns. Ft. Morgan is basically farmland so there aren't alot of trees or mountains. For the average adult, if you want a night life I would suggest driving to Denver or Ft. Collins...I do that even from Colo Springs.

The weather is crazy. You'll get 3 out of the 4 seasons. Fall is excluded because you won't see any changing leaves, it pretty much goes from warm to cold around Nov/Dec. Yes, there are some hail storms and random tornado's, but every area has it's weather issues to contend with.

In all the time I lived there I never saw any drugs, and I was in the low income part of town. Just like any other town/city, it's there if you are looking for it, but I wouldn't make it out as bad as our young friend says it is.

I also didn't like my school days there, but I think that is standard stuff. If I were to have kids, I would be fine with my kids going to school there. The teachers are great and really look out for the kids.

I am actually to the point in my life where I feel I can go back and make a difference. There are some bad areas that could use a little rehab work and that is what I intend to do.

Ft. Morgan isn't that bad of a place to live. You have Denver and Ft. Collins about an hour away. Colorado Springs less than 2 hours away. And ski resorts all up and down the front range.

If you need more help or advice on the area let me know and I would be happy to chat with you about it.