Where to live: Ft Collins~Windsor~Loveland? (Denver, Fort Collins: real estate, apartment)

[bztmom]

Our family is planning a move to Colorado next summer. We have 3 young boys (4 years and younger). I've narrowed the area down to Fort Collins, Windsor, and Loveland, because we have family in western Nebraska. Any thoughts on these cities? We'll be renting, I'm a RN, and my hubbie sells cars, so finding a job more than likely will be easy for both of us. Thanks!

[Highplainsdweller]

Hi bztmom,
I've lived in northern Colorado all my life, and my mom's sister lives in Fort Collins, so I can give you details about all three towns.
Fort Collins is the biggest of the Tri Cities (Fort Collins-Loveland-Windsor) and has a population of 128,000. It was recently named the 2006 Best Place to Live in America by Money magazine for its combination of good schools, low crime rate, and rich culture and outdoor lifestyle oppurtunities. It is a beautiful city, with tree lined streets, many parks,playgrounds and lakes, and a very quaint and nostalgic downtown area the locals call Old Town, which was restored about a decade ago and is now a thriving area of unique shops, art galleries and delicious eateries, all housed in architecturally breathtaking turn of the century buildings. And if you love an outdoor lifestyle, Fort Collins is the best place you could possibly live in the state. It has over 60 miles of bike paths throughout the city, walking paths galore, and scenic Horsetooth Resevoir is a great recreation spot only five miles west of the city in the foothills. The downside to Fort Collins is traffic, and lots of it. Though all three cities have been seeing tremendous growth the last few years, Fort Collins has gained over 30,000 residents in the last five years. The growth boom shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon, so traffic there is only going to get worse. A fun place that you should take your boys to see regardless of which town you move to is the Swetsville Zoo. It is a 13 acre farm right off I-25 at the Timnath exit, covered with sculptures of anything and everything made from scrap metal.It is a very whimsical, awesome place and I think your boys would love it. I know I did when I was a little kid.
Loveland is Fort Collins's twin sister city, except for the population is slightly smaller (about 100,000) and the city is built around a large recreational lake called Lake Loveland. With all the growth that has taken place on the north side of Loveland and the south side of Fort Collins, the two cities have pretty much grown together to form their own 230,000 person metropolis. Loveland has a few unique features, like a 20 acre sculpture garden and sculptures strategically placed at various locations throughout the city, as well as the locally famous Loveland Outlet Mall and the new Shops at Centerra, both on I-25 at Highway 34. The cons about Loveland are identical to Fort Collins's cons, mostly the traffic.
Now if you like the idea of living in a smaller town and commuting in to a bigger city, Windsor would be the town for you. It is conveniently located 15 miles southeast of Fort Collins/10 miles northeast of Loveland. It has a population around 20,000. It used to be a lot smaller (it had a population of about 8,000 a decade ago) but it, too, has got caught up in the unprecedented Front Range growth and population boom. Windsor is a very nice place, with great views of both the mountains and the prairie, good schools, a thriving economy and low crime rates.Its downtown is more prairieseque than any other town on the Front Range, as it still has a working grain elevator, but has been well kept and is quite charming, with two blocks of nice stores, restaurants and galleries. I have friends in Windsor and they like the schools and the town quite a bit. Despite the recent growth surge/subdivision invasion, Windsor still retains a good deal of it's former transitional prairie/Front Range town charm.You only have to drive a few minutes east of Windsor before you're back in the northern Colorado countryside, with its windbreak encompassed farms featuring staunch farmhouses and weathered red barns as well as seemingly endless fields and open stretches of shortgrass prairie from horizon to horizon. And very importantly, rent is a lot cheaper in Windsor than it is in Loveland or especially Fort Collins. From what I know I can say that for the same money you would put down for a two bedroom, one bath apartment in Fort Collins you could get a nice three or four bedroom, two bath house in Windsor for the same or only slightly more money. A lot of people that live in Windsor commute to Fort Collins, Loveland, Greeley or Denver. I can't really think of any cons about Windsor.
So there you have it; a city by city breakdown of both positive and negative attributes of all three cities. My personal recommendation for you would be Windsor, for it's good schools, small town feel, twenty minute commute to Loveland/Fort Collins, and considerably lower rent rates. I wish you the best of luck in finding both a house and jobs here, and I hope the information I provided is useful to you. I know you're not moving here till next summer, but I wish to welcome you and your family to Colorado anyway. I think you will like it here.
Have a nice day.

Sincerely,
Mark Farnik
Colorado native and resident for 16 years

[boxermama]

We also are looking to make a move most likely in january or february. We have 2 kids living at home 17 and 20, my husband builds custom built furniture and I'm a massage therapist. We also love and raise boxers.
We are looking to leave california and the summer heat behind. The cost of living (or surviving) is very high here and we want a more laid back lifestyle. We are very active in our church (nazarene) and just love life. I want summers that aren't always in the 100's but I don't want winters that are always snowing either. Don't mind snow just don't want to dig out all winter. Need a college for my kids to.
Any suggestions?


thanks,
Kathy

[ncrea]

Hi there BZTMOM,

You and your family will love Northern Colorado. My wife is a native and I have lived here since the early 60's. So we both went through the Loveland schools. We have three children, one of which has gone through the Loveland school system and we have our last two attending Loveland High School.

You could say that my wife and I have watched this area go through a tremendous amount of growth. According to the Chamber of Commerce websites, the population of Fort Collins is ~140,000;Loveland is ~ 61,000; Windsor is ~ 18,000. Open space has been purchased by the county to ensure that Loveland and Fort Collins don't completely grow together.

My wife has taught kindergarten for over 25 years in Loveland. I have worked in this area for over 30 years - first 24 at Hewlett-Packard, and now real estate.

With the Medical Center of the Rockies coming on line next year, your timing may be very good. If you haven't already, you might want to start inquiring about positions there. I've heard that there will be a total of 400 nurses hired. The commercial growth on I25 between Fort Collins and Loveland is hot right now. Many car dealerships in Loveland are moving out there to expand their presence and inventory. Dealerships from Fort Collins have already moved. I'm always seeing ads for car salesmen, either experienced or not.

You have children that will soon be entering school. You can access the CSAP (Colorado Student Assessment Program) scores by going to the school district web sites. Loveland is www.thompson.k12.co.us, click on "our schools", and then CSAP Results. Fort Collins is www.psd.k12.co.us, click on
"2006 CSAP results". Windsor is www.windsor.k12.co.us, the CSAP url is http://www.windsor.k12.co.us/Instruc...ess_header.htm.

Really, you can't go wrong with either of the three cities. Depending on where you end up being employed may determine where you live and how far you are wanting to commute.

Email me if you have further questions by clicking on the send private message button.


dave

[concoulor3]

We live in Loveland, and wish we had moved to Ft. Collins. I grew up in Boulder and prefer a college town. I don't know if Ft. Clns has the same school schedule but in Loveland the kids get off early on Wednesday - so be prepared for childcare. I would recommend renting first - we made the mistake of purchasing before really knowing the area. Our biggest problem is we live too far from work and with balancing the kids pick-up its a little tough. Also, you can assess what type of environment you want - Ft. Clns is more liberal than Loveland. Both politically and spiritually.

Loveland is in the shadow of Longs Peaks (its a good thing) ie the peak splits the weather system and weather diverts to Ft. Clns & Longmont, we get much less snow then our Front Range Counterparts.

Good Luck!

[sillygal]

I love college towns, I may be old, but it makes me feel young.......LOL. I still like to bike/walk/stroll thru the downtown and go to coffeeshops. I am thinking about what u said about Greeley, I could actually work there, and live in Fort Collins, or live there I guess. I just wasn't too enthralled with Greeley. I tended to like Fort Collins first, then Loveland. I know of a property management company in Loveland. I have been dealing with them, not real sure about their properties though since I am in NC.......lol.

What zipcodes are the better areas in Greeley?