Twentysomething relocating to Ft Collins (Denver, Fort Collins: condos, salary, jobs)

[Fazed418]

Hey all. I'm 23, one year out of college. I've been working at a Medical Company in Chicago, but am planning on moving to Fort Collins in the summer of '09. I know there have been plenty of threads about this, but I was wondering what would be a good area for me to look into getting a place? I would like to live in the "downtown" area of Ft Collins, but decently far away from the college students.

I'm also wondering what there are in the way of gyms. I work out quite a bit, mostly playing basketball...are there good places for that in Fort Collins(in Chicago there are quite a bit, but Colorado is more the out-doors type).

As for jobs, I'm going to start searching soon, but I'm moving out there in hopes of staying for a few years, and getting a serious job to support myself. I have adequate job experience, including being a Writer (copy and company magazine) and more recently a Project Coordinator. Is the job market really that scarce in Fort Collins? It's obviously something I have to seriously look into before I make any final decisions.

If you can answer anything I've asked, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

[tfox]

You can certainly live downtown -- there are a number of condos and lofts as well as historic homes, and like most everywhere, downtown (in FC it's called "Old Town") is quickly becoming the place where everyone wants to be. Prices are such that no college student could possibly afford such places, so being close to students is not a major concern right downtown, though the students will pack in the bars and clubs on the weekends anywhere in town.

As for gyms, there was a nice place called The Gym of the Rockies there that's relatively close to Old Town -- as I recall, it had an outstanding indoor climbing area that's better than any regular gym I'd seen anywhere (but not as good as a specialized rock gym). It also had a lap pool, also a big plus for a gym. As for basketball, most of the rec centers in town have ample court space for a reasonable cost, though if you fork out for gym membership you can go there too.

The job market isn't actually all that scarce in FC; there are in fact quite a few jobs for its size. Your problem will be that you're competing with thousands of recent (or not so recent) CSU grads lingering around Fort Collins, most of whom have fairly low salary expectations. The final result is that you'll likely get your job, but you'll find that the salary will be a bit on the low side as compared to Denver or Boulder.