Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
My husband has an opportunity in Fort Collins and we're seriously considering it. We have a 13 year old and a 10 year old, and one thing we are evaluating is how Fort Collins would be for teens (and near teens). I would imagine that a college town comes with good and bad. The good is that teens have access to the bus line and bike trails to get to "stuff" that may be harder to access without parents in a typical suburb. That appeals to us since our current area is so car dependent. I can also see that we would want to try and avoid the college partiers. Is this generally easy to do if we settle a bit south of campus? I would appreciate input from anyone who is raising teens in Fort Collins. Thanks!
What i wonder too is if my teens are more likely to exposed to drugs. I realize the problem is everywhere, but i especially worry about hard drugs other than pot.
...we are evaluating is how Fort Collins would be for teens (and near teens). The good is that teens have access to the bus line and bike trails to get to "stuff" that may be harder to access without parents in a typical suburb. That appeals to us since our current area is so car dependent. I would appreciate input from anyone who is raising teens in Fort Collins. Thanks!
I doubt many kids/teens use the public transportation. I personally know of no one who uses the city buses. Bike trails are used by some on weekends, but it's usually fast adult bikers on the trails, essentially exercising. The bike trails are away from development and streets, so they aren't used to access stores, and aren't practical to use to get to "stuff".
This area is heavily "car dependent", so you may not see any difference compared to where you currently are. Since pot is legal here, there is more of that than in other states. Vaping and drinking also seem to be popular among the younger people.
We are raising a teen. The city is okay. Larger cities have a lot more to offer though (activities/culture/variety), so we're a bit disappointed in that regard. With a small town mindset, and a very similar/like culture amongst everyone, there's not much room for learning about others. It's limiting compared to our previous large city. I wonder about those who grow up here and then go on to live elsewhere in a different region, or do business "in the world". They'll be too sheltered, and only have one view and understanding of people.
Last edited by Thoreau424; 10-13-2017 at 04:29 PM..
It's too bad that it's still so car dependent. I grew up in Chicago and loved going without a car, but my husband doesn't want to go back to that area. We are in San Diego now and there is pretty much no where my kids could go without a car. I've been surprised to find this the case in many towns we visit. We did spend some time in Boise and were impressed at how easy it is to get around there by bike. I was hoping that the kids could have some more mobility in FC but perhaps that is not realistic.
We are raising a teen. The city is okay. Larger cities have a lot more to offer though (activities/culture/variety), so we're a bit disappointed in that regard. With a small town mindset, and a very similar/like culture amongst everyone, there's not much room for learning about others. It's limiting compared to our previous large city. I wonder about those who grow up here and then go on to live elsewhere in a different region, or do business "in the world". They'll be too sheltered, and only have one view and understanding of people.
I disagree. Our children are in a position to see much more of the world at a younger age than we ever were. Granted, it is through electronic mediums so they cannot feel the searing heat of Middle East, but they can connect with and interact with people in those places in ways we never could imagine when we were children. If they chose to be sheltered with a myopic vision, that is a choice, not a requirement. Plus, I think anyone could say the same of someone so afraid of their major metro area that they don't venture out past their neighborhood/schools/daily activities either, as can sometimes be the case in a huge metro.
Quote:
Originally Posted by leiluna
It's too bad that it's still so car dependent. I grew up in Chicago and loved going without a car, but my husband doesn't want to go back to that area. We are in San Diego now and there is pretty much no where my kids could go without a car. I've been surprised to find this the case in many towns we visit. We did spend some time in Boise and were impressed at how easy it is to get around there by bike. I was hoping that the kids could have some more mobility in FC but perhaps that is not realistic.
Again, I disagree. World class mass transit is only going to be found in a few major cities in the US and most of those are going to be on the eastern seaboard with only a few exceptions like Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco. Even globally, not all possible places they may visit will have easy access to mass transit. Not all of the world is that developed. Learning how to access things without the ease of hoping on publicly funded mass transit, coordinate friends, parents, and drivers on an ongoing and regular basis for a variety of different activities and times is also a skill that could be beneficial to children in a world that we won't know exactly how what it evolves into.
I disagree. Our children are in a position to see much more of the world at a younger age than we ever were. Granted, it is through electronic mediums so they cannot feel the searing heat of Middle East, but they can connect with and interact with people in those places in ways we never could imagine when we were children. If they chose to be sheltered with a myopic vision, that is a choice, not a requirement. Plus, I think anyone could say the same of someone so afraid of their major metro area that they don't venture out past their neighborhood/schools/daily activities either, as can sometimes be the case in a huge metro.
Yeah, but let's face it: FC is roughly 90% white, with very little culture beyond Colorado, mountains, hiking, and beer. It still has it's small ag-town and midwest feel. As an example, my youngest actually got scared when he saw a person of color. I was shocked. We've talked to him quite a bit about it, and "it's whats on the inside that counts" etc. but now I see how he's lacking so much of what I experienced when I was his age, and is growing up not tangibly understanding different cultures, etc. The more one experiences (not just reads about) diversity, the more one can see the common traits that tie and unify us all. It's better - as we've seen - to experience that first hand, not just talk about it or read it in a book.
Some though, love the demographics of this town, and escape diversity to retreat here. I understand that view, and get it. Maybe they feel better off, especially if they don't have kids with them. We just see the big picture now, and are disappointed in our choice. Others may notice that too, so I'm just laying it out for awareness. It's only one view, but it does need to be mentioned.
Natives and long-timers won't see and pick up on what I've discussed. It's mostly only visible and understood by transplants and "outsiders".
Last edited by Thoreau424; 10-15-2017 at 01:20 PM..
By the way, I am not looking for a publically funding mass transit necessarily. I just would love a town where it's relatively easy for kids to get around. Maybe where they don't have to cross 6 lanes of traffic on the majority of roads when walking or on a bike. It looks like FC has bike lanes on many roads, but they are shared with more traffic than I'd probably be comfortable with my teens using regularly.
Pot does not create cravings for other drugs. At worst, it creates cravings for more pot, which isn't fatal.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Postal77
What i wonder too is if my teens are more likely to exposed to drugs. I realize the problem is everywhere, but i especially worry about hard drugs other than pot.
San Diego has train that goes to Mexican border, but shakes too much from side to side. St. Louis has an excellent train, park and ride lots. It goes for blocks without stopping, so relatively fast,
I'm in Twin Cities, MN. We have limited train service, but have frequent stop and express buses, some of which connect at least 99 suburbs to Minneapolis and St. Paul, service 5AM to 11PM, midnight, or 1 AM. We don't travel across the metro because suburbs offer so much, shopping malls, 8 groceries within 5 miles. We have 3.5 million in metro area. Bus fares are reasonable, and good for roundtrip completed in 3 hours. We don't have bus stop signs but bus stops can be determined with online maps or by calling.
Thanks for your post. If our mass transit isn't world class, hope we're 2nd class. MN welcomes all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TCHP
I think anyone could say the same of someone so afraid of their major metro area that they don't venture out past their neighborhood/schools/daily activities , as can sometimes be the case in a huge metro.
World class mass transit is only going to be found in a few major cities in the US and most of those are going to be on the eastern seaboard with only a few exceptions like Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco. Even globally, not all of the world is that developed. Learning how to access things without the ease of hoping on publicly funded mass transit, coordinate friends, parents, and drivers on an ongoing and regular basis for a variety of different activities and times is also a skill that could be beneficial to children in a world that we won't know exactly how what it evolves into.
There are several variables when considering this inquiry. The location you choose when moving to town will have quite a bit of bearing in whether it will be easy to get around. The main part of the city is very easy to navigate by bike or by bus, but there are some areas that are still disconnected, including some newer neighborhoods.
As a League of American Bicyclists Platinum rated city, the infrastructure is in place and well supported. Visit https://www.fcgov.com/bicycling/ for details about the City's bike program. Maps of the bike trail and lane system can be found at https://www.fcgov.com/bicycling/bike-maps.php . The city has been working hard on making "low-stress" bike ways across town by adding additional signals and signage to connect low traffic streets across town and provide safer alternatives to busy arterial streets. These connect well with the existing recreational bike paths to create a good network of travel options. Weekends see a lot of recreational use on the bike paths, but weekdays have a significant amount of folks using them to get from one place to another. The bike lane traffic study and traffic count details are posted in the city bike page above.
Kids can use the bus system at a discounted rate, but many do not. Our kids found it useful, but not always as convenient as getting a ride from a parent. It is a good alternative.
The city has been trying to require smaller commercial areas throughout the city to cut down on the need to drive to everything. In many places around town, you will find local shopping centers with some of the necessities within walking or biking distance.
The limited use of public transportation and bikes for transportation by youth in our town should not be attributed to the lack of available options and facilities. Much of the time it is due to parents who are too easily persuaded to take the kids everywhere or due to kids who don't want to make the effort to go anywhere when staying home and playing video games is easier.
The fact that there is a campus in town is not likely to affect your kids in a negative way. We have found that having the school in town has allowed us to experience more cultural events than we would have found in a town this size without a school, but unless we are within a few blocks of campus we hardly notice the school on a day-to-day basis. We don't feel that the college students were a bad influence on our kids when they were teens, and I don't feel the college students were a bad influence on my friends and me when we were growing up here.
You should be able to mostly avoid the college partiers if you are a little ways from campus. That said, we have some students in our neighborhood who let loose a couple of times a year, but there are other neighbors who are not students who seem to cause just as much disturbance, of not more. The farther south and east you go, the farther you get from students, but that less connected you are to the bus system and bike trails.
Mike
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
