Fort Collins: Community recommendations (Boulder: sales, apartment complexes, homes)

[BlaisOf_Fire91]

Hello! My boyfriend and I are a couple of Rhode Islanders looking to move to CO for about a year.

A bit about us: We're both 29 years old with no kids and a love of adventures big and small. Both of us work remotely for national companies and don't need to worry about job searching/commuting. We also feel ready to embrace the unpredictable, arid, snowy/cold climate (I went to college in AZ, and we've both survived our share of long, unforgiving New England winters).

Fort Collins is one of our contenders. We enjoy being around culture, having easy access to nature, and being social in the community. We're hoping the latter is possible in the next six months or so as we see the light at the end of the pandemic tunnel.

Our goal is to stay in the $1,500 - $2,000/mo price range for an apartment. One that really caught our eye is the Bucking Horse community. That's become our golden standard for the next move based on community amenities and price per square foot (and also only having looked at their website and some mixed-positive online reviews).

With that in mind, here's what we'd love to know more about:

• What are some communities with apartments you'd recommend, and what are they like? Quiet/boisterous, touristy/local, active/laid back, urban/rural, etc.
• We're planning on getting vaccinated before we leave RI. How have things been going in 2021 with Covid restrictions, guidelines, vaccine rollout, etc? Particularly as it relates to community events that apartment complexes in this area tend to boast?
• Is there anything else we should know about getting an apartment in Fort Collins? Or anything about moving to Colorado in general?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Thoreau424]

Originally Posted by BlaisOf_Fire91

Fort Collins is one of our contenders. We enjoy being around culture...

FC doesn't have much in the way of culture, unless you're into beer, bicycles, and walking/hiking in the open sun with lots of UV rays.

Have you visited the town to know what it's like? It's hard to get an idea distance-wise, and/or from the Internet. It will surely be drastically different from Rhode Island as far as scenery (dry vs wet, open vs shaded, brown vs. green, etc.) and culture (mountain western vs. eastern, etc.). Compared to where we used to live, FC is short and limited on culture.

[StealthRabbit]

WFH?

Why not relocate to an income tax free state with all your desires?

NH is a lot closer to RI. (And cheaper than CO)

AK is great for adventure.

WA state has many different climates and outdoor activities, including mtns, inland waterway, and Ocean too. Next door to the most diverse culture in North America. (Vancouver, BC) Live in Bellingham / Fairhaven. Very similar to Boulder / Ft Collins vibe. (I served 29 yrs near and in Ft Collins). Your chosen area is fine for downtown access and some created natural (?) Areas. The nice thing about Ft Collins, is that it is so close to WY. Lots of outdoor activities, but v limited culture, tho quite different than RI.

I would first check out NH.

The WA, if you want a left coast change. Moving from CO to WA helped me exit the workforce 15 yrs earlier. More money for wages (much more) and no income tax. Lived next door to Portland.... No sales tax, weird culture. (Now mtns of homeless camps).

[Thoreau424]

Originally Posted by BlaisOf_Fire91

Our goal is to stay in the $1,500 - $2,000/mo price range for an apartment. One that really caught our eye is the Bucking Horse community. That's become our golden standard for the next move based on community amenities and price per square foot (and also only having looked at their website and some mixed-positive online reviews).

• What are some communities with apartments you'd recommend, and what are they like? Quiet/boisterous, touristy/local, active/laid back, urban/rural, etc.

StealthRabbit has some great points there, not only as someone very familiar with CO and this area, but also as one knowledgable of other places across the country with more to offer.

If you're talking about the relatively new Bucking Horse area off of Timberline, there's not much special there. It's basically a community of bland looking, over-priced Hardiplank homes, with little character and nearly no trees. Some people - especially in CO - like that sort of thing, but from the NE, I'd think you might cringe at the lack of character and quality. You can always look at the area too using aerial photography from online, such as Google Maps. Compare somewhere you actually know that you like, and then look at Bucking Horse (or anywhere else in town) to see the difference. Keep in mind too that there's a railroad track that runs right by there. I'm not sure if it's a problem for folks.

I don't have any apartments to recommend, but places tend to be solid middle-of-the-road (neither quiet nor boisterous). Touristy(???) nothing touristy except maybe Old Town. Local yeah, but local = boring. Active and laid-back though, yes.

Really not trying to be negative or cynical, but it's easy to get the wrong impression of the town from afar. Better to see it up close and in-person before making the move. It might surprise your expectations.