Berthoud?

[dlconcidine]

Sadly the dogs may not be with us by the time we retire. We still have a few years (depending on the economy). But with my poor husbands luck, my evil cat will still be around!

Hubby will be pleased with the restaurant scene plus we go to the movies a lot, maybe too much!

How are the flood zones around there? I heard that they have been having some bad weather in the Denver area and there was a bad flood in the 90's around Fort Collins.

Any tornados, earthquakes, or other acts of God I should be aware of? Coming from California, the earthquakes are no big deal.

[Mike Weber]

Tornadoes will rarely hit west of Interstate 25. We can, however, have severe thunderstorms with large hail. Big snows that shut the cities down are also a rarity.

The flood plain maps for Fort Collins and Loveland can be found online:
Loveland: Department of Public Works Stormwater - City of Loveland, Colorado
Fort Collins: Stormwater: City of Fort Collins

Fort Collins also has automated rain gauges around town wtih feeds onlie, so you can see rain amounts within the city. Rainfall Map: utilities: utilities: City of Fort Collins

Your real estate professional should be able to show you, in the MLS, whether a home is the high, moderate, or low risk floodplain.

[Mike Weber]

As a result of the July 1997 flood in Fort Collins, and the July 1976 flood in the Big Thompson Canyon west of Loveland, there have been improvements made that reduce the loss of property and life in both areas.

Coming from California, you will also be familiar with the danger of wild fires, especially if you are in a forested area like we have to the west. Should you decide to buy in one of those areas, make sure you have good defensible space around the home.