Is FORT COLLINS a walk-around town

[delta07]

Originally Posted by Davros

I lived in a couple of pretty cheap places in Fort Collins that weren't dumps.

I think Longmont is an excellent suggestion. It has regular RTD bus routes from Denver, has good schools, and has in my opinion the best view of the mountains anywhere on the Front Range. Unlike Fort Collins, Longmont is actually a suburb of the big city.

When I lived in Fort Collins back in the late 1990s, we found relatively cheap rent and the places were fairly nice. Of course, I did live in several dumps, but if you stay away from the select few primarily college neighborhoods, you will find nice homes/apts. I would certainly keep Fort Collins on your list of possibilities. You don't want to rule it out before spending some time there. Traffic can be horrible, as another poster noted, but if you are within walking/biking distance of most things, it doesn't matter!

[Idunn]

My idea of horrible traffic is being stuck in a creeping line of cars and trucks to the horizon, or dead standstill, seemingly forever on I-70. Not usually my experience, as I usually avoid it at such times, but I've certainly witnessed some of it.

In comparison, the worst traffic I've dealt with in Ft. Collins is waiting through several cycles of a traffic light on Harmony. That was the exception, although probably more the norm if Ft. Collins doesn't reconsider its growth plans. College Ave. usually has moderately heavy traffic, but then it is the main thoroughfare. Also, one easily avoided, which goes for anyplace else in town. So while one can and will find traffic, it is also possible to largely avoid in various ways.

One could structure things to be, for the most part, blissfully unaware of any traffic issues. If insisting on using certain routes at certain times of the day, then one could find reason to b*tch about the traffic. I'd be more concerned if opting to do commuting on I-25, say south towards Denver, which should prove wearing enough. Basically, my experience is of a pleasant town to drive through, do shopping in, and arrive at any given destination in a good mood.

[WolfBoy914]

I may catch a little crap for this, but I found that Superior was quite walkable. Flatirons Mall, Safeway, awesome trails, seemingly endless retail stores and houses & apartments are all close. Plus (and this was a major plus for me), Boulder is just over the hill. There is also a RTD Rapid Bus Line along US36.