Retire To Fort Collins/Loveland (Denver, Colorado Springs: RV park, 2013, foreclosures)

[art8234]

The Forum has great information, but I was unable to find a specific thread for those who would like to retire the area.

Our daughter lives in Boulder, but suggested the Fort Collins/Loveland area would be better for us. Our situation provides for about a $150-220K, home. 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, attached garage, prefer ranch stye (not manditrory. We currently live outside Chicago in the Chain of Lakes area.
We are not planning to look for work. Although healthy, we would like to know a good hospital is nearby we have a daughter who is a nurse & may tag along). It would be nice to have some scenic view.

The health sports (bicycling, mountain climbing, etc.) are not important, but my wife loves gardening & I love fishing. I do have minor heart problems & plan to take a week or so in March to see if the elevation is a problem.

We were surprised to see that lots are small & it seems like most lots have stockade fences. Being by the Great Lakes, water is not an issue, but I noticed that sprinkler systems are noted as a plus.

How is the drinking water quality & is it expensive? Is a water softener necessary? What areas don't use require well & septic?

I hope this thread gets some interest for other baby bombers to reference.

Art8234

[Lastfire]

We retired to Fort Collins 4 1/2 yrs ago from a suburb of Houston, Texas. Bought a duplex in your price range (2,600 sq ft with walk-out basement) in a small community which has about 95% retired people...have seen only one child. Have a son with family in the Boulder area. Had a son in Chicago for over 15 years.
The Poudre Valley Health Care system runs two hospitals, is building a top-notch cancer treatment center, and is actively involved in senior health care. I was hospitalized for four days (diagnostics only) and have absolutely no complaints. There are companies/facilities to provide memory care, nursing care, in home care, etc.

We think the city of Fort Collins is a much better place to live than the Boulder/Lafayette/Broomfield area. After living in Los Angeles, Houston, and Colorado Springs, I find I can drive to any place in Ft. C. in less than 1/2 hour and even find a parking place! Unheard of in a big city. Colorado is cold with SUN SHINE....much nicer than the Chicago weather. I do miss good restaurants and the buzz of the big city....museums, shows, etc.

Gardening is very hard here. The winter season is long and the sun is intense. Containers have to be watered EVERY day during the summer and you must remove the plants for the winter. Be careful what you plant next to a foundation because of the type of soil in this area. Wind and hail are also a big threats to plants. I have always been a big gardener but limit myself to a few containers on the back deck for the three months of summer.

I will say that if you like snow, mid-western cultural attitudes, and conservative life style, you should be happy in Fort Collins or Loveland. Loveland is smaller (too small for me). Housing prices are about the same.

We were hikers, birders, environmentalists, star-gazers, and walkers. I do say "were" because as we age I find that the cold weather prevents us (Southern born and bred) from participating as we have in years past. We will probably move back south within the year but I can still recommend this Fort Collins or Loveland.
I would look for housing in Larimer County (and in the Ft C and Loveland cities) in order to have the best building codes and water systems. Quality of water in Ft C. is the best I have ever had. There are at least 6 beer breweries here, probably because of the mountain-fed water.
We live on the north side of Ft. C. and the drive to the Denver airport takes 1 hour 15 minutes. We drive to Boulder each week (50 miles) down the freeway takes 60 minutes.

Can't address fishing but I see men and women fly fishing all year.

Hope this helps.

[enikkor]

Yes, we are planning to retire by fall 2012 or spring 2013, and is strongly
considering Loveland.
We like Loveland as it is smaller than Ft. Collins but adjacent to it.
It is close to the Rocky mountain state park, Estes park and Poudre canyon.
There is an airport connecting to Vegas and Phoenix.
We acquired a lot of useful info. from the Loveland chmber of commerce.
We're into hiking walking, biking, outdoor photography and exercises.
There's a good library in Loveland and Ft. Co.
They also have a big photographic club in both places.
We will visit in spring to know more about the places.

[Mike Weber]

Lots here are smaller than what many mid-westerners are used to, and the newer the subdivision, the smaller the lot. Newer homes are built on smaller lots to cut down on sprawl and the need for irrigation water.

If you want anything to grow here, you will need to water it. Having a sprinkler system makes the job easier and can help you save money if it is programmable.

The drinking water here is delicious and shouldn't require any sort of softener. In the price range you are considering, you will most likely be in a municipality with a municipal water supply, so the likelihood of a well is slim. There are some homes on the edges of town that are still on septic. Be sure to have the system checked out during your inspection period.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by art8234

... retire (in) the area.

...
We were surprised to see that lots are small & it seems like most lots have stockade fences. Being by the Great Lakes, water is not an issue, but I noticed that sprinkler systems are noted as a plus.

How is the drinking water quality & is it expensive? ...

I hope this thread gets some interest for other baby bombers to reference.

Art8234

I would prefer Loveland for retirement, and grew up there... (Masonville, actually), but schooled / much more time in Loveland. I don't do traffic (FC, Bumper to Bumper N-S E-W. I also prefer to be close to Estes / RMNP, I like to bike up Big T Canyon to Estes, Allenspark, and back through Lyons then back to Loveland. (Warning... don't bike Trail Ridge Road on the weekend after they re-coat / chipseal the highway. The climb is bad enough, but 3" of pea gravel on the shoulder is a killer.

A plus for Ft Collins is being close to Wyoming, but I can drive another 20 minutes from Loveland, since I only go to WY a few times / month.

Ha.. I love this "most lots have stockade fences". You have spent too long in the midwest (I do enjoy 'gleaning' from all the neighbors gardens when I visit MN) also 'borrow / lend' produce / chairs / mowers / rototillers / hammocks...

Suggestion for Colorado.... DON"T live in a 'tract' / subdivision. Older neighborhoods have fewer stockades (and MUCH nicer / quality neighbors / landscapes). Buy adjacent to a 'little used' neighborhood park (there are many).

Water is great (and expensive to use to irrigate). Think SMALL yard (live on the park and let the city irrigate)

[art8234]

Thank you for the imformation.

Many of homes list HOA fees. I assume these are for plowing private streets & possibly lawn mowing. With so many foreclosures, etc., are these HOA's having problems withe collecting assessments?

We are planning to come out to scout in Mid-March for about two weeks. I'm guessing we might be there to experience some of the different weather & see if the winds are as bad as I've read in these posts.

It will be interesting to see how bad the traffic can be compared to what we have outside Chicago. Fortunately, we won't be driving during busy times, but we do want want to live close to highway sounds.

My wife visited our daughter in Fort Collins & loved it. By the time I got out there, our daughter had moved to Boulder & I was scorned by the local population for smoking within a mile of the town limits. Needless to say, we will be looking to the Fort Collins/Loveland area.

Art

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by art8234

..
Many of homes list HOA fees. ...

... Mid-March for about two weeks. ... experience some of the different weather & see if the winds

... I was scorned by the local population for smoking within a mile of the town limits.

AVOID A HOA. (JMHO, perpetual trouble)

Wind in March. very probable, especially in Boulder.
Traffic... I find FC is always bad, has always been bad. Not Chicago, LA, or Seattle bad(freeways) but just bad everywhere (few shortcuts / fast bypasses, must just trod stoplight to stop light.) I will retire to a county without a stop light. (Tho I will keep an retirement income property in NoCo)

Smoking... not popular in Colo, UT, CA, OR, WA. Need to leave Smokes at the Mississippi River (from my experience). WY will be more tolerable (+ no state income tax). WY has some very nice places to live (but most are pretty far from Boulder). For Southern WY, I would choose Laramie (UW). Cheyenne is pretty depressed in comparison (State Gov employees + AF Base).

Quite honestly, WY is worth a look.

[art8234]

I was reading a year old Denver Post that had an article about service cutbacks in Colorado Springs.

Are Fort Collins or Loveland experiencing hard budgetary service cutbacks or planning tax increases?

Art

[Maples]

@art8234

Please check your inbox, I sent you a message.

[Lastfire]

I do believe Fort Collins is not cutting back on services. The library (Poudre Valley Public Library District) is separate fom the city but I believe still receives some dollar from the city coffers. The streets are in pretty good shape with good biking lanes. A new culture/history/science museum is being built - should open this summer. Parking is a breeze any place here. The ordinances regarding commercial signage is well enforced. I hate big tacky unkept signs. Landscaping along city streets looks neat. In other words, the city seems to be doing okay.

We have lived in two communities with HOAs. First one in Houston with a pool, tennis, and playground. No problems. We had a management company which wrote up violations like parking an RV on the street for three weeks. The current dwelling is a condo/duplex without a pool, playground, or park. Elected volunteers run the HOA. We are understanding about a visitor with a RV parking for a week on the street but "no", you cannot store your RV there. We pay about $1250 per year which includes all snow removal, yard service (cutting, fertilizing, tree trimming, aerorating, weed eating), roof replacement, siding replacement, and upkeep of common areas. We have a healthy reserve in the bank for future expenses. My sister in Florida pays about $100 per month for minimum yard service for a patio home. We have lived without HOAs and every time there have been neighbors who "collect too much junk". I like HOAs.