Is it strange that Fort Collins is my dream destination?

[thitzler]

I lived in Ft C for a couple of years, from 2010 - 2012. I loved the easy biking there. Dedicated trails like Spring Creek and The Powerline trail will take you many places with no fear of cars. And, where you are riding on the streets with a bicycle lane, the drivers are generally aware and courteous. I felt safe riding everywhere and used my bike for trips to the gym, library, grocery stores, movies, etc. So, the trails and lanes are there and readily accessible. How much you use the trails is up to you. I used them almost daily, except in the winter. Although, I have ridden my bike through the snow to the gym on a few occasions.

The Library system is very good!

I found the people nice. As in most places, if you show kindness, people generally respond with kindness.

I had lived in Chicago, LA and other cities with horrendous traffic. Ft C does not compare. Yes, there are pockets of heavy traffic at times, but generally it is not bad, in my opinion.

I did not find the old town area to be a great place to hang out. I did go to some car shows, music festivals and so forth. But, I never really found a place in town to go and eat or drink and hang out. It is, especially later at night on weekends more of a college town.

[speshpresh]

Someone asked me the other day, 'If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?'
I said 'Right here in Fort Collins'. This town is a dream come true.

What is it really like? Great weather, great people, affordable housing, attractive neighborhoods, dog friendly, always something fun to do, original music, outdoorsy, bikes everywhere, trails everywhere, friendly people....overall it's a happy place with a positive vibe.

[Altair75]

Fort Collins is a nice town, I moved there for a job and stayed there for 3 years (2008-11) It's definitely very biker friendly and close to the foothills if you enjoy outdoor activities.

I thought people there were very friendly and laid back for the most part, but most whom I met weren't native Coloradans.

The climate is mild in my opinion, being a native of Wisconsin. I found the winters were much more pleasant than the upper midwest. They get a lot of sunshine in the winter and I think average highs in FoCo that time of year are in the 40's...and believe me, dry 40's are much more comfortable than humid 40's. You'll definitely get snow but it's variable in it's intensity. And to me it was nothing compared to the snow I've seen in the upper Midwest.

It was sort of a luxury having the Rockies just a 30-60 minute drive away. But after a while that novelty wore off for me and they just became part of the landscape. One thing I really didn't like about Colorado was the dryness and lack of nice freshwater lakes. I'm definitely a lake/ocean person.