Have Any New Yorkers Made The Move To Fort Collins? (Denver: home, employment)

[EyerishBD]

My boyfriend and I, are thinking of moving from NYC to Fort Collins and we're curious if any one else on this site has done this and if so, what their experiences have been. So if you're such a person, please tell us if you're happy, the biggest adjustments for YOU, etc.

I'm originally from NYC, grew up in Clearwater, FL and then moved back to NYC 7 years ago. My boyfriend was born and raised in the deserts of Phoenix and moved to NYC 8 years ago. He has family in Cheyenne and on our way back to the Denver airport last month we stopped in Fort Collins for a few days and fell in love with it! We never thought we'd ever leave NYC. We weren't looking to leave, aren't running away from anything, etc. NYC is by far one of the most fantastic cities in the world, but it will be so, so hard to raise a family here and we want a dog, a yard and to be able to grill at home. Sigh. Those seem like simple requests, but they're not in NYC.

Anyway, any comments, thoughts and/or advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[Rumblebelly]

Just curious but what was it that made you fall in love with Fort Collins? I'm sure you already know that there are tons of communities within an hour of NYC that are liveable where you can have a huge yard with a dog.

I know several people that moved from the NYC to Colorado and love it.

[EyerishBD]

It's hard to explain exactly what it was about Fort Collins that we fell in love with because honestly, it was more of a feeling that we both shared which can be difficult, because although we are in a relationship where we are awesome compromisers, we are also individuals. We've both been all over this country and never felt like this about anywhere. All 4 (all divorced) sets of our parents and all extended family live all over the U.S. so we've been to every "corner." We have no family in NYC, but a wonderful family of friends

We love biking and it is scary and difficult to do in NYC, so Fort Collins being bike friendly was a huge plus for us. We love my boyfriend's family in Cheyenne and go up every summer for Frontier Days, so we like the idea of being near them. There are a good amount of restaurants in Fort Collins, even quite a few not being chains. Being from NYC , this is a definite plus. We loved Lucille's and Moot House. And the chili beer from Coppersmilths (?). We love outdoor activities. He works from home and I own my own small business from home so the job thing isn't an issue. We like the things that a college town has to offer. We love supporting local sports, we love beer, everyone we met was friendly. Although, I've read on this site that making friends can be difficult in FC.

Yes, we are aware and are familiar with the towns outside of NYC where we can have a yard, a dog and grill, but 1) the prices are astronomical, 2) they mostly have a fake, elitist and/or stepford quality to them and most important, 3) we've never felt the feeling about any of those towns or any other towns besides FC to be exact.

We like to travel so being near Denver is nice, but Denver itself felt somewhat blah to us. I like the cultural aspects it offers though.

[Sockeye]

Don't expect all the conveniences of N.Y. in CO. CO. is a unique place, and most here don't want all the excesses of the West and East Coasts. New York must seem nice to you , but feels blah to you as well, even with it's cultural aspects. What about Upstate New York? Certainly there are opportunities available in your own, and familiar, back yard?

[tfox]

Fort Collins is a great town. I think the only problem is that it's employment situation is a little anemic due to too many CSU grads who love the town too much to leave. One thing's for sure: Fort Collins residents love their town, sometimes a little too much.

Still, if you're not expecting really high salaries, the jobs are there in FC in virtually any field you care to name, and I think on balance it might offer the best overall balance of quality of life on the Front Range (and this comes from a Denver resident).

[EyerishBD]

Hi Sockeye, Thanks for your reply...

Hmm, I never said I was looking for the conveniences of New York. That's an easy one, there are different and wonderful things that both NYC and Colorado have to offer. What "excesses" are you referring to?

I also think you are missing the point. We don't need or want to leave New York necessarily, therefore your Upstate or other opportunities in our "back yard" suggestions don't interest us. We are interested in living in Fort Collins and are simply curious if other people have moved from NYC to FC.

Also, life wouldn't be too interesting if we always went with the "familiar," now would it?

And no, New York is never blah IMO. It's pretty amazing.

[EyerishBD]

Thanks TFox,

Since we are both already employed and my bf's employment wouldn't change at all with a move and my business would likely only suffer minor adjustments, I think the lack of employment opportunities wouldn't affect us too much.

Glad to hear about the quality of life balance. That is something that is very appealing to us and something that is really hard to come by in NYC. Not impossible, but very hard.

[Cheektowaga]

there are plenty of towns in upstate New York that are livable, and real-estate is cheap....the grass is not always greener in Colorado.

a hard core N.Y. er

[EyerishBD]

Thanks Cheektowaga for your input. We are definitely not seeing Colorado through rose-colored glasses and I do find Upstate NY a really lovely place to visit, but I've just never felt any pull to live there

An aside to your die hard NY'er-ness... we do feel like we're cheating a little on NY by even discussing a move. NYC is hard, but it's been mostly good to us.

[Rumblebelly]

HA! the grass is browner in Colorado than NY. It's definitely not greener.

Ah, the family issue. I completely understand. My wife and I lived in FC for 10 years before moving back to Upstate NY. Her family lives in the Adirondacks and she grew up there, which is COMPLETELY different from NYC. I grew up in Nebraska and I have family there. However, I thought NY was a lot prettier because of the wilderness . We are currently give it a go just outside of Saratoga Springs but might move to Old Forge to work with my wife's family.

There are a few things my wife didn't like about Colorado: the dry climate, the transient culture of the area (most of our friends we met in CO no longer live in CO), the wind (gets really bad in Cheyenne), the sprawl and the water issue. NY definitely has it's share of problems too but we won't get into that.

FC is a wonderful beer town, it's one of the things I miss the most. Don't forget Odell Brewery, Fort Collins Brewery, and New Belgium. They are all great and the breweries are growing, even with the economy and the hop and barley shortage. Coopersmith's is great, they usually have cask ale available. The town also has a decent live music scene and the Aggie Theater attracts some decent national bands.