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Hello! Our family is moving to the Fort Collins area later this spring/early summer. In looking for a place to live, we have come across a few questions that we're hoping can be answered by those of you with knowledge of the area. Thanks in advance! (Sorry to be lengthy, but here's our list
1. Which are the best school districts? And which ones to avoid?
2. Is it necessary to have a 4WD/AWD vehicle to get to work in the winter?
3. We have looked into the following areas: Fort Collins, Windsor, Johnstown, and Loveland. Pros & Cons? Any additional areas we should consider? (Hubby will be working on south side of FC)
4. Comparing Larimer and Weld counties - Are there any differences between the two (taxes, schools, etc.)?
It's NOT necessary to have 4WD/AWD. I've lived in the UP of Michigan, upstate NY, Germany and now CO and I've never had AWD/4WD in any of those places. I drive to various ski resorts, Vail, Aspen, Park City UT and I've never had a problem.
However, it is necessary to know how to drive in snow, front wheel drive is preferred over rear wheel and pickup trucks are really bad in snow.
Hello! Our family is moving to the Fort Collins area later this spring/early summer. In looking for a place to live, we have come across a few questions that we're hoping can be answered by those of you with knowledge of the area. Thanks in advance! (Sorry to be lengthy, but here's our list
1. Which are the best school districts? And which ones to avoid?
2. Is it necessary to have a 4WD/AWD vehicle to get to work in the winter?
3. We have looked into the following areas: Fort Collins, Windsor, Johnstown, and Loveland. Pros & Cons? Any additional areas we should consider? (Hubby will be working on south side of FC)
4. Comparing Larimer and Weld counties - Are there any differences between the two (taxes, schools, etc.)?
I'll take a shot - I live in FC so I know a bit more about that area. Of course I have only been here 3 years so I am just a newbie
1. Regarding school districts - FC is Poudre school district, Loveland is Thompson SD, not sure about Windsor or Johnstown.
2. No - not at all. IMO a waste of money. If you lived in a rural area in the foothills further West or in the high elevations then maybe. Doesn't sound like that is your situation so I will forget 4WD on the Front Range.
3. I live in FC so I may be biased. I like it the best out of the ones you have listed for a real city and IMO a nice place to live. Loveland is more of a bedroom community (suburb) with a much smaller and (sadly) dilapidated downtown. It is about 1/2 the size of FC, but still pretty sizable. Overall, both are pretty equal. Now the others. Windsor is much smaller then the previous two and really is just a suburb IMO - not a real city. It also seems to tout itself as a more upscale yuppie town and much of the housing is fairly expensive AFAIK. If you like that sort of thing it may work for you. Johnstown is VERY small and I don't know much about it at all. I imagine you would probably be driving to Loveland for any services if you lived there.
4. This is a really open ended question. I know that the Poudre schools are considered really good and I would imagine that Thompson is decent as well. I know nothing about Weld County. Weld county is pretty large area (it also encompasses Greeley), but since you are interested in Windsor I would limit searches to that area. I would use the greatschools website for info regarding schools for either one. Regarding taxes I don't think there is much of a difference.
A lot of this has been answered in previous posts so you may wish to search this forum extensively for more details on your queries. Of course there may be others that do not agree with my assessment ( especially my answers to #3 ) so weigh all comments with a grain of salt. My advice would be if you are really unsure, to rent for a while and get a feel for these cities/towns. That is what I did.
Hello! Our family is moving to the Fort Collins area later this spring/early summer. In looking for a place to live, we have come across a few questions that we're hoping can be answered by those of you with knowledge of the area. Thanks in advance! (Sorry to be lengthy, but here's our list
1. Which are the best school districts? And which ones to avoid?
2. Is it necessary to have a 4WD/AWD vehicle to get to work in the winter?
3. We have looked into the following areas: Fort Collins, Windsor, Johnstown, and Loveland. Pros & Cons? Any additional areas we should consider? (Hubby will be working on south side of FC)
4. Comparing Larimer and Weld counties - Are there any differences between the two (taxes, schools, etc.)?
I have lived in the area for over 25 years and have been in law enforcement during that time and also in the real estate world for the past 5 years. BProven gave you some good advice so I will just add a little to that.
1)You will not have a problem finding a good school district in this area. Larimer County has a great school system.
2)It is not necessary to have 4wd. In fact most people with 4wd end up getting in trouble because they think that 4wd will make their vehicle skid resistant in the snow and on the ice. The trick is taking your time and watching out for the people who drive like maniacs. =-)
3)Depends on if you want a larger town or the small town feel. Fort Collins is the most expensive as far as housing goes. You can get a better deal in the smaller towns like Timnath, Severance, Wellington, and Windsor also (Windsor does have some expensive neighborhoods but also provides affordable housing too).
4)Weld county does tend to have cheaper housing and lower taxes, but you will have to deal with either a very rural area or a higher crime area and also further away from FC. Schools I would say are not as good as Larimer schools which I am mainly basing that opinion off of what others have posted on this site.
Northern Front Range: Ft. Collins, Loveland, Johnstown, Windsor
Lived in FC area 22 years, Loveland 7 years, husband worked in Windsor 3 years. Here's the lowdown: If you're moving to the Northern Front Range, HAVE A JOB BEFORE YOU GET HERE! No joke. Been true for just ever. Expect seriously low wages and to have to stay in your job even if you hate it. Known as "The Choice City." However, it really should be renamed to "The City of No Choices." Read on; you'll see why.
Fort Collins: Good for only two things--attending CSU and raising kids. That's it. It's disproportionately expensive housing, seriously low wages, nothing to do (people always go somewhere else to play - Estes Park, Denver, Manitou, etc.) We enjoyed Colorado outdoors the first few years, but then FC got dead boring for us. There's only one lifestyle there: suburbia w/ kids. Cookie cutter houses, loads of water-sucking lawns, a trampoline in every backyard. Truckloads of dogs in FC, w/ lots of nuisance because of it and very little if any help from animal control. Californians seem to favor relo to FC. There's a snob attitude. Every other person is either a real estate agent, a veterinarian, or a chiropractor. All city water is fluoridated, so you have to filter it. Watering restrictions apply in the last few years, except to whoever the city chooses to let water, like golf courses. CO has highest rate of multiple sclerosis in the country, highest rate of foreclosure (both personal and business), highest rate of bankruptcy (both personal and business)--and this has been true for years! Therefore, in general, people here are *not* SELF-RESPONSIBLE!
Loveland: Less expensive housing, quaint, downtown has moderate to low level antique district and a beautifully renovated 1920s theatre called the Rialto. Valentine Capitol of the World. That's about it. Lots of New Yorkers seem to favor relo to Loveland. More gruff and low-key people, more sincere and real. All Loveland and FC shopping (car mall and Centerra) has moved to I-25 and Loveland gets the sales tax. City of FC complains lots about that. Again, not much to do. A more diverse suburbia, w/ kids. Low-key. Hideout kinda place.
Windsor: Blase, out east of FC & Loveland, nothing to do, housing is a bit cheaper than Loveland and certainly than FC, but you'll be driving to the freeway and FC to do all your shopping.
Johnstown: Even less expensive housing, getting more into the Spanish-only-speaking population (like in Milliken it's really Mexican ag worker quarters), and again will be driving somewhere else to work and shop and play.
And, yes, the Northern Front Range smells like doo-doo, cows, turkeys, and even wastewater treatment plant, especially near Johnson's Corner on I-25. Every...single...time. Yeah, someone's got to raise all cows for burgers and wallets, and they do it here. So let's face it: It stinks! Especially Greeley.
Second best advice: Seriously evaluate why you want to move to the Northern Front Range. If it's to go to CSU or you want a mundane life w/ not much choice, then head out here. But if you got it pretty good where you're at, I'd suggest keeping Colorado as your favorite vacation destination.
P.S. You might be wondering why we stayed in Colorado? Well, climate is much nicer than the frigidity we came from, tried to get out of Colorado to warmer climate for numerous years and hit serious brick walls. So moved to southern part of Denver and are in the throws of moving even further south, closer to the Springs.
So everybody who thinks the Front Range and Colorado is just it, you can now throw your virtual rotten tomatoes at me.
2. 4WD/AWD: I wouldn't say "need" but definitely WANT one. Not only is it peace of mind (and some hospital workers and other emergency workers are required to have one) when it does snow you in -- and that happens often enough -- but also it's fun and safer to have one to go into the mountains in many places. Get one if you come here!
4. Larimer vs. Weld: Weld County is the largest and poorest county in Colorado, encompasses the areas w/ all the ag workers (also read as "illegal aliens.") Lower taxes. Fewer restrictions. When I lived in Weld, I found the sheriff to be much more friendly and helpful than in Larimer County. Sad state of affairs in animal control (worked there, too.)
Larimer County sheriff's department has an attitude, although it's the typical better-than-you attitude of FC. Also worked at the City of FC Police Dept for an insanely brief stint. OMG! The Untouchables there! No kidding. Also sad state of affairs in animal control, although in a much different more George-Orwell-1984 kinda way.
1. Which are the best school districts? And which ones to avoid?
2. Is it necessary to have a 4WD/AWD vehicle to get to work in the winter?
3. We have looked into the following areas: Fort Collins, Windsor, Johnstown, and Loveland. Pros & Cons? Any additional areas we should consider? (Hubby will be working on south side of FC)
4. Comparing Larimer and Weld counties - Are there any differences between the two (taxes, schools, etc.)?
Quick Answers:
1. Poudre R-1 (Fort Collins) is best, though Thompson (Loveland) is also very good. Weld County, to the east, has a multitude of districts, some with very good schools and some with not so good schools. I'd say any Weld County district is a significant step down from Poudre or Thompson.
2. Not unless your job is in the foothills. I have a 4WD now, (I now live in Denver though I used to live in Fort Collins), and I use put it in 4wd maybe once a year on average when not in the mountains. Fort Collins does a pretty good job of snow removal (esp compared to Metro Denver) -- chances are, you'll not have to drive through a lot of snow except on your own residential street as you make your way to a collector street, which are plowed very promptly. Of course, 4wd is nice if you like to explore the mountains in winter.
3. Personally, I'd live WEST of I-25. Frankly, I never understood why anyone would choose to live east of the highway -- further from the mountains, further from town, and there are pockets of real blight and decay in Weld, not so Larimer. I prefer Fort Collins, but parts of Loveland are also nice. With a job on the south side of FC, you could easily live anywhere in FC or Loveland and make it to work very promptly. If you like the rural lifestyle with acreage and horses, you can find that both north of FC and south of Loveland (north of FC will be much cheaper, however).
4. Both have relatively low taxes. As I said, schools district wide are likely to be much better in Larimer County (though there are undoubtedly good individual schools in Weld).
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Northern Front Range: Ft. Collins, Loveland, Johnstown, Windsor
