Ft Collins cost of living (Denver, Fort Collins: insurance, homes, property taxes)

[flcoca]

Hi, My husband and I are thinking of moving to the Fort Collins area.. The housing looks nice, is there a specific area that is preferred? We love mountain biking and skiing. Also, job wise how is the outlook there currently? My husband is a pilot so would be commuting to DIA- is this an okay drive? Weather wise we lived in Co Springs for about a year. Being FL natives the snow was new, but not discouraging in the least. COuld anyone answer if the weather is milder in FT collins or about the same as C Springs? What are the housing cost like- insurance and property taxes on homes in the 200K-250K price range?

[bproven]

Originally Posted by flcoca

Hi, My husband and I are thinking of moving to the Fort Collins area.. The housing looks nice, is there a specific area that is preferred? We love mountain biking and skiing. Also, job wise how is the outlook there currently? My husband is a pilot so would be commuting to DIA- is this an okay drive?

I personally like being closer to the core of the city to enjoy FC's city trails, downtown, etc. You can also opt out of driving if you want since the bike trails can get you almost anywhere. The southern side (southeast) is newer, but is more spread out which means no connection to the main city trails and more need for a car to get around. Also IMO a bit Anytown USA - looks like your basic suburb. Still a nice area, but not my cup of tea.

I hate to be a downer, but that is a horrible commute. If the he has to do it more than a few times a week i would suggest moving a bit closer to Denver. Look no farther north than Longmont IMO.

Originally Posted by flcoca

Weather wise we lived in Co Springs for about a year. Being FL natives the snow was new, but not discouraging in the least. COuld anyone answer if the weather is milder in FT collins or about the same as C Springs?

COSprings is a bit milder especially in the summer (Springs sits a bit higher). The difference is not huge, but it exists. FC is on par with Denver for weather.

Originally Posted by flcoca

What are the housing cost like- insurance and property taxes on homes in the 200K-250K price range?

Property taxes are reasonable IMO. You will be looking at about 1200-1800 per year for that price range.



BTW try some searches on these topics for more examples and details. I've answered these many times before and I'm sure there are others that have done the same. Good luck in your research!

[xeric]

I agree about the commute. 65 miles, no real alternative to I-25 when going to the airport, moderate to heavy traffic most of the time, lots of aggressive drivers who feel that if the speed limit is 75 they should be able to go at least 85 no matter how congested it is, or how bad the weather. Longmont might be a better option: it's a nice city that doesn't strike me as being that different from Ft. Collins.

[sgoodyear]

I would say Longmont is in fact a different town than Fort Collins in many ways, but would agree that driving to DIA would get old. However, I have heard that pilots don't really drive into work each day, so maybe it wouldn't be that bad to do a few time a week. Could get trickier in the winter when there is bad weather. You can take E-470 out east to the airport and that does shorten the drive a bit, you just have to pay tolls. I think there are two toll booths on the way to DIA at around $2 each.

There aren't really many "bad" parts of town in FC, so it really depends what you are looking for.