What Are The Pros And Cons Of Living In Fort Collins?

Being home to about 165,000 residents, Fort Collins, CO, is a mid-sized city located in the County of Larimer. Fort Collins is a picturesque city boasting beautiful natural landscapes. From its Rocky Mountains, natural trails, roaring rivers to the green valleys, Fort Collins has breathtaking sceneries to behold.

Besides, Fort Collins has excellent outdoor activities. On a typical day, you will see residents casually walking their dogs around, going hiking, and running errands on their bike — simple life, as they say.

If you’re planning on moving to Fort Collins, then you’ll enjoy its low cost of living, booming economy, and vibrant nightlife. Moreover, you will marvel at beautiful sceneries, including Horsetooth Reservoir, located 10 minutes away from Old Town Fort Collins. If you are a beer lover, you can Sip and Savor at more than 20 craft breweries located in this city. Unfortunately, living in Fort Collins isn’t all rosy. You have to contend with cons like lack of a professional team, high attitudes, and high housing cost index.

Wondering if moving to Fort Collins could work out for you? Then read and find out for yourself.

In Fort Collins, the cost of living is reasonably affordable. The average prices of utilities, transport, health care, groceries, and other goods and services are cost-friendly.

Fort Collins’ cost of living is 118.3 compared to the national average of 100. While this may seem high, the most significant contributor to the spike is the high housing cost index. Otherwise, the other elements of the cost of living are lower than the national average.

For instance, the average cost of utility bills ranges between $100 and $300 per month, which is lower than the national average. However, this cost may vary depending on the size of your house and how often you run your air conditioning system.

If you love adventure, then your plans for moving to the rural areas of Fort Collins will be worthwhile. The city has excellent natural parks, rivers, mountains, and breathtaking natural forests.

Whether you are in Fort Collins for a day or week, you can’t leave the city without visiting the “Wild and Scenic” Cache La Poudre River. This river is a paradise for outdoor activities, including fishing, kayaking, swimming, rafting, and camping.

Besides, you can pop in at Horsetooth Reservoir — a 6.5-mile long reservoir — to enjoy sailing, boating, water skiing, and picnicking. The reservoir is open all year round. All you require is entrance and camping permits and the fun can begin.

With a flat terrain of about 280 miles and counting of bike lanes, Fort Collins is a dream come true for cyclists. If you want to engage in an outdoor activity, then bike riding will serve you right in this city. And no worries if you don’t own one as you can borrow or rent and ride in the city just like the locals do.

If you like festivals, events, and live music, then you’ll indeed have quality time in Fort Collins. This is one city with lively festivals and events, accompanied by live bands.

You can also explore the city’s bustling brewery factories, restaurants, coffee shops, not forgetting the many retail stores. Other activities you can participate in include: fishing, bird watching, skiing, hiking, horseback riding, golfing, and camping.

Lastly, you can explore fanciful creatures at the Swetsville Zoo or visit movie theaters for some in-town adventure.

Fort Collins has a thriving economy — with no highs and lows — as experienced in other cities. It is a hub of technology, manufacturing, and education.

Additionally, business owners enjoy low corporate tax — one reason for quick booming businesses in the region.

Fort Collins has fantastic job opportunities. It’s one of the cities with the lowest unemployment rate in the US. At the time of writing this article, the Fort Collins unemployment rate stood at 5.6%, which is lower than the 6.2% national average. So, if you’re a job seeker, Fort Collins is your number one spot to keep your eyes peeled for.

When people move to other cities, access to excellent education is a prime consideration. And this is precisely one thing that Fort Collins boasts of — an excellent education system.

Fort Collins is home to Colorado State University (CSU) — one of the best-ranking universities in the states. And that’s not all. CSU has great vocational training colleges. Other colleges in the city include IBMC colleges and CollegeAmerica Fort Collins.

Fort Collins’ education system ranks high state-wise. And this is because of many factors ranging from its teacher to student ratio, enrollment rates, public school graduation rates, and last but not least, the positive reviews by parents and students.

If you’re health-conscious, then don’t worry, as Fort Collins healthcare is a suitable match for you. The city has one of the best healthcare systems.

The general health of its residents is great, and they are such a happy a lot. The several outdoor activities and the fantastic landscape play a significant role in their health. It makes them stay active, eliminating inactivity-related illnesses.

Besides, about 93.8% of the residents in Fort Collins have health insurance coverage compared to the 91.5% national average.

While the winter in Fort Collins can be freezing and windy, the city enjoys about 300 days of sun! However, you’ll have to keep yourself hydrated and have sunscreen at hand because of the hot and dry weather. July is the hottest month, with daytime highs of 87-90 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you are staying indoors, you need a robust HVAC system to help you have a great time in your beloved home.

The city’s attitude will probably be hard on you in the first few days, as you can experience headaches, nausea, fatigue, and insomnia. However, this isn’t unique to you only. Even residents experience this, but it’s manageable.

Fort Collins experiences high traffic because of its fast-growing economy. You will experience heavy traffic during peak hours because of the many people going to work and students going to school, especially those at CSU and other vocational training colleges.

Regrettably, you may also not enjoy open roads during weekends as residents rush to the recreational centers. However, there are significant plans to upgrade the city’s road and traffic system to manage traffic. Besides, plans are underway to expand bike lanes to accommodate more cyclists.

Yes, Fort Collins is an excellent place to live in. You’ll have access to the best-in-class education and healthcare system. The cost of living is relatively low. Besides, the city boasts breathtaking natural landscapes, ranging from the Rocky Mountains, rivers to green valleys.

And if you are a food and beer lover, Fort Collins was designed with you in mind. The city offers terrific food cuisines and different beer flavors to keep your taste buds yearning for more.

In Fort Collins, people love outdoor activities, and biking is the most common outdoor activity. As a result, the city has about 280 miles of biking trails. Weather-wise, if planning to tour Fort Collins, the best time is between June and September. In this period, you will enjoy favorable warm weather of between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius.

Compared to other cities, this is one of the safest cities to live in. Crime rates are way lower compared to other cities. If you’re planning to move into Fort Collins, then your safety is nothing to worry about.