Anyone move to FC from Texas? Can you answer some ? for us? (Denver: crime)

[marklyn3500]

Hi, my partner and I are strongly considering moving to FC next year but would like to talk to someone who has moved from Texas to FC as well. Or, if you're a lifelong Coloradoan, we'd like to pick your brain as well. We've received a lot of good info from a realtor we're working with but want to talk to someone who has no vested interested or biases for our move consideration.

[bluescreen73]

Not a Colorado native, but I've lived about half my life here. I lived in Fort Collins while I was a student at CSU, and I left Fort Collins for Dallas after graduation. Lived there for 12 years and moved back to the Front Range in 2011. We live in Denver (Aurora), but our middle is a freshman at CSU, and our youngest is going up there in the fall. With WFH we're considering moving up there after the youngest graduates. I can try to help out.

[marklyn3500]

Thanks. I have some opening general questions,some of which you may not know, some you might.
For example, in Texas getting a car license plate is a very nominal fee (usually under $100)/yr. But I heard and read that plates in CO are based on value/age of car? Can you clarify? We both have newer model cars.

Also, we are looking all over FC but we tend to gravitate to houses in established neighborhoods, near the core or south of the core of town but there is new development north of old town. We really like areas where the trees are plentiful, lots of walking in the area, convenient to stores, etc. However, we wonder if the north side with new housing will rapidly develop into a desirable community within 5-6 years. Opinions?

[bluescreen73]

Yes registration costs here can be expensive - especially the first 5-6 years you own your car. There's an ownership tax component, and it's based on a percentage of the taxable value of your car. That percentage goes down every couple years, and once the car is 10-years-old it drops to a flat amount. My car is 12, and I think the ownership tax piece is $30 a year. Altogether my registration costs are around $75 for that car. My wife's car was over $800 when it was new, but it's under $200 now. She's had the car for 6 or 7 years. You can deduct the ownership tax on your federal income taxes, so you'll get a tiny amount of it back

I'm not familiar enough with the housing areas to say, but back in the day the northern part of town was poorer - with the exception of the country club on the northeastern side of town. Generally speaking the trees will be less established in newer neighborhoods - especially the further east you go.

[marklyn3500]

Wow on the registration costs for newer cars. That bites. We usually have our cars around 6-8 years so that is a much higher expense I guess.
We are also curious about the electricity costs and water costs and whether or not there are times of the day (for electricity) which is higher/lower. For water, is there certain times of the year where water and wastewater rates are measured for calculations toward the next year rates (as here in Austin)?

[bluescreen73]

Originally Posted by marklyn3500

Wow on the registration costs for newer cars. That bites. We usually have our cars around 6-8 years so that is a much higher expense I guess.
We are also curious about the electricity costs and water costs and whether or not there are times of the day (for electricity) which is higher/lower. For water, is there certain times of the year where water and wastewater rates are measured for calculations toward the next year rates (as here in Austin)?

You may be able to find the electricity and water info you're looking for here https://www.fcgov.com/utilities/residential/rates. Fort Collins gets its power from the Platte River Power Authority. Unlike Xcel, PRPA is a non-profit coop. You also won't have to worry about the electrical grid crapping the bed if the temperature falls below freezing for more than 24 hours.

[Thoreau424]

Originally Posted by marklyn3500

Hi, my partner and I are strongly considering moving to FC next year but would like to talk to someone who has moved from Texas to FC as well.

Feel free to personal message me. Sometimes that's easier than trying to post back and forth in the usual form area. I'll give you the straight-shoot (no b.s. or fluff).

[hikernut]

Originally Posted by marklyn3500

Also, we are looking all over FC but we tend to gravitate to houses in established neighborhoods, near the core or south of the core of town but there is new development north of old town. We really like areas where the trees are plentiful, lots of walking in the area, convenient to stores, etc. However, we wonder if the north side with new housing will rapidly develop into a desirable community within 5-6 years. Opinions?

I lived in Fort Collins for about ten years, moving away in 2001, so I'm familiar with the older neighborhoods. Spring Creek Trail is the main east-west walking/biking path in the old-ish (mostly '70s-'80s construction?) part of town, connecting to the Poudre Trail at its east end, and then on the west side of town I believe it eventually connects to the trails below Horsetooth Reservoir.

I don't know anything about the new area to the north you mentioned. When I lived there the north side was not as desirable and not as convenient to shopping, although access to Old Town is good if you're not too far north. It takes a long time for trees to grow, longer than you're used to in Texas. You can drive around to see what a ten-year-old neighborhood looks like, a twenty-year-old neighborhood, etc.

[jwiley]

Originally Posted by marklyn3500

Thanks. I have some opening general questions,some of which you may not know, some you might.
For example, in Texas getting a car license plate is a very nominal fee (usually under $100)/yr. But I heard and read that plates in CO are based on value/age of car? Can you clarify? We both have newer model cars.

Also, we are looking all over FC but we tend to gravitate to houses in established neighborhoods, near the core or south of the core of town but there is new development north of old town. We really like areas where the trees are plentiful, lots of walking in the area, convenient to stores, etc. However, we wonder if the north side with new housing will rapidly develop into a desirable community within 5-6 years. Opinions?

I am a Colorado native and have only spent limited time in Texas, but did live in the Fort Collins area up until about 5 years ago.

If you like trees and walkability than I suggest not going into North Fort Collins just yet. The neighborhood with the golf course has a lot of trees but trees are not plentiful, in the area.

Walking to anywhere is pretty tough with limited commercial in the area and while not bad compared to most areas, some of the worst neighborhoods for crime and generally run down are on the north end of town between the newer housing and the shopping/bar areas.

That being said I have some friends that live northeast of the country club area in a housing subdivision built about 10 years ago, they love the area. Nice parks, neighbors are great, and you can be into old town or on the interstate within 10 minutes (which is hard to do during college months).

If you like established neighborhoods than the area I would suggest is around O'dea Elementary, it is far enough away from the college to not have a lot of college student neighbors but is a short walk to shopping and stores and if you choose a longer walk you can walk to old town relatively quickly.

[marklyn3500]

Thanks Jwiley. We do like the walkability and trails (overall) in FC moreso than many other cities we've visited, so as far as we're concerned, good walkability in many areas/neighborhoods. We know we want to live west of the interstate and north of Trilby. We looked at some stuff in the area you mentioned by O'dea Elementary and some houses did seem to be 70's remodeled, which would be ok if they are really done well, but we saw a few that looked like half way remodeled or bad remodeled jobs. Still, that area is nice and walkability is good too.
We wouldn't depend on public transit, we have our own cars and don't mind driving at all.