Fort Collins is Usually at the Top (Denver, Boulder: homes, job market)

[AllisonKlein]

Fort Collins is frequently found on “best places” lists — most of us are not surprised by this.

Money Magazine ranked Fort Collins the sixth best place to live because of the amenities such as recreation trails. They also ranked Fort Collins as the 12th-Best Place to Retire because of quality of life, recreation and education – they specifically mention the Front Range Forum, a continuing-ed program for seniors run by the city.

The American Institute for Economic Research named Fort Collins one of the Best College Towns, based on quality of life, arts and leisure opportunities.

Forbes Magazine ranked Fort Collins the fourth-best place for business and careers. The criteria included quality of life.

American Cowboy Magazine rated Fort Collins as one of the best places to live in the West — mentioning amenities like recreation opportunities.

Business Week named Fort Collins one of the best places to raise kids, based on safety and affordability.

These awards are all based on amenities or services that enhance our safety and quality of life. Recreation facilities, parks, trails, and programs enhance quality of life for everyone. Safety and affordability are directly affected by the level of emergency services.

[cityflair]

I would give my left arm to move to Fort Collins, but not my left leg, because then I couldn't hike on those trails! It is wonderful!

[Mike Weber]

Allison, Thanks for posting that. There are more awards and recognition at the bottom of this page:

Fort Collins Honors and Awards

I know I would have a hard time living anywhere else.

[ginger77]

Forbes Magazine ranked Fort Collins the fourth-best place for business and careers. The criteria included quality of life.

This is one part I highly disagree with. If your a business owner, maybe. I had lived in Fort Collins for 7 yrs before finally deciding to leave due to the suppression of wages. I found this to be true in all of Northern Colorado. The front range is a beautiful place, but not worth living there if all you can find is a job paying $11.00 an hr and requiring a Masters.

[Mike Weber]

Originally Posted by ginger77

Forbes Magazine ranked Fort Collins the fourth-best place for business and careers. The criteria included quality of life.

This is one part I highly disagree with. If your a business owner, maybe. I had lived in Fort Collins for 7 yrs before finally deciding to leave due to the suppression of wages. I found this to be true in all of Northern Colorado. The front range is a beautiful place, but not worth living there if all you can find is a job paying $11.00 an hr and requiring a Masters.

Wages are low in Fort Collins. I believe that part of this is due the University being here in town. There is a large pool of employees in town willing to work for low wages while in school. After school, so many students fell in love with the area that many are willing to accept a position at a lower rate than they might take elsewhere, in order to stay here.

[merrymahem]

Originally Posted by Mike Weber

Wages are low in Fort Collins. I believe that part of this is due the University being here in town. There is a large pool of employees in town willing to work for low wages while in school. After school, so many students fell in love with the area that many are willing to accept a position at a lower rate than they might take elsewhere, in order to stay here.

Very true, but I have found this is not the case in other university towns. A close friend of mine was very excited about an interview she had with CSU two yrs ago for a teaching position. She has a Doctorate and at that time had over 10 yrs of experience in her field and 7yrs in teaching. She was shocked when the offered her a mere $36,000, in comparison to the $74,000 she was making at that time. Needless to say she declined to offer, she reasoned that it " Just wasn't worth it " seeing as how the cost of homes in Fort Collins were very close in price to her current home in Modesto, Ca.

Not trying to discourage anyone, Fort Collins has many, many positive attributes. I guess it just depends on what your willing to trade it for.

[heeha]

It seems like all of the places in America that are similar to Fort Collins have crappy job markets, even when the economy is doing well.

Boise is another place that seems to have a relatively high quality of living, but the job market is horrible.

[Katarina Witt]

The Forbes lists are all a crock. Even when they make places I like look good, they're a crock. In fact, most of these lists are a crock.

[tfox]

The comments about lower wages and scarce job markets in Fort Collins are definitely true, especially when you have Metro Denver/Boulder so close. Someone could easily move from Fort Collins, to, say, the northern suburbs of Denver and find many more jobs at better wages than Fort Collins, with housing prices fairly comparable.

To be fair to the Fort, it's not too bad given the size of town that it is. For example, someone compared Fort Collins' housing prices to Modesto, California. I'm not sure if that's true or not (or if that's pre or post crash) -- but good luck finding any decent-paying white-collar job anywhere near Modesto. There's a lot of towns of around 100k in size that would do anything to get the jobs that Fort Collins has right now.

[new2colo]

I think think pay might be low in some fields, not all. I work in IT and make a very fair salary compared to what I would be making in other areas.

Keep in mind that quite a few people here commute to the Denver area for work.

What fields here are low paying?