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My brother and I are considering making a move from San Diego to Fort Collins. We grew up in San Diego and have spent a little bit of time in the Denver area, albeit during the summer months. Denver is great but it is too crowded and too far away from the mountains.
We are debating if a move to Fort Collins make sense based on the following:
1) How is the quality of life? We are interested in a slower pace of life with less of the "keep up with the joneses" mentality.
2) How does Fort Collins rank when it comes to access to outdoor activities like fly fishing, white water kayaking, skiing, hunting, etc.? We have narrowed our list down to Fort Collins, Salt Lake City, Boise, and possibly Bend. I am curious if Fort Collins has the same access to outdoors activities as a place like Bend, OR.
3) How is the small business environment? We are thinking about starting a business in Fort Collins.
4) What is Fort Collins like for those in their late 20's and early 30's?
5) Has anyone moved from San Diego to Fort Collins? If so, how was it adapting to the change in seasons and lifestyle out there?
Any input that can be offered would be very much appreciated! Thanks!
My brother and I are considering making a move from San Diego to Fort Collins. We grew up in San Diego and have spent a little bit of time in the Denver area, albeit during the summer months. Denver is great but it is too crowded and too far away from the mountains.
We are debating if a move to Fort Collins make sense based on the following:
1) How is the quality of life? We are interested in a slower pace of life with less of the "keep up with the joneses" mentality.
quality compared to San Diego? not even on the same chart, Ft Collins is much lower paced, but not particularly different these days from Denver in that regard.
2) How does Fort Collins rank when it comes to access to outdoor activities like fly fishing, white water kayaking, skiing, hunting, etc.? We have narrowed our list down to Fort Collins, Salt Lake City, Boise, and possibly Bend. I am curious if Fort Collins has the same access to outdoors activities as a place like Bend, OR.
The Front Range area has good outdoor activity access. Ft Collins, especially on the west side, is pretty well located. You will need to spend some time getting to the wintertime mountain activities such as skiing (Denver area has better access to the I-70 corridor ski areas, so if that's too far away for you, then Ft Collins will not be an improvement), but hunting and fishing abounds nearby.
3) How is the small business environment? We are thinking about starting a business in Fort Collins.
Depends upon your business and what you may need for facilities. I've got friends with established businesses in Ft Collins who have recently been pushed out of the "old town" commercial area due to the push by the Z&P department to upgrade the area. They purchased other commercial properties in the area and have been stymied for over a year afterwards to get Z&P approvals on what were originally planned redevelopment of the buildings and structures for their operations ... which were part of the original agreements to sell out and relocate per the Z&P department pressures. Suffice to say it's been a very anti-business environment for them and Ft Collins authorities aggressively mislead them as to what they were getting into; very expensive to attempt to reach compliance agreement with the city planners. Bottom Line: It all depends upon how much the powers that be at Z&P want your business in the area and the community. Before making any decision about moving here, be sure you've got a business plan/proposal and WRITTEN commitments from the Z&P to your satisfaction.
4) What is Fort Collins like for those in their late 20's and early 30's?
A very active community centered around CSU. A vibrant retail/restaurant/recreation area.
5) Has anyone moved from San Diego to Fort Collins? If so, how was it adapting to the change in seasons and lifestyle out there?
Barring the many years since I did this as a factor ... I moved from Point Loma (near SWYC) to Boulder, which has effectively the same climate as Ft Collins.
It will be a striking adjustment to having a full 4-season climate vs the monotony of SD. For me, it was a welcome change, but the first few winters of the colder temps was difficult. No stranger to snow, having had access to cabins in Big Bear, Cuyamaca, and similar areas in the SoCal inland mountain areas ... it was still a very dramatic change.
Ft Collins is a desert compared to SD, with much less moisture/humidity, while able to deliver wide temperature swings within any given day during the year. Especially during the winter months, daytime highs to lows can reach 40F swings. When the sun sets in the winter months, the heat source is gone. Consider that the altitude is a huge factor in the climate and there's no ocean to moderate the swings. Vegetation/tree stands, etc ... much different than SD and So Cal on the whole.
Any input that can be offered would be very much appreciated! Thanks!
Best to do your own due diligence re such a move and your intent to open a business here. Come visit and check out the opportunities/costs and visit the folk at Z&P department. As well, check out the housing costs for the housing that you desire. Ft Collins is not inexpensive.
My brother and I are considering making a move from San Diego to Fort Collins. We grew up in San Diego and have spent a little bit of time in the Denver area, albeit during the summer months. Denver is great but it is too crowded and too far away from the mountains.
We are debating if a move to Fort Collins make sense based on the following:
1) How is the quality of life? We are interested in a slower pace of life with less of the "keep up with the joneses" mentality.
2) How does Fort Collins rank when it comes to access to outdoor activities like fly fishing, white water kayaking, skiing, hunting, etc.? We have narrowed our list down to Fort Collins, Salt Lake City, Boise, and possibly Bend. I am curious if Fort Collins has the same access to outdoors activities as a place like Bend, OR.
3) How is the small business environment? We are thinking about starting a business in Fort Collins.
4) What is Fort Collins like for those in their late 20's and early 30's?
5) Has anyone moved from San Diego to Fort Collins? If so, how was it adapting to the change in seasons and lifestyle out there?
Any input that can be offered would be very much appreciated! Thanks!
Awesome. I love mountain cities as well and know every city on your list fairly well from both research and visiting.
My suggestions:
I'd knock Bend off the list immediately. If you have spent time in each of those cities, it becomes clear bend is nothing like the other 3. Bend works VERY hard on advertising itself to be a great mountain town, but it's not. The elevation is too low which makes the climate less appealing and the city is just poorly constructed and unable to handle the flow of traffic as people go THROUGH the city instead of in and out. It is not a destination, it is a place that is on the road between where someone starts and where they are going. I was really excited to make my first trip to see more of bend, but it was a total letdown. The economy to housing will absolutely ruin young people that need careers.
IMO, Fort Collins is a much better destination for outdoor activities, but you should be aware that if I were to rank the three remaining cities from least traffic to most, it would go Boise, SLC, FC. The traffic in Boise is not bad, but FC has an absurd amount of traffic for the size of the city.
I don't know the small business environment. It may depend on the size of "small". Frequently places that try to be pro small business don't give a crap about a place with 2 employees, they just offer tax money to those with 25 to 100. It's unfortunate. Watch out for this when doing your research.
FC and Boise are both very fun places to live for someone in that age range, but people can be very different. If you want drinking and clubbing all night, I have no clue, that crap is for losers going nowhere in life.
I just talked on the phone to my son in Fort Collins. The temperature was 26* below zero. 9am Colorado time Wednesday the 31st.
At 6:00am this morning it was -18F at my house here on the west side of Fort Collins near the football stadium, but now at 10:30am it is into the 20's (above zero). On Christmas Eve, we were mountain biking on dry trails with temps in the 50's. We are supposed to be back into the 40's by this weekend.
Certainly not San Diego, but I enjoy the temperature variations. It keeps things interesting.
My brother and I are considering making a move from San Diego to Fort Collins. We grew up in San Diego and have spent a little bit of time in the Denver area, albeit during the summer months. Denver is great but it is too crowded and too far away from the mountains.
We are debating if a move to Fort Collins make sense based on the following:
1) How is the quality of life? We are interested in a slower pace of life with less of the "keep up with the joneses" mentality.
2) How does Fort Collins rank when it comes to access to outdoor activities like fly fishing, white water kayaking, skiing, hunting, etc.? We have narrowed our list down to Fort Collins, Salt Lake City, Boise, and possibly Bend. I am curious if Fort Collins has the same access to outdoors activities as a place like Bend, OR.
3) How is the small business environment? We are thinking about starting a business in Fort Collins.
4) What is Fort Collins like for those in their late 20's and early 30's?
5) Has anyone moved from San Diego to Fort Collins? If so, how was it adapting to the change in seasons and lifestyle out there?
Any input that can be offered would be very much appreciated! Thanks!
While I don't currently live in Fort Collins, and haven't for some time, I grew up in Colorado and spent 5 years in Fort Collins. I also live in one of the locations you are considering, Bend, Oregon. So hopefully my input will help you out.
1) The quality of life in Fort Collins is great, especially compared with San Diego. It has grown quite a bit since I lived there though. Downtown is still great, very vibrant and feels small. However, the sprawl both to the north and south definitely make it feel like many of the other suburbs along the Front Range.
2) Spending my college years in Fort Collins, we always were close to hiking, climbing, and general outdoor activities. You will find the fishing and kayaking to be great. Skiing, unless you are talking about cross country, is quite a bit farther than the other locations on your list. When I was in college, driving 2-3 hours to get to the slopes was no big deal. Now, there is no way I would do that. It's just too far. Eldora, just west of Boulder, is the closest to Fort Collins. You could also look at some of the areas in Wyoming. But you are still going to be driving 1.5-2 hours each way. I guess I'm spoiled now living in Bend. It takes 25-30 minutes from my doorstep to the parking lot. I like that! (I also disagree with lurtsman to knock it off your list right away).
3) I don't know the business environment in Fort Collins, so I will let others help you there.
4) I think Fort Collins is great for people in their 20s and 30s. It is a college town, so there is a much younger vibe to the city. However, many people that go to college there end up staying. There's definitely night life and other things to do.
Good luck with your decision and let me know if you have any specific questions about Bend (or stop on over to our subforum and have a look).
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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28 yrs in No Co for me (Masonville, Estes Park, Loveland)
Best thing about Ft Collins and it's access to the outdoors, is it's proximity to Wyoming!
There are a lot of hiking trails in the foothills nearby, Mtns are considerably farther from Ft Collins than from Bend. in fact... if Denver is too far, you will be really disappointed to know that the vast majority of Mtn access (for downhill skiing) from Ft Collins is through Denver (adding another hour to your trip. Of course you can go to Steamboat, CO over the back roads (if they are open), It is really quite far from Ft Collins in the deep of winter.
Both FC and Bend are 'trendy' towns and host to many trust fund babies.
I had many coworkers move from various locations in CA (including SD) to Ft Collins. For the most part they stayed (I left 30 yrs ago), but still have property and business in No CO, so am there frequently. (As well as San Diego).
What precisely is your business? THAT will make a BIG difference on whether Colorado (and Ft Collins) is business friendly to your chosen field. (I don't find CO very business friendly, and Ft Collins is on the worse side of that.) YMMV. If you have high revenue, you should consider an Income Tax Free State (WY or SD is close-by, WA State is full of the recreation you mention, a few minutes from your door rather than a few hours of traffic.)
There are a lot better choices for your interests, than what is on your list (Mtn - Metro's / trendy spots w/ bad traffic).
Consider Hood River, OR if you have the bucks to fit in. (It too is pretty trendy, but not nearly the population, traffic, or population pressure on recreation facilities / outdoor events.
Good luck, do your research, especially on career / business activities and restrictions, permits, fees, registration, and taxes.
Mtns are considerably farther from Ft Collins than from Bend. In fact... if Denver is too far, you will be really disappointed to know that the vast majority of Mtn access (for downhill skiing) from Ft Collins is through Denver (adding another hour to your trip. Of course you can go to Steamboat, CO over the back roads (if they are open), It is really quite far from Ft Collins in the deep of winter.
This is actually incorrect. Bend is closer to a ski area than Fort Collins is, but when simply measuring the distance from Fort Collins or Bend to the nearest mountains both cities are of comparable distances. Downtown Fort Collins is only 5 miles from the foothills of the Front Range and peaks 3,000 feet higher than the town are only 12 miles away. Peaks 5,000 feet above the town begin roughly 20 miles away, and mountains 8,000 feet above town are about 25 miles away. Fort Collins also has far more foothill peaks (peaks between 2,000 to 5,000 feet above the city) than Bend does nearby.
In Bend peaks 3,000 feet above town are about 15 miles away, and 5,000 foot peaks are 20 miles away. So as you can see the distances are similar. However the tallest peaks within 30 miles of Fort Collins are all taller than the highest peak within 30 miles of Bend. For example Mummy Mountain is 25 miles from Fort Collins and is 8,500 feet higher than Fort Collins. Longs Peak is 35 miles from Fort Collins and is 9,300 feet above the town. South Sister near Bend is the highest peak within 30 miles and is 6,800 feet above the town. So in both quantity and elevation of peaks within a reasonable distance Fort Collins has the edge. Add in all the peaks between Longs and Mummy mountain near Fort Collins and you have a 20 mile stretch of peaks that are all higher than the peaks near Bend which only stretch for 10 miles.
Fort Collins is of course only 50 minutes away from Rocky Mountain National Park which is an outdoor paradise. There are also several decent sized lakes nearby for water activities. Bend has excellent outdoor activities too but IMHO Fort Collins is better in this regard simply due to having more high alpine peaks close by. Bend has the advantage in access to skiing though.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JMM64
... Bend has the advantage in access to skiing though.
and the Columbia Gorge, and MANY 'natural' Cascade lakes, and access to wonderful 100% PUBLIC Oregon Coast in 3 hrs.
Much less pressure on outdoor resources.
Having grown up in Estes Park, RMNP is now just as ruined as the rest of Colorado (more people, more restrictions, less enjoyable.)
Having our 'low ranch' in Masonville... (now home to bike trails instead of cattle trails) Same-oh... same-oh.
Ft Collins enjoys a "WY benefit", just don't wear your 'greenies'. (Colorado License Plates).
YMMV, but anyone thinking about moving anywhere should do a lot of homework rather than target the trendy spots they hear about.
Here's my honest opinion on Fort Collins, after living here for 17 years: It has been ruined, we have bought a house in another state and are moving pronto. I don't mean to be negative or discouraging, but this is why I feel this way:
17 years ago I moved here(just like everyone else), went to CSU, and loved it so much here I stayed for almost 2 decades. There is not much left of the reasons I loved it here, and the future is going to be so much worse.
1. Overcrowding/traffic: They just keep building and building and building.....and building. What they are NOT building are more roads. Many lights cycle 2 or 3 times before getting through, only to stop at the next block's red light. The train, MAX bus debacle, bike trail crosswalks etc all stop traffic as well.
2. The "feel" is gone: It used to feel like a small town with the amenities of a large town/small city., It now feels like any other overcrowded city, full of rat racers with no regard for others. You hoinestly cannot tell the difference between any front range town anymore. It's just a big generic suburban sprawl from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs.
3. Horsetooth Reservoir/West Fort Collins: Used to be so mellow, so low key, now it's a complete circus on weekends, all the trail lots are full, rv's swerving around road cyclists, rangers/sheriffs are EVERYWHERE and out to get you, they closed all the free parking on the east side of the res, the swim beach got ruined a few years back, it's now underwater, boat ramps backed up forever, I could go on.....
4. The future: A mid-town football stadium(?), no real plans for smart growth(much too late for that anyways), more and more and more people, more gridlock, more regulations, more frustration.
Outdoor activities are great here, but now you fight for a parking spot and have to pull off the trail every 10 seconds to let oncoming hikers/horses/runners etc pass. As far as skiing, forget it unless you can go on weekdays, and leave at 5 am. With no traffic it is 2 1/2 hours to the closest major area. You WILL hit traffic, stop and go for miles as you crawl past Denver to I-70. Weekend traffic on I-70 will ruin you forever. I have had it take 7 hours to get home from Keystone. Normal weekend, expect 3-4 hours there and back mostly stop and go bumper to bumper traffic. Not fun.
I guess it's all relative, compared to SoCal it is probably pretty laid back here, but compared to 20 years ago, it is a nightmare. I can't complain too much, I moved here too, so instead of complaining all the time we did something about it, we sold our house and are getting the heck out of here!
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(adding another hour to your trip. Of course you can go to Steamboat, CO over the back roads (if they are open), It is really quite far from Ft Collins in the deep of winter.
