Welcome to another edition of Where Bloggers Live! In this post, I’m excited to show you a little slice of life in Fort Collins, Colorado, voted by Forbes as one of the best U.S. places to travel in 2019, and once voted by Money Magazine as the #1 place to live in the nation!

Situated just an hour north of Denver, Fort Collins, also known as FoCo, is nestled at the base of the Rocky Mountains’ eastern slope where impressive views and sunshine are a daily occurrence! Well, almost daily; we have a higher-than-average number of sunny days per year.

My husband and I moved here in 1993 with our newborn son. Since then, we’ve seen the city almost double in population, from 90,000 then to 165,000 today. And it’s not stopping! The Colorado State Demography office predicts that Ft. Collins will again double in size over the next 20-30 years!

What’s the draw? Lots! Besides being a beautiful place to live with close proximity to the mountains, Fort Collins has something for everyone: a great family community, excellent schools including Colorado State University, outdoor activities galore, a thriving music and arts scene, more than 20 craft breweries, a charming historic district, clean air, a healthy economy, and low crime to name a few.

One of Fort Collins’ community parks with a view

Outdoor recreation paradise

One of the many things to love about living here is the access to year-round recreational activities. You’ll find people hiking, snowshoeing, road- and mountain-biking, river rafting, boating, paddle boarding, horseback riding, and playing golf, tennis and many more outdoor sports at every opportunity.

With 280+ miles of wide bike lanes, and 30+ miles of paved bike trails, Fort Collins is consistently recognized for being one of the friendliest bike cities in America.

A partial view of Horsetooth Reservoir on left, and paddle-boarding at sunset

Fort Collins’ connection to Disney

Walt Disney found inspiration for Disneyland’s Main Street U.S.A. both from Fort Collins and from his hometown of Marceline, Missouri. When a friend showed Walt pictures of his childhood home of Fort Collins, Disney liked what saw! He drew inspiration from many of Fort Collins’ features when designing Main Street, U.S.A. Take a look at some of the historical sites below.

Former Linden Hotel in Old Town, completed in 1878

                The Avery House, completed in 1879                                Birney Car 21 (from 1919) operates throughout the summer (photo from site)

The Miller Block in Old Town, built in 1888, and downtown Fort Collins

Other things that make Fort Collins special

Old Town

Our Old Town is a national and local historic district with 28 historical buildings.

Craft beer capital of Colorado

Fort Collins breweries produce 70% of the craft beer made in the state of Colorado, and we’re currently home to 20+ microbreweries…the most in the state.

Rocky Mountain National Park

RMNP is just a one hour’s drive through a breathtaking canyon. See more in this post.

Poudre River Whitewater Park

This newly-opened water park adjacent to downtown offers kayaking, surfing, tubing and more.

Concerts and Festivals

You can find free outdoor concerts almost every night of the week during the summer, and FoCo hosts some excellent festivals, like: Bohemian Nights at New West Fest, FOCOMX, Taste of Fort Collins, The Colorado Brewer’s Fest.

Tour de Fat

Local startup, New Belgium Brewery, has exploded into one of the most successful companies in the world. Twenty years ago, they hosted the first Tour de Fat. You can participate in or observe this weird and hilarious bike-parade-turned-festival every summer.

Sunsets over the mountains

No words needed.

One of the many lakes in Fort Collins at sunset

 

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xo, Lisa

 Thanks for reading, and make sure you visit these other bloggers to see what they’re sharing on where they live!

Bettye at Fashion Schlub

Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks

Em at Dust and Doghair

Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings

Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style

Julia at When the Girls Rule