General Information:
Welcome to the "Choice City"! Nestled beside the
foothills of the Rocky Mountains and home to Colorado State University,
Fort Collins has something to offer everyone.
Residents here enjoy the best of the outdoors and city living. From
town you have easy access to camping, hiking, snowboarding, downhill
and cross-country skiing to rafting, fishing, or water skiing. In
addition, the city has several shopping malls, hundreds of restaurants,
six movie complexes, a regional cultural center, and several arts and
entertainment venues. Best of all, over 300 days of sunshine allow
residents to enjoy the best of Fort Collins year-round.
Fort Collins is located just 65 miles north of Denver, Colorado's
capital, and is easily accessible by car, bus, or air travel. An hourly
shuttle service provides convenient transportation to and from the
Denver International Airport.
Community Website:
http://www.ci.fort-collins.co.us County: Larimer
Elevation: 5160.0 ft
Square Miles (land): 47
Population: 118,652
Male Population (%): 52.2
Female Population (%): 49.9
Estimate 2003 Population: 125,740
Average Age: 32.5
Awards and Honors:
- Forbes Ranks Fort Collins as #3 '2008 Best Place for Business and Careers'
- Fort Collins named in "Top 10 Cities: Where to Buy Now"!
- Money Magazine named Fort Collins the 2006 "#1 Best Place to Live"!
City of Fort Collins earns "Bicycle Friendly Community" national award (2005) by League of American Bicyclists
- "American Dream Town." Fort Collins rated as one of the est Towns in the U.S. (Outside Magazine, August 2005)
- Fort Collins drivers are the ninth best in the nation (Allstate Insurance Company´s "America´s Best Drivers Report.")
- Fort Collins & Larimer County Named Top Nature-Friendly Communities - June, 2005.
- Selected as 4th best place to live in the United States - Men's Journal, April 2005.
- Officially designated as a "Take Pride In America Community" - March 2005
- City of Fort Collins selected as "Top Retirement Spot" by Where to Retire magazine - March/April 2005
- Fort Collins was designated a Preserve America Community by
First Lady Laura Bush (2004) for its committment to historic
preservation and celebration of our priceless cultural and natural
heritage.
- City of Fort Collins Web Site: #1 in the Nation! - September, 2004
- "Top 5 Places to Retire" by MSN.com - July, 2003
- Fort Collins ranks No. 29 on the Forbes Magazine list of best places for business and careers in America's small cities.
- Fort Collins ranks #4 of the 50 best places to live in the
United states as selected by Men's Journal, May 2003. (The criteria
included the familiarity of a small town but with attractive amenities,
good weather, location, all around livable and inviting.)
- Loveland/Fort Collins is the #1 Best Place to Reinvent Your Life (source: AARP Magazine, May & June 2003 edition).
- Fort Collins ranks 2nd in the nation as a digital city
according to the 2002 Digital Cities Survey conducted by The Center for
Digital Government. (The survey examines how city governments have
progressed in adopting and utilizing digital technologies to improve
the delivery of services to their citizens.)
- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
recognized the Fort Collins Housing Authority as a "High Performer"
through its Public Housing Assessment System for fiscal year 2001.
"High Performer" status gives the Housing Authority preferred status
for grants and results in reduced reporting and monitoring by HUD.
- ICLEI 5-Star Award for our efforts to reduce global warming
and pollution - February, 2002 17th Best Place to Live and Work in
America - Employment Review, June 2002 Best Place to Retire -
Retirement Places Rated, 1999 3rd Best Place to Raise a Family -
Reader's Digest, 1997 Special Edition
- 5th Best Economy Nationwide - Policom Corp., 1999 9th Best
for Affordable and Accessible Golf - Golf Digest, 1999 Ranked 10th on
"Best Cities to Have it All" - A&E Network, 1999
- One of Top 10 Best Places to Retire - Money Magazine, 2000
"Fort Fun" Facts
- More than 60,000 Canadian geese winter in Fort Collins each year.
- A Gold Medal Trout Route up Poudre Canyon provides excellent
fishing. An average of 170,000 pounds of trout are harvested out of
Larimer County waters each year.
- The upper Poudre River was the filming sight for the first episode
of "Centennial" as well as the filming sight for portions of the TV
series "Walker: Texas Ranger."
- 75 miles of the upper Poudre River are protected by the Wild Scenic
Rivers Act, which preserves the natural character of the land.
- During an average year, the sun shines in Fort Collins 300 days.
- Colorado State University´s Moby Gym and Hughes Stadium are
locations for numerous spectator sports. Colorado State is a Division 1
member of the Western Athletic Conference.
- In the early 1900s, Fort Collins was known as the "Lamb Feeding Capital of the World".
- The world famous "Daddy of ?Em All" Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo is
held annually just 45 miles north of Fort Collins in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
- The average relative humidity in Fort Collins in the summer is 30% and 43% in winter.
- An hour's drive south to Denver puts you amid NFL football action
with the Denver Broncos at Invesco at Mile High Stadium, NBA basketball
competition with the Denver Nuggets at the new Pepsi Center Arena,
major league baseball with the Colorado Rockies at the new Coors
Stadium, and NHL hockey action with the Colorado Avalanche.
- In international circles, Fort Collins is fondly tagged "Poster
City, USA" as we host the Colorado International Invitational Poster
Exhibition bi-annually. It draws artwork from nearly 30 countries. The
newly finished Budweiser Events Center adds not only world class
entertainment but also minor league hockey to add to this reputation.
- Horsetooth Reservoir gets its name from a particular rock formation
overlooking the city that resembles a horse´s jaw with several large
teeth jutting forward.
- Fort Collins has a trolley car. It is a restored 1919 Burney Safety
Car that sat in the Library Park for 26 years, where it eventually fell
apart. After seven years of restoration work by the Fort Collins
Municipal Railway Society, the trolley is now restored to its original
condition. It runs from City Park down Mountain Avenue to Sherwood
Street and back. The track on which it runs is part of the car´s
original route.
- The "A" on the foothills above Hughes Stadium was first painted in
1942 by students at Colorado Agricultural College and stood for the
school's nickname, "Aggies." Students continue to periodically repaint
the "A" as a way of maintaining the schools tradition.
Location, Location, Location
| City |
Miles |
Minutes |
| Loveland |
8 |
10 |
| Greeley |
29 |
35 |
| Estes Park |
42 |
60 |
| Windsor |
10 |
15 |
| Boulder |
46 |
60 |
| Metro Denver |
62 |
75 |
| Cheyenne, WY |
45 |
60 |
| Wellington |
10 |
15 |
| Denver Int'l Airport |
75 |
90 |
* Sources: maps.google.com; America´s Top Rated Cities, Volume 2, 2005 twelfth edition
Employment
Local Median Income (Based on 2000 U.S. Census Bureau Data): $44,459
National Median Income (Based on 2000 U.S. Census Bureau Data): $41,994
Major Employers:
Colorado State University Poudre School District Hewlett Packard Poudre Valley Health System Eastman Kodak Larimer County Agilent Technologies City of Fort Collins LSI Logic Advanced Energy Industries Anheuser Busch Woodward Governor
Education
K-12:
Poudre School District Higher Education:
Colorado State University (Enrollment: 22,782) Community College:
Front Range Community College
Weather
Fort Collins, CO Weather Facts
- Average Days of Sun: 300 days
- The average warmest month is July.
- The highest recorded temperature was 105°F in 2005.
- On average, the coolest month is January.
- The lowest recorded temperature was -31°F in 1990.
- The maximum average precipitation occurs in May.
Driver's License and Registration
Driver's License 1221 West Prospect Road
Fort Collins, CO 80526
(970) 494-9809
M-F 8am-5pm
Website:
http://www.revenue.state.co.us/MV_dir/wrap.asp?incl=dlolist
Motor Vehicle Registration Larimer County Courthouse
200 West Oak Street Suite 1100
Fort Collins, CO 80521
(970) 498-7878
Website: http://www.co.larimer.co.us/motorv/
Utilities
TELEPHONE: Qwest: Local Sales
(970) 229-1300
260 E Horsetooth Rd
Fort Collins, CO 80525
Website:
http://www.qwest.com McLeodUSA
PO Box 3177 - Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-3177
Phone: 319-364-0000 - Toll Free: 800-896-8330
Fax: 319-790-7767
Website:
http://www.mcleodusa.com WATER & ELECTRIC: City of Fort Collins Electrical Utilities Department
330 S. College Ave.
Fort Collins, CO 80524
(970) 212-2900 (24-hour access)
Fax: (970) 221-6247
Website:
http://fcgov.com/utilities/ Rural Areas: Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association
7649 REA Parkway
Fort Collins, CO 80528
(970) 226-1234
GAS: Xcel Energy
1901 East Horsetooth Road
Fort Collins, CO 80525
(800) 895-4999 (Denver)
Website:
http://www.xcelenergy.com TRASH REMOVAL: Trash
pickup is available through a number of private companies in Fort
Collins. Please consult your Yellow Pages for a complete listing. Below
are a few of the companies: Dick's Trash Hauling Service
233 N Us Highway 287
Fort Collins, CO 80524
(970) 482-1674
Ram Waste Systems Inc
5704 Bueno Dr
Fort Collins, CO 80525
(970) 226-3396
Waste Management
500 E Vine Dr
Fort Collins, CO 80524
(970) 482-6319
