Where to Live: Fort Collins, Colorado - Neighborhoods and Highlights

So what better place to start a welcome tour of Colorado than the Colorado welcome center? This modern facility houses, all sorts of information and resources for folks visiting Colorado and also for new Colorado residents. It's definitely worth going in to ask some questions and gather some resources.

The center is surrounded by more than 200 acres of nature preserve and interpretive trails. Once you've taken some time here, let's head out to our next stop. The river bend ponds along the way you might wanna pick up some food for a picnic. It's a great place to enjoy snack.

Welcome to Riverbend ponds. One of the 52 conserved natural areas and some of the 114 miles of trails here in Fort Collins because of our passion for the outdoors. These numbers grow every year. Have I mentioned that we like our bikes and our dogs? So, we're always looking for natural places to enjoy both.

Here in Fort Collins, this convenient bit of nature is full of diverse wildlife, including over 200 species of birds that feed nest and migrate through this area. Enjoy a walk around some of the ponds where you're likely to see some warm water fish jumping. Did you bring a fishing pole?

But you'll also find the affordability that comes with living just outside of town in some of the areas, most affordable neighborhoods.

Now let's talk housing north of here. While it may not feel like it, we’re pretty close to Downtown Fort Collins right now. Well get there a little bit later in the tour. If you find the appeal of being close to the downtown bustle, while also still desiring to be a bit further away from the downtown bustle, check out the communities North of here.

You'll find the amenities of upscale country estates, conveniently located near the Fort Collins country club.

The Terry Lake area offers close-in mini farms if goats and chickens are your thing.

And scattered in this north end of things, you'll still find some affordable homes for those looking to find a sweet home, not too far away from the heart of it all.

Add in new build homes and this diverse end of town has a home style for everyone.

Head over to the Jessup farm area where we'll find some cool resources and explore some more central housing options.

Did you notice the Fort Collins recycling center just before you pulled into Jessup farm? It's a great place to recycle both easy and more complicated recyclable. And now that you've done some good recycling for the earth, treat yourself to some time here at Jessup Farm inspired by Fort Collins, agricultural roots.

This artisan village was built out of the restored historic Jessup farm. Here. You'll find all types of chic eateries and artisanal shops. Need some pampering. The 10 Spot has got you covered from mannis and pettis to everything in between.
And The Farmhouse is a delightful, cozy, local gathering place. Serving up modern farm fair and good company.

Or if beer 30 is calling you, stop by the Jess farm barrel house where well-behaved dogs are welcome. And this tap house is B Y O F. Bring your own food. So grab a snack or a picnic-style meal, and head over to enjoy the barrels and bruise.

Homes east of here range from 1980s to homes currently under construction with lots generally under a half an acre, and some are very small and great for low maintenance lifestyles and west of here.

Have I mentioned that the mountains are always west here in Fort Collins and the front range.

We'll start to get closer to Fort Collins roots as you look west and you'll find homes from every decade, from the sixties to the two thousands. Many of those sixties ranch style homes have enjoyed some great remodels.

And with older homes, we start to find some larger lots.

Let's continue moving south to the council tree area, which houses, various retail and commercial resources, and also some easy access to I, 25 and some other lovely communities you might want to explore later.

Timnath is nestled just east of Fort Collins and it houses the wonderful Colorado food and grain market and coffee house. It's a local gathering place and event center. Next door is the Timnath Beer Works. If you're feeling like beers and a night of food, trucks and friends.

And the sweet small town of severance is just a bit further east with one of the area's newest high schools.

The small town, turned bustling city, of Windsor is Southeast of Fort Collins with its beautiful lake extensive dining shopping and various resources.

And of course, we can't forget another university city further east. Greeley is home to the university of Northern Colorado bears. My Alma mater.

So, since I've lived in Boulder, Greeley and Fort Collins, I cheer for the bears, the buffs and the Rams, but not necessarily in that order, quite frankly, I'm not personally much for athletics, but I do enjoy the happy vibe of a thriving college town.

And in Northern Colorado, you're never very far from one of those.

This Council Tree area is historic home to a real tree where actual councils were held by local native American tribes. While the tree no longer stands, the Council Tree avenue is named as a testament of this historic gathering site. Today, we gather in restaurants and coffee shops for restaurants, check out the Himalaya bistro, a perennial favorite in my home.

Also check out DC Oaks, Brewhouse & Eatery for some adventurous beers, passionate staff and outstanding food.

And don't forget to stop by Envy Brewing, one of Fort Collins's newest breweries, where they love collaboration and are busy sharing their quirky ideas about beer with the community.
You'll also find one of our local libraries, the council tree library. If libraries are your thing, check out the Harmony Library on the Front Range, Community College and the Old Town Library, which is surrounded by the charming Library Park in Old Town. For now, let's head over to the massive Twin Silo Park.

Welcome to twin silo park. Let's go play. It's a good time. This park may be inspired by the area's agricultural history, but it definitely puts a new spin on things. Pickleball courts, a BMX trail, and a dog park. Keep things lively and definitely don't miss the slide. It's the tallest one in Fort Collins, uniquely traveling between the twin silos.

Just a few miles down the road is the five-star rated Zach elementary school, which ranks better than 99% of other Colorado schools, according to School Digger. Their mascot is a six-foot-tall dinosaur. I won't even try and pronounce his whole name, but we can call him Zach.

Housing wise, if you're looking for new and modern with close proximity to I 25 and bountiful dining and shopping areas, you might just be driving past your new home.

Nearby Observatory neighborhood houses its very own stargazer observatory.

And the lovely Fossil Lake Ranch neighborhood is just around the corner from us. This neighborhood offers a wide variety of modern living options with everything from loft condos to premiere estate homes. Maybe you'll find your dream home there adjacent to the beautiful fossil Creek reservoir nature area. You'll definitely find views and lovely walking paths.

But this whole area between Harmony Road and Trilby has a wide variety of housing options Acreage and estate style living greet those with a taste for the finer things. More modest budgets will find traditional houses built in the sixties, seventies, eighties, and nineties. Larger lots are available, but as is true throughout Colorado, they will come at a premium.

If you're looking to be a bit further out of the energy of Fort Collins. Check out the houses further south past Trilby. Here, you'll find plenty of new build construction and newer homes as well as traditional homes from the seventies and beyond.

And you'll also find convenient access to I, 25 Loveland, and all of Boulder County.

Hey, it's fossil Creek Park sometimes called Mammoth Park due to the discovery of mammoth bones when the park was under construction.

This wonderful park has spectacular views and a huge playground with interesting and unique equipment. Enjoy the peace of the lake. Or if sports are more, your things check out the many sporty resources here nearby.

Many homes built in the eighties and nineties offer convenience to dining trails and shopping.

As we head back north towards the traditional center of Fort Collins. I'll see you over at Foothills Mall.

Welcome to college avenue.

As we move deeper into Fort Collins, you'll see the various vibes and moods that make this beautiful city so vibrant here, you can see the centrally located foothills mall, which is a hub for big name retailers. We'll be passing Lulu on Dick's sporting goods and forever 21.


Xfinity has a location here for simple customer service and taco Tuesdays at torch. Always yummy, enjoy ice skating in the winter. And in the summertime, the living is definitely easy.

Check out the maker's market, the concert series and the beer garden, or maybe a free fitness class on the green.

Make a note that the train runs north and south through town and can make you late for appointments when you're trying to drive west of here and also make a note that the max line bus route, which also runs north and south, moves people conveniently from these more residential areas to the bustle of downtown and the university. Nearby. you'll find Young's cafe for yummy Vietnamese dining and Cafe Mexicali for a local cult favorite of sweet pork burrito with white sauce. Yes, it is as decadent as it sounds.

And a shout out to Aspen Grove veterinary, where they take care of my own rescue kitty. Hey guys.

Let's head deeper into the heart of Fort Collins towards Midtown. See you there.

Continuing north on college, we're moving through Midtown. Like the name suggests it's the traditional middle of Fort Collins. If you need something that has less of the downtown bustle, but the same great amenities Midtown might be for you. It's home to the biggest stretch of retail shops in Fort Collins.

And you're just an arms, reach away from a wide variety of bars, brew, pubs, and restaurants. With a more local vibe here, you can find quiet neighborhoods nestled with family friendly parks. Making this a great spot for families and folks looking for a hip vibe with a chill lifestyle. Houses in Midtown will vary from early 1900 historical bungalows to early 2000 modern show homes.

But Midtown is really known for its love of mid-century modern homes. If you're looking for a sprawling ranch with exposed beams in a cool mid-century design, this is where you'll find it. Along the way on your left you'll see the beautiful Colorado state university campus. No matter where you are in Fort Collins, you'll find a sense of university pride and also a community focus on education.

The beautiful Canvas stadium houses Rams football, but it's not all football here. We have the Center for the Arts, which puts on spectacular performances year round and on your right. You'll see the community gardens where test plants brighten our Midtown drive every summer.

This is a great time to discuss Colorado's gardening and lawn challenges. Sprinkler systems are highly sought after in this arid climate and many people off to forgo a turf yard instead choosing low water needs plants.

And while it's not yard related, air conditioning is welcome during Colorado's handful of 100 degree days in July.

And obviously it's Colorado, so it will snow and it will snow early and late in the season. So watch for the frost warnings and plant your early season starts late in the season. A south facing home will get you some snow melted off your driveway and sidewalk. And if you're considering a corner lot, remember that's a lot of shoveling. So keep that in mind.

But Colorado snow is really nothing to worry about.The sun melts it quickly. Roads are plowed promptly, and most of us learn to drive on these snowy roads. Just take your time and steer into the slip.

If you're looking further west towards the mountains, you'll find campus west campus west resides just west of Colorado state university's main campus. And with its close proximity to the college campus Campus West bubbles with the energy of students and the young at heart. Established neighborhoods of homes built in the 1960s and seventies offers typically modest homes with nice size yards and a variety of student focused department complexes round out the community.

All right. Let's head downtown. As you approach downtown, you may notice that college avenue very closely resembles Disneyland's main street USA. Rumor has it, Main street USA is modeled after downtown Fort Collins and several other us main streets.

I'll see you downtown.

Welcome to the heart of my sweet city, downtown Fort Collins. This historic downtown hub is truly the gem of Fort Collins here. You'll find all things quirky and charming and celebratory. My downtown walking tour starts just around the corner. So if you want, you can park and enjoy that. But since we've got a lot of brew, pubs and local distilleries, you may opt to finish the driving tour and head back downtown when you're ready for something a little more exciting. And a little less behind the wheel.

Now, this place is always bustling. So save yourself the hassle of street parking and pay at of the many garages. The first hour is free and the parking prices are very reasonable here in downtown.

There's never a quiet moment and you'll often hear music being played on the donated and painted pianos found along the alleyway.

And we have several high-quality music venues bringing in some amazing tunes. Old town square, which is really a triangle, hosts summer concerts. And the splash pad keeps the kids occupied while the grownups dance the night away.

Walkability between shops and eateries makes this a great place for a day trip with the family or a nighttime bar crawl and parades and festivals fill the summer days with music, food, and frivol. Seriously. We have a lot of festivals. It's a good time nearby.

The residential streets overflow with charming, quaint historical homes. Many of them have been renovated and expanded into modern, luxurious reflections of their old time roots. Be warned though, the housing here in old town is hot and highly sought after. So whether you're looking at renting or buying, you need to grab a spot real quick and prices are definitely premium, but so is the lifestyle.

Enjoy old town!

And here we have the Exchange, a lively family, friendly outdoor dining destination with craft retailers and artisan food and beverage options, outdoor games, live music, and even dancing you might want to stay wild. Might I suggest to stop by Vatos for pork belly tacos and a side of guac, or check out Penrose for the yummiest brussel sprouts around.

Maybe a quick game of putt putt and for dessert, you can check out Churn for ice cream. After dinner, you might try the locally crafted spirits at the Copper Muse Distillery.

Or if chocolate is your thing, a quick walk around the block to Nuance will be bliss. Nuance is one of a very small number of true bean to bar chocolate makers in the United States. Their truffles are my favorite gift idea and they are definitely worth a visit.

If you're looking for a bit of local farm fun, check out the petting zoo at Lee Martinez park, a short walk away.

And if science is your jam, then get ready to play at the nearby Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, where playing and learning are the same thing with 16,000 square feet in the main exhibit area, the museum begs you to linger. Can you lift a piano with one hand? Well, here you can. So feed your family's curiosity in one of the many exhibits, including the exploration zone, the top spot and the OtterBox digital dome theater, or if you'd like a deeper dive, make an appointment to visit the archive and collections with one of the museum's curators.

Now, if we were to travel north from here, we would find the city's budding river district. The puter river whitewater park is a perfect place for avid kayakers and tubers alike completed in 2019. The city has restored the river to a more natural state, making it safer to access while also improving the river flood plain. There's plenty of trails around here as well. If you wanna experience Fort Collins, beauty up close and on foot. This park is free making it a beloved spot among local.

So with historical and ultramodern seamlessly blended you'll find a great diversity of spirit in this lively Northern community. Check out Museo de las Tres Colonias for a nod to the sugar beet industry and Hispanic heritage of the area.

And the Lyric, Fort Collins only independent movie theater, is the hub for creative endeavors here in Fort Collins. More than just a cinema, the Lyric does everything from hosting weekly yoga classes and open mics to screening the newest Hollywood releases, grab dinner and a drink and snap off some interesting selfies in their artsy outdoor area.

Did you blow out your hiking boot, dancing at the Lyric? Well, it's a good thing. You're across the street from Fort Collins, famous Jax's Goods for outdoor equipment. Stop by and get equipped for your next outdoor adventure.

Housing in this immediate Northern area includes a vast array of ages and styles with the ultramodern contemporary style setting the stage for the growing trendy industrial vibe.

Of course, because you're so close to downtown weekends will be filled with visits to the local vibe, brew pubs and open mics and downtown visits.

Welcome to mountain avenue.
You're a block off of college avenue and our downtown, an old town business district. And you're just across the way from civic center park, home of jury duty divorce court, and a charming farmer's market.

Just around the corner is Larimer County Vehicle Licensing office, where you can register new vehicles, but check out the super convenient, automated kiosks, which hang out at local grocery stores for vehicle licensing renewals in mere minutes. I'm not even kidding.

Now, as you continue to head down mountain avenue west towards city park, keep an eye out for the trolley. It runs from city park to downtown on the track that you see in the middle of the street.

Mountain avenue is home to our very own Tour De Fat, a parade full of bikes, beers, and clever costumes.

Hey, it's City Park, home to the trolley, a beautiful lake, a fun pool with slides, both little and big, a park baseball and softball fields. And most importantly, Foco Food truck Rally. This is the place to be on Tuesday nights, where we all come together to enjoy the bustle of city park and enjoy some delicious treats eating as a community.

If you're looking for a home with a little less chaos, check out the west side of Fort Collins, nestled into the foothills. You'll find a wide variety of single-family homes, everything from 1890s to very recently built homes. Add in some spacious nearby farmland, large yards and spectacular views, and your home will feel like your own private getaway.

If you're looking for even more space, check out the lovely Riverside town of Laport, just minutes north of Fort Collins.

So you've seen some of the foothills communities of west Fort Collins, and now we're at a local gem, the Holiday Twin drive-in theater, which is the last running drive-in theater in Northern Colorado. In addition to playing the newest summer releases, they also bring back perennial film favorites and childhood memories.

The Holiday hosts various community events, such as the past Drive and Jive and the Fort Collins peach festival.

One of my favorite events of the year is put on by project, self-sufficiency, a nonprofit which supports local single parents and brings those families out for a night of movies and treats. If you're looking to contribute to the Fort Collins community, consider reaching out to project, self-sufficiency, and sponsoring a family for this fun event.

Let's head over to spring canyon park, along the way you'll drive down Horsetooth Road. If you look up, you'll have a direct view of Horsetoooth Rock a Fort Collins landmark. Enjoy that view along the way because it isn't visible once you arrive at the park.

And we'll end this tour here at Spring Canyon Park. Obviously, it's full of fun park activities, but if you're lucky enough to be here at sunset, then enjoy this perfectly picturesque vista for a stunning Colorado sunset.

Horsetooth reservoir is just over the hill and open year round with an abundance of campsite and cabins for rent, making it perfect for your next vacation. And with 29 miles of hiking, biking in equestrian trails. You'll find plenty of options to make some memories looking for some mindfulness while you're up at horse tooth.

Enjoy some standup paddle boarding with sun breath, yoga. Tell Jessica. I said, hi.

So that concludes our tour of Fort Collins. Hopefully you now have a better understanding of the different neighborhoods in Fort Collins and their individual personalities, as well as what a gem this hip Colorado community really is.

If Fort Collins is calling your name let's chat. I can't wait to hear about your vision for a Fort Collins life. Give me a call at (970) 999-5882. Or check me out on Instagram at savvy seller, top dollar, where you can download my book for free.

Welcome to Fort Collins. I'm so glad you finally arrived.