By: Kyra Johnson

Fort Collins, Colo — Fort Collins, Colorado, is a vibrant place booming with energy. As a college town, a hub for beer lovers, a nature lover’s paradise, and a family-friendly community, Fort Collins truly has a spot for everyone. 

Ranked No. 1 “Best Place to Live in America” by Livability.com and No. 1 “Best Place To Live In Colorado In 2023” by Forbes, there’s no question that Fort Collins is the place to be. 

Nick-named ‘FoCo,’ Fort Collins does a great job at maintaining its small-town feel despite being one of the largest cities in Northern Colorado. With Colorado State University at the heart of the town, Fort Collins has a tight-knit community. It’s filled with locally-owned coffee shops, stores, restaurants, and businesses, giving the city its grounded vibe. 

Fort Collins local Maddie Kinney said that one of her favorite things about her home is the community. She said, “everyone is so caring and helpful; you can always count on a stranger to ask you how your day was.” 

Fort Collins prides itself on “fostering an inclusive, culturally rich, creatively vibrant, and arts-engaged community,” which is evident through the city’s efforts in providing and maintaining cultural services, natural areas, parks, and recreation to its community. 

The city is very involved in the arts, supporting and encouraging expressive art in public spaces to add value to the community. Old Town Fort Collins is essentially a public showcase for art, full of paintings, musicians, sculptures, exhibitions, and a community favorite– hand-painted pianos scattered through the streets, open for anyone to play at any time. Fort Collins is a center for creativity, and city officials embrace that. 

Fort Collins is also home to the Cultural Community Program, which “aims to integrate arts and culture into the Fort Collins community and throughout the City.” The program puts on several events, such as pop-up performances and events in public spaces, intending to curate a diverse and welcoming cultural environment for everyone. 

Fort Collins is also a fantastic location for outdoor lovers. The city has over 30 miles of well-maintained trails; people can enjoy a walk, run, or bike ride in the great outdoors any time of the year. People can also hike in Lory State Park, go boating in Horsetooth Reservoir, or even white-water raft down the Cache la Poudre River. The city has even won awards for its natural areas, winning a 2022 Interpretive Media Award for the 2021 Explorer publication, a catalog of free events and spaces to explore provided to the community. 

FoCo is about an hour’s drive from Rocky Mountain National Park and a few hour’s drive from world-famous ski resorts like Breckenridge and Vail, making for spectacular trips to see incredible views and ski impressive mountains. Fort Collins is also the northernmost big city in Colorado, so people often take trips up to Wyoming.

Our furry friends also have a place in Fort Collins. The city is highly dog-friendly, offering four well-maintained dog parks where you can let your dog roam leash-free. Also, most locally-owned businesses are pet-friendly; just make sure to ask. 

Fort Collins consistently ranks high on ‘best places to live’ lists, which is no surprise considering all of the elements of well-being can be met for individuals who live in the town. Those elements are core needs, social relationships, health, equity, relative status, ease, joy, meaning, belonging, and resilience. The City of Fort Collins fosters incredible individuals, immersing people in education, arts, culture, and community. 

Fort Collins is also a very safe town to live in. For comparably sized cities across America, Fort Collins is safer than most, according to NeighborhoodScout’s analysis of FBI crime data. 

This rapidly expanding city has a higher population than ever before. However, Fort Collins has done an exemplary job maintaining its status as a lively but still family-friendly city.

The City of Fort Collins also does well running its local government. Citizen well-being seems to be at the forefront of most city council meetings, and residents have access to most information about what’s happening in the city right at their fingertips on the City of Fort Collins website. Mayor Jeni Arndt is very involved with the city, and you can find her at most community events. Fort Collins has an abundance of dedicated and active members of its local government, which help to improve the overall wellness of the community.

Overall, Fort Collins is a fantastic community to be a part of. It is a unique, well-balanced city with vibrant nightlife, beautiful scenery, a dedicated community, and spectacular ratings.