Know Before You Go: About Fort Collins
Fort Collins strikes many as a little slice of urban heaven, garnished with a dusting of powder in the winter for which the neighboring Rockies are so famous
It's as much a college town as it is a town for nature seekers, where brainy professionals find a home, a brewery city where business "hops" to it and a place where you are urged to ditch your car when possible and put your feet to the pedals or even hop on an old electric streetcar. See where your adventure takes you as you make your way through this Colorado city.
Snow Days
You'll get the snow-peaked vistas of the Rocky Mountains from this city at the base of the foothills, and you could get out in the snow as early as September in Fort Collins as well. The warm season is only a few months long, with average highs peaking in the 80s in July. July also has the highest probability for a good thunderstorm. Snow typically begins around Halloween as nighttime lows hit the freezing mark, while daytime averages during winter tend to hover around the 40s.
Fun Outdoors and In
The first thing you may be inclined to explore in Fort Collins is the outdoors, breathing in the Colorado air on the banks of the Cache La Poudre River or scuba diving and rock climbing at the Horsetooth Reservoir. But there's stuff to explore in brick-and-mortar form, as well. The Fort Collins Museum of Discovery mashes the prehistoric legacy of the region with modern-day exhibits on music and interactive science. Or board an old electric streetcar of the Fort Collins Municipal Railway for a trip around town that's a living history lesson.
Business and Brewskies
Big business in Fort Collins ranges from high-tech research, bioscience and clean energy to a frosty pint of beer. Anheuser-Busch is the largest brewery in town, but lots of microbreweries also make this Rocky Mountain foothill city a western watering hole. A hub of infectious disease and veterinary research, Colorado State University employs several thousands while swelling the city's population with students from all over the world. The Fort Collins Chamber of Commerce calls it a "brain-driven economy"—the number of patents issued here for new ideas is four times higher than your average community.
Feet-Friendly City
You may feel out of place here without a bike; the city even occasionally has events where the streets are blocked off to cars so cyclists, walkers and rollerbladers can safely wander along the yellow line. An even mix of workers and students take the city's Transfort bus system, which runs certain lines throughout the day to make sure everyone gets home safely on Friday and Saturday nights. Fort Collins is a quick drive from either Denver or Cheyenne along Interstate 25; Denver International Airport is your best bet if flying here.
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