Located in northern Colorado, Fort Collins offers a unique blend of recreational and cultural opportunities, natural beauty, diverse employment opportunities and a strong economic base. Fort Collins lies alongside the banks of the Cache La Poudre River next to the foothills of the majestic Rocky Mountains. With over 300 days of sunshine, pleasant year-round temperatures, plenty of shopping and excellent healthcare facilities, both old and young alike are drawn to the community. The city was even ranked 10 th on A&E Network’s 1999 “Best Cities to Have it All”. Though the median age is 28, Fort Collins was voted the best place to “reinvent your life” (or retire) by AARP The Magazine in 2003 and by Retirement Places Rated in 1999.

Mrs. Laura Bush recently designated Fort Collins among the Nation’s newest Preserve America communities. The Preserve America initiative is a new White House effort to encourage and support community efforts for the preservation and enjoyment of America’s priceless cultural and natural heritage. The goals of the initiative include: a greater shared knowledge about the Nation’s past; strengthened regional identities and local pride; increased local participation in preserving the country’s cultural and natural heritage assets; and, support for the economic vitality of our communities. Visitors to Fort Collins are now greeted with Preserve America signs as they enter the city, while the town is also listed in a national web-based directory that showcases preservation efforts and highlights heritage tourism destinations.

These days, most Americans want big city opportunity and culture — with more green space and less stress. If that's what you're looking for, you’ll want to check out the list of the 90 best, small, livable cities, found in the August issue of Money magazine. “Today” financial editor Jean Chatzky was invited to appear on the show to share a look at some of the hot spots. Here’s more from the magazine:

When it comes to a place to raise a family and live, most Americans want two things: The ability for themselves and their children to prosper, and a quality of life that lets them enjoy the products of their work. For several generations, that meant moving from big cities to suburbs. But that wasn't perfect either.  It came with a long commute and a certain lack of community and cultural life.

Now the tide has turned in the other direction. The best places to live these days offer big city opportunity and amenities — with a lot more green space and a lot less stress. In conducting our search this year, we set out to find the best small livable cities that had the best possible blend of good jobs, low crime, quality schools, plenty of open space, rational home prices and lots to do.  We started with a list of hundreds, and winnowed the list to 90.  Here's more on the top five:

Fort Collins, Colorado: The Best Place To Live
Population:  128,000
Home price: $215,000
Prop taxes: $1,700
Pros: Outdoor lover's paradise, good schools, very little stress
Cons: Tech dependent economy

Founded as a military outpost 60 miles north of Denver in 1864, the city is now home to a thriving tech industry (HP, Eastman Kodak and Agilent Technologies have a big presence here) and the main campus of Colorado State University. It is situated 5,000 feet above sea level in the Rocky Mountains, with restaurants (particularly in the Old Town section), nightlife (including four microbreweries) and culture and natural attractions like the Horsetooth Reservoir for boating and swimming. There are 60 miles of hiking and biking trails and most major roads have bike lanes. Although the tech crunch hit the city hard, the city is forging ahead with two new schools in the southern part of town. It already boasts the highest ranked high school in the state, and students in the district beat the state averages in all subjects at all grade levels

Historic Old Town Fort Collins

Located in the heart of Fort Collins is historic Old Town, where shoppers and diners converge to partake in the many delights of the area. Visitors feel like they’ve been there before, as Old Town has the privilege of being the inspiration for the Disneyland Main Street California. Patio dining with fabulous food, antique stores and boutiques, art galleries and a plethora of brewpubs keep Old Town bustling. Downtown events such as NewWestFest, Holiday Lights, Noontime Notes concert series and Downtown Live attract over a half million people per year to visit, shop, and dine.

Fort Collins is the largest producer of beer in Colorado, which is quite an achievement as Colorado is ranked third in the country in the volume of brewpubs and craft breweries. Locals and visitors alike take pleasure in tasting the many award-winning beers and ales, along with enjoying the annual Colorado Brewer’s Festival that the city hosts on the last weekend in June. Complimentary brewery tours are also available at the Budweiser Brewery where visitors get the chance to learn about the brewing process and see the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales.

Arts and Culture

In addition to the many quality restaurants, breweries and shops, Fort Collins is also home to various historic and cultural attractions. For all types of theater, from musical to dramatic, Fort Collins has plenty of choices. The Lincoln Center is the area’s cultural arts center, featuring top-notch Broadway shows as well as local events. It includes two indoor performing arts spaces, three indoor galleries, conference facilities and an outdoor sculpture and performance garden. It is one of the state’s largest presenters of professional dance, music, theater, children’s programs and visual arts. The Carousel Dinner Theater offers the opportunity to enjoy a delicious dinner and a great show. Bas Bleu is a small “salon” theater, fashioned after 18 th century European literary salons that cultivated conversations about art, literature, theater, music and politics.

Numerous art galleries are located in Historic Old Town, with the Gallery Walks that take place once a month being a huge favorite of people across the state. Music buffs have a wide range of choices throughout Fort Collins, from live music being performed in a nightclub, to free outdoor concerts in the park to The Fort Collins Symphony.

Parks and Recreation

Residents of the community are able to take advantage of the wonderful park system that has been expanding for the last 100 years. Fort Collins now has over 44 park sites covering 800 acres. Used for everything from family picnics to youth soccer to taking Fido for a walk, almost every neighborhood has a nearby park to enjoy.

Fort Collins also has an extensive multi-recreational trail system winding throughout the beautiful landscape, which is utilized year-round by joggers, in-line skaters, bikers and hikers. These trails provide a perfect recreational opportunity for everything from a leisurely stroll to training for a marathon. The Poudre Trail runs along the Poudre River for 8.35 miles, the 6.6 mile Spring Creek Trail follows Spring Creek through numerous parks in the middle of the city, while the Foothills Trail extends for 5.8 miles through the foothills parallel to Horsetooth Reservoir.

Additional trails such as the Fossil Creek Trail and Power Trail are adding new segments to further increase this exceptional citywide trail system. The City of Fort Collins has currently conserved over 11,000 acres of wetlands, prairies, foothills, urban natural areas and riparian areas. The majority of the natural areas are open to the public for birdwatching, hiking, biking and other recreational activities. The City of Fort Collins also operates three City Golf Courses that are among the best in the state, with golf fees among the lowest in Colorado.

Mountain Parks

With it’s close proximity to the mountains, a short drive outside of the city brings visitors to a number of beautiful mountain parks, known for their outstanding views, miles of scenic trails and breathtaking lakes and waterfalls. Horsetooth Mountain Park encompasses 2,500 acres with 27 miles for mountain biking, hiking, snow shoeing, cross country skiing and horseback riding. Nearby Horsetooth Reservoir contains 1,900 acres of water surrounded by 2,000 acres of public parkland. The area is a popular destination for boating, water-skiing, camping and fishing. The Poudre River that runs through the Rocky Mountains and Fort Collins provides the area with some of the finest whitewater rafting and trout fishing in Colorado. Over 60 miles of fishable water gives both reel and fly fisherman exceptional opportunities to hook native fish such as Rainbows, Browns, Cutthroats and Brooks. Lory State Park has 25 miles of multi-purpose trails located on 2,500 acres. Visitors especially enjoy the wildlife and abundant wildflowers that flourish in the park. Horseback riding enthusiasts can enjoy The Double Diamond Stables. Additional parks in the Larimer County park system include Lions Park, Bingham Hill Park, Rimrock Open Space, Carter Lake, Flatiron Reservoir, Pinewood Lake, Ramsey-Shockey Open Space and Devil’s Backbone Open Space.

Education

Colorado State University adds 24,000 students from all 50 states and around 100 countries to the population of Fort Collins. The university offers students a broad range of educational opportunities from over 70 undergraduate programs to numerous graduate and professional programs. CSU is the city’s largest employer, while also bringing exceptional speakers, cultural and sporting events to the area.

The Poudre School District is the ninth largest district in the state, and is one of only 8 districts nationwide named a Model-Net district by the United States Department of Education. Students attending the district consistently score substantially higher on the ACT and SAT tests than both state and national averages.

Healthcare

Fort Collins has an excellent health care system, providing quality care for residents of every age. The Poudre Valley Health System is the town’s multi-purpose medical center featuring 37 specialties. In addition, a wide variety of specialized clinics for all types of medical needs operate in the area. Patients need go no further than their own backyard to find the latest technologies and procedures administered by 2000 health care professionals.

Real Estate

The Real Estate market in Fort Collins and the rest of Northern Colorado is booming, as land values have skyrocketed over the last 5-7 years. Rapid growth in both the residential and commercial markets have caused open land values to increase many times over. With the average selling price of a home in Fort Collins having increased an average of 8 percent each year for the past five years, the purchase of real estate in the area is a solid investment.  Call your Northern Colorado expert in Real Estate Mitch Weiner for a complete relocation package @ 970.218.8300