Fort Collins Real Estate
Introduction
Recently named the Best Small Town in the West by Money Magazine, Fort Collins, Colorado, is a thriving city of about 125,000 permanent residents, as well as the approximately 24,000 students who study at Colorado State University. They enjoy a much milder climate than most of Colorado, with fairly low airborne humidity but ample ground moisture and seasonal rainfall to make Larimer County one of the most productive farming regions in the state. It makes a great deal of sense for Colorado State University, with its renowned programs of study in natural resource management and agricultural technology to be located in the midst of such fertile ground. The region is a western paradise for dedicated gardeners, and a joy to avid golfers, with its eight beautifully manicured courses.
It is the sixteenth hottest housing market in the United States. As of this writing, in 2005, the average residential selling price has increased an average of eight percent per year for the past five years. Residential property taxes in Fort Collins are among some of the lowest in the nation. There are more restaurants per capita than in most major America cities. Despite these advantages, the area is not threatened by sprawl like so many western towns are. The population of Fort Collins increases by only about three percent annually.
Despite relatively moderate growth in population, the Poudre Valley School District has built eleven new schools since 1986, more out of a desire to create excellent environments for learning than out of necessity. Twenty-nine percent of households in Fort Collins include children under the age of eighteen.
The Poudre Valley Health System employs nearly two thousand healthcare professionals in thirty-seven specialties. Patients in need of advanced care are flown to Poudre Valley Hospital from as far north as Laramie, Wyoming, to benefit from the medical expertise available in Fort Collins.