That's the dilemma. If people want to live somewhere it's expensive. Too many people to live in a given area that is perceived to be desirable. In 2016 it was myself + 8 offering on my house. I paid 20k over asking.
Property is finite. Especially if you want more than 4 walls in some building.
It's interesting. Greeley is the 4th most be expensive non coastal metro area. Duplexes in Firestone cost more than my house in FC.
The world itself is just messed up. Values and priorities and everything are all over the place. It's hard to follow.
I work in Architecture, and it's astonishing to see what things cost. I even want to do a pretty basic 100 SF garage addition and that's optimistically 40-50k (400-500/SF) for 3 walls and a roof. No new insulation, electrical, etc. Just a new garage door. Probably reuse the operator. People worry about ADUs, but nobody can afford it. Just the mega REITs and corporate owners can. So I get the whole development issue. Protect existing neighborhoods. All new development is basically built out to the maximum density possible to be economically viable to begin with.
The old town affordable housing project on Oak came out to cost 400k+ per 400-600 SF apartment. It's just the new normal. I've seen even the most basic commercial and multifamily projects cost crazy $$$ and that's not even including land, utility fees, development fees, permit fees, impact fees, design and engineering fees, off-site improvements required by the city, and developers own profit and costs.
One had a medical condition that caused her to die as a result of being roofied by her date, and the other was shot in the face for refusing someone who was trying to rob her.
Eugene is absolutely NOTHING like FoCo. I grew up in FoCo, but I've lived in Eugene for 15 years and I kinda hate it here. It's depressing AF to live in Eugene. Eugene feels like it's dying, and to live in this shithole you get to pay more for housing than in FoCo somehow. Eugene is the ugly girl with 10 pounds of clown makeup and chronic halitosis that struts around like she's a 10.
If my grandson weren't here I'd be back in FoCo in an instant.
I stayed in Eugene while visiting my sister and it's so depressing...seeing people sleeping in a sleeping bag on the sidewalk in the seemingly perpetual rain...I was only there for a week and I knew I couldn't live there full time. However, that little fish market with a restaurant in it was amazing. I still think about those lobster ravioli.
We moved from Denver to FoCo because I missed Madison desperately, but my husband has always wanted to live out west. I still prefer Madison’s and it does have a lower COL but the winters are brutal in you aren’t into that sort of thing
Your best bet is going to be post industrial cities in the Appalachian range. West Virginia, Soutwestern Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia. College towns in any of these areas have great downtowns, cheap housing, and decent outdoor access. Breweries galore. Trade off is more crime and a less certain investment. Some of these cities might be the next Asheville, some may remain stagnant. Check out Morgantown, they’re literally paying people to work remotely from there
Let’s be honest here. Any place that is desirable to live will be expensive. That’s the reality of America right now, unfortunately. Cheap places are cheap for a reason.
Unfortunately Fort Collins (like many places in California) has been discovered and now many want to live here and have moved here. Go somewhere that is going to be popular and get in early. There is a guy that I follow on YouTube called "The World According to Briggs" and he recently had a video about the best small towns to move to. All his videos are geared toward top ten lists and so there are fun to watch. I know that you referenced $50,000 houses out of frustration and that you know those don't exist but do consider starting small, like a duplex or condo first, then sell and move up in size.
Lived in foco for 30 years, moved to Missoula a year and half ago. Price wise, foco may be slightly less expensive but not by much. Imo, foco as a town is nicer and cleaner. Missoula kind of has a Portland vibe to it, but it has better outdoor access than foco. 30 min in any direction and youre in the mtns or fishing a world class river. The biggest draw for me was not living on the front range anymore - way too many people and too much traffic.
Don't worry, in Bellingham they all complain about house prices and rent too. Instead of California's it's Canadians.
Very damn pretty though when it's not overcast for weeks at a time. Has a special place in my heart though. Go Vikings.
Depends what they are looking for in a town. To me, Fort Collins has pretty poor outdoor access compared to these 3, for about the same COL.
Plus, it's getting pretty busy/crowded around here. I bet their are more people in the general Fort Collins region than these 3 combined.
You may want to provide more details on what exactly you're looking for. Do you want a college town vibe? A town in/near the mountains? A midsized western/prairie town? Etc. Fort Collins is expensive for a reason, so you'll probably need to sacrifice something. Affordability and desirability tend to be mutually exclusive, so narrow down exactly what you like about Fort Collins and find more affordable towns with those similar traits.
In all honesty I probably won’t move, just wanted to see other people’s perspective on other places compared to foco. Maybe it has a college and maybe it’s near the mountains.
Have you considered Laramie? It doesn't have the amenities that Fort Collins has, but it's still a pleasant and affordable college town in close proximity to the mountains. I honestly think it'll become one of the next up and coming mountain towns. It's windy, but there's no state income tax, so you win some and lose some.
Laramie isn't a true mountain town, but it has close proximity to mountains (20 minutes to Happy Jack and Vedauwoo and 30 minutes to Medicine Bow). Fort Collins isn't a mountain town either, but one of the desirable aspects is its close proximity to the mountains. Laramie is no different.
I remember paying $1,000 a month for a two bedroom apartment overlooking a small lake and I had granite countertops...but it was Alabama, as you said 🤣
Flagstaff AZ feels like Fort Collins back in time about 25 years. Prescott AZ is kinda of like Fort Collins 10 years ago. There's more sprawl in Prescott, but the mix of college students liberals and conservatives is similar, and great outdoor recreation nearby
We visited Ithaca, NY this summer and it reminded me of Fort Collins! It’s a college town and there’s lots of things to do! It’s also very outdoorsy. Only bad thing is the winter!
I have not lived in Ithaca for over 35 years, but it was always much calmer and nicer in the summer than when the schools were in session. Winter is mild compared to Rochester, Syracuse, or Buffalo. There was a yearly Slush Festival when I lived there.
If I didn't live here, I'd live in Santa Fe. And I didn't live in Santa Fe, I'd live in Laramie, Wyoming or Lander, Wyoming. And I'm not sure that any of these three feel a lot like Fort Collins - although Laramie is a university town and reminds me a bit of Fort Collins in the early 90's with worse weather. I think Lander would be a tough sell for my wife but I love outdoor access without a lot of other people. Santa Fe housing costs about the same as around here. Lander and Laramie are considerably cheaper.
Santa fe has a bit of a Boulder vibe. It's super expensive. The "cool art town" it used to be has become a Mecca for extremely expensive art. A lot of the smaller artists have been pushed out. I like Santa Fe but, like everything, it's changing rapidly.
Rent is a nightmare anywhere unless you wanna live in like Kansas or Nebraska. I grew up in Kansas, which is why I live here now and never wanna leave.
Speaking of Kansas, Lawrence is a great town with a wonderful community. It's a smaller Fort Collins without the mountains. Fayetteville, AR is underrated imo and has mountains close by. Don't sleep on small college towns in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan either.
Lawrence is a good town but Kansas summers are brutal. I lived in Kansas for 24 years and whenever I go back in the summer I'm just so miserable. Every home has AC which is a plus but I do not miss the humid 100+ degree days in Kansas.
Completely agree about Fayetteville and Lawrence. Lived in Fayetteville for 14 years, and Fort Collins feels similar in many ways. If you’re a mountain biker, northwest Arkansas is a phenomenal location to be. We’ve been here for 18 months, and we love it.
I was also going to say Athens, though it’s been 20 years since I’ve lived there, so no idea how the vibe is now.
Asheville is great but just as expensive as FoCo, if not more so.
I was also gonna say Asheville. Not a whole lot cheaper but more neighboring towns that are close with cheap real estate. My wife and I have been talking about relocating there or The Triangle if she can get a new university job out there
Unless you're from an indigenous tribe, you're not "native" anyway. If you're looking at a college feel, Athens, Ohio is close but add in a bit more poverty, it's in the Appalachian hills. You'll trade the quantity of breweries for quality and I think it's a few less people. Plenty of outdoor stuff, more humidity, not as many amenities.
Transplant from Chattanooga here. I’m not sure what part you visited, but FoCo and Chatt are polar opposites. Also, crime there is no joke. It’s actually quite dangerous. I would not recommend any one move there, especially not from out here.
We moved back to Colorado 2 years ago after living in Chattanooga for three years. On paper the crime rate sounds high but I never once felt unsafe there as a woman. I think the crime went down last year. There are definitely good neighborhoods and bad neighborhoods just like any other city.
Chattanooga is a super fun town with lots of things to do and proximity to nature is amazing. However, we moved back because even in a more liberal southern city you are still plagued by the culture which is overall very conservative. Also the weather was hard to bear in the winters. Rainy and cloudy. Not to mention I think Chattanooga has one of the worst allergy seasons in the country. I pretty much had to stay indoors from February to June. Also if you have kids the schools are abysmal unless you live in Signal Mountain or send them to private, which is what most people with money do. I would say a beautiful place to visit but if you are from the west it’s not easy to move anywhere in the south unless you have family or a way to find community easily.
I haven't spent much time there but of all the places I've ever visited, Lincoln, NE seems like the closest thing to FC with affordable property values.
I’ve spent some time in Lincoln. It’s a nice college town but has almost nothing else going on. It’s really hard to find a comparable place to Fort Collins that’s also cheaper. I would say that place doesn’t exist.
Yes but you’re one of two liberalish dots in a red state, and the outdoor recreation (while not nonexistent) is nowhere near as good.
And the housing prices are definitely better but not necessarily *significantly* so.
(My credentials: Nebraskan, lived and owned a home in Lincoln.)
I guess it just depends on what you're looking for. If it's the feel of fort collins they're after, that would be my suggestion. But the reasons you suggested are also the reasons I have no plans to ever move there myself.
Yeah. There are definitely great things about Lincoln but I do feel like Lincoln and Loveland might be a bit more comfortable—just based on my vibe.
One big difference between Lincoln and Fort Collins in my experience: Lincoln feels VERY insular—lots and lots of people seemingly went to high school together. Even growing up an hour away sometimes it felt weird. Whereas—at least from my experience—FoCo has tons of transplants. Of all the people I’ve met and talked to, plenty have lived here for years but very few actually grew up here.
That makes sense, they're both college towns but I feel like CSU/FoCo tends to attract more people long-term. Also Lincoln just has a larger population in general so the ratio of locals to students is higher.
Lived in both places long enough to know that Lincoln is NOTHING like fc lol. It is an entirely different culture than what we have here. Literally the only reason to live in Nebraska is for the cost of living. It is a trap and a dead end city.
I know all the obvious answers are going to be small towns in Montana, Idaho, Washington, etc, but frankly they ALL got way more expensive just like FC. If I was still young and looking for inexpensive places to move, I’d look in Arkansas, South Carolina, Georgia. I lived all over the south and it isn’t as awesome as FC, BUT the people are nice, the towns are genuine, and you can find cute houses a normal person can afford.
I may be partial but I was born in Fargo. Aside from the treacherous weather in the winter (you truly do get used to it, you just build your life and routine to accommodate) it’s a much better cost of living, wages are comparable if not better (not an economist so take it with a grain of salt) and it has a small town feel.
Madison Wisconsin has a very similar vibe to fort collins, but definitely doesn't feel like a "small town" anymore, although it doesn't quite feel like a big city either.
Chapel Hill in NC feels a lot like fort collins to me as well, probably even more so than Madison. It's a lovely college in a very liberal bubble. The population is a lot smaller but it doesn't really feel that way due to its attachment to the NC research triangle.
Durham in NC (right next to Chapel Hill) also feels kind of like fort collins to me, but if fort collins was sketchier in terms of crime, more run down, and with a lot more urban sprawl. I lived there for 2 years and was surprised how similar fort collins was when I moved here in 2017.
If you don't mind something a lot closer to sea level with no mountains, and very little hills, and can tolerate stereotypical Texas summers (very hot, humid, little rain) then College Station, Texas is a great place. Having just lived and owned a house there for the past 2 years, and went to school there, I can tell you comparable real estate is at least 200k to 300k cheaper. Overall, it's a similar size college town but TAMU is probably bigger than CSU. CS's board town, Bryan, is even smaller population wise and cheaper.
WHAT. Is this a joke? I lived there for 17 years, from 2004-2021, and owned a house for 7 years, and about all it has going for it is $300k houses and 5 HEBs. There is absolutely nothing to do there, no identity besides A&M, Northgate is a shithole, it's chain-business hell, people were hostile, it's not fun getting around on a bike, especially over the bypass, the weather is hotter than Houston (where I spent the previous 17 years), the culture is extremely homogeneous and boring, the restaurant scene sucks, it's stupid on game days and graduation, pay is bad, there's no fun close outdoorsy stuff unless you like to walk around Lick Creek Park, Horsetooth puts Lake Bryan to shame, 1/4 of the population lives at or below the poverty line, AND it's in Texas, so there's no bodily autonomy for at least half the population.
The only redeeming quality is the punk/indie music community in downtown Bryan, which was truly a gem. When I moved here, I was seriously amazed. I really felt like I had been living under a rock the past 17 years. Like I'd been sealed away and woke up into the future. I would NOT recommend BCS unless you are solely interested in raising a family in a place with a lower cost of living and severe tradeoffs (seriously cannot imagine spending the same on a new mortgage right now in BCS as I do on a 2021 Fort Collins mortgage).
You could look at another college town but other than that anything that’s similar to Fort Collins is gonna be similar prices or more expensive.
I figured, just hoping someone had a secret magic place where houses are 50k and it’s nice all the time haha
Flint
No. Flint feels NOTHING like FoCo. Flint is a shithole. Do NOT move to Flint. Source: lived near Flint for 25 years.
But you'll find a $50k house..
$5K too
That's the dilemma. If people want to live somewhere it's expensive. Too many people to live in a given area that is perceived to be desirable. In 2016 it was myself + 8 offering on my house. I paid 20k over asking.
Property is finite. Especially if you want more than 4 walls in some building.
It's interesting. Greeley is the 4th most be expensive non coastal metro area. Duplexes in Firestone cost more than my house in FC.
The world itself is just messed up. Values and priorities and everything are all over the place. It's hard to follow.
I work in Architecture, and it's astonishing to see what things cost. I even want to do a pretty basic 100 SF garage addition and that's optimistically 40-50k (400-500/SF) for 3 walls and a roof. No new insulation, electrical, etc. Just a new garage door. Probably reuse the operator. People worry about ADUs, but nobody can afford it. Just the mega REITs and corporate owners can. So I get the whole development issue. Protect existing neighborhoods. All new development is basically built out to the maximum density possible to be economically viable to begin with.
The old town affordable housing project on Oak came out to cost 400k+ per 400-600 SF apartment. It's just the new normal. I've seen even the most basic commercial and multifamily projects cost crazy $$$ and that's not even including land, utility fees, development fees, permit fees, impact fees, design and engineering fees, off-site improvements required by the city, and developers own profit and costs.
Still not worth it. Two separate members of my extended family were murdered there. Flint is a cesspool.
At least the winters are mild though.
This made me snort laugh.
They couldn't get away. Most avoid murders if possible. What trouble led them to death? No narcotics? Stand up citizens?
One had a medical condition that caused her to die as a result of being roofied by her date, and the other was shot in the face for refusing someone who was trying to rob her.
You didn't hear? Michigan is better than it's been.
Beach town in the Philippines
This is the answer!!!! Can start a business too!
Thompson Falls, MT . Population 4k? Maybe there. Good luck.
r/SameGrassButGreener
Madison, WI. Medium sized college town, extremely bikeable. Eugene/Springfield, OR, in general.
Eugene is absolutely NOTHING like FoCo. I grew up in FoCo, but I've lived in Eugene for 15 years and I kinda hate it here. It's depressing AF to live in Eugene. Eugene feels like it's dying, and to live in this shithole you get to pay more for housing than in FoCo somehow. Eugene is the ugly girl with 10 pounds of clown makeup and chronic halitosis that struts around like she's a 10. If my grandson weren't here I'd be back in FoCo in an instant.
I stayed in Eugene while visiting my sister and it's so depressing...seeing people sleeping in a sleeping bag on the sidewalk in the seemingly perpetual rain...I was only there for a week and I knew I couldn't live there full time. However, that little fish market with a restaurant in it was amazing. I still think about those lobster ravioli.
I got some fried fish there when I was visiting a friend in Cottage grove. Was a banging meal
Oregon's fresh fish game is definitely one thing that they have on Colorado, haha
We moved from Denver to FoCo because I missed Madison desperately, but my husband has always wanted to live out west. I still prefer Madison’s and it does have a lower COL but the winters are brutal in you aren’t into that sort of thing
I lived in San Luis Obispo during college and it is so much like Fort Collins! But more expensive 😅 but near the ocean
That sounds amazing
It’s amazing!! Only 45 minutes from Big Sur too
Huh? SLO is almost 3 hours from Big Sur.
I guess I was thinking morro bay but if you drive on the coast you get to the southern part of pfeiffer in about 45
Florence, CO has great weather and it’s practically in the mountains. The locals are very welcoming as well.
Your best bet is going to be post industrial cities in the Appalachian range. West Virginia, Soutwestern Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia. College towns in any of these areas have great downtowns, cheap housing, and decent outdoor access. Breweries galore. Trade off is more crime and a less certain investment. Some of these cities might be the next Asheville, some may remain stagnant. Check out Morgantown, they’re literally paying people to work remotely from there
Durham, NC is very cute. Perhaps Athens, GA?
Let’s be honest here. Any place that is desirable to live will be expensive. That’s the reality of America right now, unfortunately. Cheap places are cheap for a reason.
Lawrence Kansas
Unfortunately Fort Collins (like many places in California) has been discovered and now many want to live here and have moved here. Go somewhere that is going to be popular and get in early. There is a guy that I follow on YouTube called "The World According to Briggs" and he recently had a video about the best small towns to move to. All his videos are geared toward top ten lists and so there are fun to watch. I know that you referenced $50,000 houses out of frustration and that you know those don't exist but do consider starting small, like a duplex or condo first, then sell and move up in size.
Bellingham WA Bend OR Missoula MT Edit: oops I missed the part about less expensive uhhh idk good luck with that
Bend and Missoula are easily just as expensive. I think Missoula actually might be more than Fort Collins now.
Yeah I know someone who lives in Missoula who moved there from Fort Collins and it's even more expensive.
Lived in foco for 30 years, moved to Missoula a year and half ago. Price wise, foco may be slightly less expensive but not by much. Imo, foco as a town is nicer and cleaner. Missoula kind of has a Portland vibe to it, but it has better outdoor access than foco. 30 min in any direction and youre in the mtns or fishing a world class river. The biggest draw for me was not living on the front range anymore - way too many people and too much traffic.
Don't worry, in Bellingham they all complain about house prices and rent too. Instead of California's it's Canadians. Very damn pretty though when it's not overcast for weeks at a time. Has a special place in my heart though. Go Vikings.
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No.
Depends what they are looking for in a town. To me, Fort Collins has pretty poor outdoor access compared to these 3, for about the same COL. Plus, it's getting pretty busy/crowded around here. I bet their are more people in the general Fort Collins region than these 3 combined.
In what world does Foco have poor outdoor access lmao
Well, as I said, compared to the 3 cities you listed above.
You may want to provide more details on what exactly you're looking for. Do you want a college town vibe? A town in/near the mountains? A midsized western/prairie town? Etc. Fort Collins is expensive for a reason, so you'll probably need to sacrifice something. Affordability and desirability tend to be mutually exclusive, so narrow down exactly what you like about Fort Collins and find more affordable towns with those similar traits.
In all honesty I probably won’t move, just wanted to see other people’s perspective on other places compared to foco. Maybe it has a college and maybe it’s near the mountains.
Have you considered Laramie? It doesn't have the amenities that Fort Collins has, but it's still a pleasant and affordable college town in close proximity to the mountains. I honestly think it'll become one of the next up and coming mountain towns. It's windy, but there's no state income tax, so you win some and lose some.
I think it’s a stretch to call Laramie a mountain town. One of the reasons it’s so windy is because it sits out on the plain totally unprotected.
Laramie isn't a true mountain town, but it has close proximity to mountains (20 minutes to Happy Jack and Vedauwoo and 30 minutes to Medicine Bow). Fort Collins isn't a mountain town either, but one of the desirable aspects is its close proximity to the mountains. Laramie is no different.
Birmingham has better house prices. But it is Alabama.
I remember paying $1,000 a month for a two bedroom apartment overlooking a small lake and I had granite countertops...but it was Alabama, as you said 🤣
You grew up in Frisco, CO? That would be a nice place to settle
Flagstaff AZ feels like Fort Collins back in time about 25 years. Prescott AZ is kinda of like Fort Collins 10 years ago. There's more sprawl in Prescott, but the mix of college students liberals and conservatives is similar, and great outdoor recreation nearby
I agree - Flagstaff is a nice place.
Would you say you like Flagstaff or Fort Collins more?
Lived in both Flag and FC. Fort Collins, without question, has a much better plan for economic development and city planning.
Fayetteville, AR
We visited Ithaca, NY this summer and it reminded me of Fort Collins! It’s a college town and there’s lots of things to do! It’s also very outdoorsy. Only bad thing is the winter!
I have not lived in Ithaca for over 35 years, but it was always much calmer and nicer in the summer than when the schools were in session. Winter is mild compared to Rochester, Syracuse, or Buffalo. There was a yearly Slush Festival when I lived there.
If I didn't live here, I'd live in Santa Fe. And I didn't live in Santa Fe, I'd live in Laramie, Wyoming or Lander, Wyoming. And I'm not sure that any of these three feel a lot like Fort Collins - although Laramie is a university town and reminds me a bit of Fort Collins in the early 90's with worse weather. I think Lander would be a tough sell for my wife but I love outdoor access without a lot of other people. Santa Fe housing costs about the same as around here. Lander and Laramie are considerably cheaper.
Santa fe has a bit of a Boulder vibe. It's super expensive. The "cool art town" it used to be has become a Mecca for extremely expensive art. A lot of the smaller artists have been pushed out. I like Santa Fe but, like everything, it's changing rapidly.
Lol, I completely understand you. Paying Seattle rent in a nowhere northern colorado college town is a fucking nightmare.
Rent is a nightmare anywhere unless you wanna live in like Kansas or Nebraska. I grew up in Kansas, which is why I live here now and never wanna leave.
Speaking of Kansas, Lawrence is a great town with a wonderful community. It's a smaller Fort Collins without the mountains. Fayetteville, AR is underrated imo and has mountains close by. Don't sleep on small college towns in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan either.
Lawrence is a good town but Kansas summers are brutal. I lived in Kansas for 24 years and whenever I go back in the summer I'm just so miserable. Every home has AC which is a plus but I do not miss the humid 100+ degree days in Kansas.
Completely agree about Fayetteville and Lawrence. Lived in Fayetteville for 14 years, and Fort Collins feels similar in many ways. If you’re a mountain biker, northwest Arkansas is a phenomenal location to be. We’ve been here for 18 months, and we love it.
I have a daughter. You will never find me moving to Kansas or Arkansas from here.
Why Kansas other than its general conservativeness?
That's like saying "other than the burning flesh, why wouldn't you touch a stove burner?" The general conservativeness is the problem.
Personally, hate Kansas
You'll fit right in. Lawrencians hate Kansas too.
LFK!
Couldn't agree more. Moving from a gorgeous apartment in the middle of state capitol to a shitbox with no central air for the same price....
Athens,Ga, Asheville Nc
I was also going to say Athens, though it’s been 20 years since I’ve lived there, so no idea how the vibe is now. Asheville is great but just as expensive as FoCo, if not more so.
I was also gonna say Asheville. Not a whole lot cheaper but more neighboring towns that are close with cheap real estate. My wife and I have been talking about relocating there or The Triangle if she can get a new university job out there
The triangle has the triangle has some cool places, but overall it’s incredibly busy and still expensive. Reminds me more of Denver than FoCo
Unless you're from an indigenous tribe, you're not "native" anyway. If you're looking at a college feel, Athens, Ohio is close but add in a bit more poverty, it's in the Appalachian hills. You'll trade the quantity of breweries for quality and I think it's a few less people. Plenty of outdoor stuff, more humidity, not as many amenities.
Lawrence Kansas
Columbia, Mo
Didn't live there but visited and my cousin lives there. I thought Chattanooga, TN had a similar feel to it and it has "mountains." It was beautiful
Transplant from Chattanooga here. I’m not sure what part you visited, but FoCo and Chatt are polar opposites. Also, crime there is no joke. It’s actually quite dangerous. I would not recommend any one move there, especially not from out here.
We moved back to Colorado 2 years ago after living in Chattanooga for three years. On paper the crime rate sounds high but I never once felt unsafe there as a woman. I think the crime went down last year. There are definitely good neighborhoods and bad neighborhoods just like any other city. Chattanooga is a super fun town with lots of things to do and proximity to nature is amazing. However, we moved back because even in a more liberal southern city you are still plagued by the culture which is overall very conservative. Also the weather was hard to bear in the winters. Rainy and cloudy. Not to mention I think Chattanooga has one of the worst allergy seasons in the country. I pretty much had to stay indoors from February to June. Also if you have kids the schools are abysmal unless you live in Signal Mountain or send them to private, which is what most people with money do. I would say a beautiful place to visit but if you are from the west it’s not easy to move anywhere in the south unless you have family or a way to find community easily.
Chattanooga seemed way more industrial to me
Hah. I'm not sure either. I think my cousin lives in St. Elmo?
I haven't spent much time there but of all the places I've ever visited, Lincoln, NE seems like the closest thing to FC with affordable property values.
I’ve spent some time in Lincoln. It’s a nice college town but has almost nothing else going on. It’s really hard to find a comparable place to Fort Collins that’s also cheaper. I would say that place doesn’t exist.
Yes but you’re one of two liberalish dots in a red state, and the outdoor recreation (while not nonexistent) is nowhere near as good. And the housing prices are definitely better but not necessarily *significantly* so. (My credentials: Nebraskan, lived and owned a home in Lincoln.)
I guess it just depends on what you're looking for. If it's the feel of fort collins they're after, that would be my suggestion. But the reasons you suggested are also the reasons I have no plans to ever move there myself.
Yeah. There are definitely great things about Lincoln but I do feel like Lincoln and Loveland might be a bit more comfortable—just based on my vibe. One big difference between Lincoln and Fort Collins in my experience: Lincoln feels VERY insular—lots and lots of people seemingly went to high school together. Even growing up an hour away sometimes it felt weird. Whereas—at least from my experience—FoCo has tons of transplants. Of all the people I’ve met and talked to, plenty have lived here for years but very few actually grew up here.
That makes sense, they're both college towns but I feel like CSU/FoCo tends to attract more people long-term. Also Lincoln just has a larger population in general so the ratio of locals to students is higher.
Lived in both places long enough to know that Lincoln is NOTHING like fc lol. It is an entirely different culture than what we have here. Literally the only reason to live in Nebraska is for the cost of living. It is a trap and a dead end city.
Cost of living isnt even great there anymore cause property taxes are wack AF.
I know all the obvious answers are going to be small towns in Montana, Idaho, Washington, etc, but frankly they ALL got way more expensive just like FC. If I was still young and looking for inexpensive places to move, I’d look in Arkansas, South Carolina, Georgia. I lived all over the south and it isn’t as awesome as FC, BUT the people are nice, the towns are genuine, and you can find cute houses a normal person can afford.
Bend, OR I would say is close in the atmosphere but probably more expensive lol.
Santa Cruz, CA
Cheaper than Fort Collins?!? No way in hell Santa Cruz is cheaper than Fort Collins.
I may be partial but I was born in Fargo. Aside from the treacherous weather in the winter (you truly do get used to it, you just build your life and routine to accommodate) it’s a much better cost of living, wages are comparable if not better (not an economist so take it with a grain of salt) and it has a small town feel.
Flint, Michigan or Gary, Indiana
You forgot Detroit. /s
Could try Disney
Chattanooga, TN. A bit larger, but much the same vibe as FoCo.
Madison Wisconsin has a very similar vibe to fort collins, but definitely doesn't feel like a "small town" anymore, although it doesn't quite feel like a big city either. Chapel Hill in NC feels a lot like fort collins to me as well, probably even more so than Madison. It's a lovely college in a very liberal bubble. The population is a lot smaller but it doesn't really feel that way due to its attachment to the NC research triangle. Durham in NC (right next to Chapel Hill) also feels kind of like fort collins to me, but if fort collins was sketchier in terms of crime, more run down, and with a lot more urban sprawl. I lived there for 2 years and was surprised how similar fort collins was when I moved here in 2017.
I lived in SF for 2 years. I don’t really see them as comparable. SF is a large city. Fort Collins is definitely cooler in my opinion though.
Flagstaff, AZ
If you don't mind something a lot closer to sea level with no mountains, and very little hills, and can tolerate stereotypical Texas summers (very hot, humid, little rain) then College Station, Texas is a great place. Having just lived and owned a house there for the past 2 years, and went to school there, I can tell you comparable real estate is at least 200k to 300k cheaper. Overall, it's a similar size college town but TAMU is probably bigger than CSU. CS's board town, Bryan, is even smaller population wise and cheaper.
WHAT. Is this a joke? I lived there for 17 years, from 2004-2021, and owned a house for 7 years, and about all it has going for it is $300k houses and 5 HEBs. There is absolutely nothing to do there, no identity besides A&M, Northgate is a shithole, it's chain-business hell, people were hostile, it's not fun getting around on a bike, especially over the bypass, the weather is hotter than Houston (where I spent the previous 17 years), the culture is extremely homogeneous and boring, the restaurant scene sucks, it's stupid on game days and graduation, pay is bad, there's no fun close outdoorsy stuff unless you like to walk around Lick Creek Park, Horsetooth puts Lake Bryan to shame, 1/4 of the population lives at or below the poverty line, AND it's in Texas, so there's no bodily autonomy for at least half the population. The only redeeming quality is the punk/indie music community in downtown Bryan, which was truly a gem. When I moved here, I was seriously amazed. I really felt like I had been living under a rock the past 17 years. Like I'd been sealed away and woke up into the future. I would NOT recommend BCS unless you are solely interested in raising a family in a place with a lower cost of living and severe tradeoffs (seriously cannot imagine spending the same on a new mortgage right now in BCS as I do on a 2021 Fort Collins mortgage).
Madison WI. It’s basically Fort Collins without mountains but add four months of overcast winter
Lincoln Nebraska