logella wrote:
Off topic but what is Fort Collins like in general. I ask because there's a good chance that my son (senior now) ends up at CSU for school. They've offered him a very healthy scholarship. We've been to Boulder and Golden already but not to Fort Collins - taking a quick trip up there next month though to check it out.
I think the best way to describe Fort Collins is a low-key Boulder with a lot less money but a lot more space. I think that makes it a freindlier place, at least from a cycling perspective. When doing the typical Fort Collins rides, it is really unusual for someone to not wave. If you are on a Fort Collins group ride and you go south, and see one of the Boulder rides coming the opposite way, it is somewhat surprising how uptight those people are. Stone faced and unfriendly. We make fun of their fancy bikes and nice haircuts.
That being said, Boulder is pretty much an international mecca for tri and cycling. The depth in Boulder is unmatched, but so much of that depth is imported from around the country and internationally.
I don't know where your kids are age-wise, but Fort Collins has some great programs. The FAST program for swimming is pretty top-notch. My daughter swam for them and pretty much everyone in her cohort went on to swim in college. They developed some top talent and had kids going to Stanford, Texas, Notre Dame, Yale, Harvard,... It was pretty impressive, given that they were just pulling from a relatively small local group of kids. For cycling, they have a local junior development that has some decent road, CX and MtB talent and a really big high shcool MtB league.
In terms of riding and running, I would say Boulder has some better road climbing routes right out of town, with Flagstaff and Left Hand canyon and the Brainard Lake area, but in Laporte (Laporkansas as I like to joke) you have Rist Caynon and Poudre Canyon right out your back door. There is also a huge trail system for running and MtB so close you will barely be warmed up by the time you hit the single track. Gravel riding is where Fort Collins just kiils Boulder. Development along the front range of the Rockies runs form Fort Collins to Colorado Springs. North and east of Fort Collins is very sparsely populated, so you can go forever and then some. Fort Collins has an active cycling community and it is all coordinated through YourGroupRide.com and their FaceBook group. That list rides, local races, routes and misc silliness.
The Colorado universities are a reflection of the communites. CSU is more down-to-earth and there is less money and flash compared to Boulder. Both are decent universities where kids can get a good education, or they can party it up and still get by. If your kids are interested in engineering and are motivated, Mines in Golden just can't be beat for a pure science undergrad program.