Fort Collins again among Money magazine's 'Best Places in America'
July 15, 2008
National recognition for Fort Collins and Colorado
For the second time in a week, Gov. Bill Ritter is cheering another national honor for Colorado, this time Money magazine's naming of Fort Collins as the second-best place to live in America.
"It's extremely rewarding to see this type of national recognition for Colorado and our communities," Gov. Ritter said. "Fort Collins is one of Colorado's priceless gems. As home to Colorado State University, innovative businesses and an overall high quality of life, Fort Collins truly deserves this honor."
No. 2 small city in America
The annual ranking of America's small cities will appear in the August issue of Money, which hits news stands July 21. An online version of the report was posted Monday.
Here's what Money has to say about the 129,400-population Fort Collins:
"One of the first things you notice about this Rocky Mountain city is that practically every new road has a bike lane. Even the wheelless can get in on the action now that Fort Collins has a bike library: Residents and visitors can check out a bicycle for up to seven days, free.
"Colorado State University occupies scenic spot in middle of town"
"The city's Old Town historic district contains four microbreweries and more than two dozen restaurants. Bioscience and tech companies, including Agilent Technologies, Hewlett-Packard and Kodak, keep employment opportunities high. Colorado State University occupies a scenic spot in the middle of town. And the city just received a grant from the Department of Energy to start a solar-energy project downtown."
The magazine also cited award-winning health care at Poudre Valley Health System, high-quality public schools and a number of other amenities.
Highlands Ranch, population 102,600, finished 12th out of the top 100 cities ranked by Money.
Rated on numerous factors
Cities with populations of 50,000 to 300,000 were rated on numerous factors, including:
- income
- housing prices
- cost of living
- economy
- weather
- crime
- traffic
- schools
- quality of life, and more
Read more about what Money magazine has to say about Fort Collins by visiting http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2008/snapshots/PL0827425.html.
--------------------------------
Money magazine's ranking follows last week's report by CNBC that named Colorado one of the Top States for Business in America, putting Colorado at No. 5. CNBC praised Colorado's New Energy Economy, the state's business friendly climate and overall quality of life.
To read more from CNBC, go to http://www.cnbc.com/id/25350187/site/14081545/?site=14081545.
Contact: Jayleen Heft
Email: Jayleen.Heft@colostate.edu
Phone Number: (970) 491-2655
