5 Things Native Fort Collins-ites are Tired of Since the Population Exploded
Since 1990, the population of Fort Collins has more than doubled, and a 2018 story by Denver Channel 7 put the cities population at 175,000, which is 50,000 more citizen than in 2010. Those moving to the city seek an outdoorsy culture, a plethora of micro-breweries and a hot restaurant scene. But for those who were here before the population exploded, the newcomers have become a point of stress which nearly everyone has something to say about. Here are the top five things that we are really getting tired of.
5. Complaining about the train
Don’t get us wrong, we don’t love being stopped at the train tracks for a half hour on our way to work either. We aren’t psyched when we get caught standing next to the blaring horn. But, we understand that the horn does serve a purpose. In 1961, 20 kids were killed in an accident involving a train and a school bus near Greeley. A woman was hit by a train in Fort Collins as recently as January. In the West, we have a lot of trains. Fort Collins wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for the trains. Trying to keep the train from blowing its horn in town distinguishes you from the townies. Just schedule an extra 15 minutes in your morning commute and plug your ears when the train passes like a Fort Collins pro.
4. Hating the winter
Sometimes, it snows in Colorado. It is ski country, after all. We all miss eating on restaurant patios and hitting the trails without parkas and micro-spikes. But complaining incessantly every time the temperature drops below 40 or frozen water falls from the sky isn’t helping anything. Throw on some snow boots, grab some gloves and a hat, buy some long underwear and enjoy the beauty that is held in a Colorado winter day. If you honestly can’t find joy in that, Colorado might not be the right place for you.
3. I-25
Almost any resident of Fort Collins who's been here for 15 or more years will inevitably say something along the lines of, “do you remember when it only took an hour to get from Fort Collins to Denver?” These days, you could sit in traffic on I-25 at any time of the day, any day of the week. The Colorado Department of Transportation is expanding as fast as they can, but simply too many people use the interstate for it to be anywhere as efficient as it once was.
2. Road Rage
The streets of Fort Collins are busier than they’ve ever been. With hundreds of thousands of cars, thousands of bicyclists and dozens of buses, commuting in town can be stressful, especially when a Colorado driver comes up against a much more aggressive out-of-state driver, or an offensive California driver gets stuck behind a speed-limit-conscious car. Colorado now has the second highest fatalities in road-rage related incidences in the nation. In July 2018 one teen was killed and his mother and brother were seriously injured in a shooting resulting from road rage. We all need to remember that we will get there when we get there, and screaming at each other in our cars and losing our temper is just making life harder.
- Housing Prices
The housing market is on fire in Fort Collins, we all now that. Housing prices have been increasing for years, and Greeley is now the only city in Northern Colorado with a median home price below $300,000. More ‘luxury’ apartments are going up every day, and for those of us who are in the working-class or middle-class citizens of the city, not only the dream or buying a home but the mere ability to rent within the city is quickly slipping away. As a student, the idea of renting an apartment without taking out a loan or selling your soul to the devil can be completely unrealistic, and living with your family is becoming a less viable option as they are being priced out of the market. The county and the city’s policies on housing are also hostile towards new-age housing alternatives, like tiny homes, which could relieve some of the pressures of a soul-crushing housing market. The reality of the situation is pushing people who love this city into Weld County or even out of state into more manageable markets in Wyoming.
