Why Fort Collins is more than just a place for the outdoors
I was speculating on the thought of who I am the other day, appreciating how connectivity gives me access to the creators, ideas and activities that I love.
Then in contrast, I thought about where I lived: The lovely Fort Collins, Colorado. And while I adore living here, I do think that there is a pretty glaring issue.
While, yes, Fort Collins is nirvana for people who love outdoor activities, it has the potential to be so much more than that. There is nothing wrong inherently with praising a city for being outdoorsy, but there are so many more groups, interests and types of people than those who like to hike or fish in the Poudre, and we need to recognize those people too.
It’s time for the city of Fort Collins, its people, and the outside world to see that we have a melting pot of people, with lots of different interests — geeks, readers, musicians, writers and so much more.
Why this happens
Looking at a page on Trip Advisor alone will show you that Fort Collins has a wide variety of activities you can be a part of.
So that brings up the question: Why focus almost entirely on the outdoors?
Personally, I feel that it is because being outdoorsy is considered “normal” for Colorado.
With Colorado containing the amazing Rocky Mountain Range, plenty of rivers and more than enough hiking trails, it would be easy to assume that everyone living there was absorbed in that culture. Fort Collins falls perfectly into this category, with the Cache la Poudre river, Horestooth Reservoir and a wide variety of hiking trails and outdoor areas.
But were you aware that, opposed to popular opinion, this is not the entirety of the population.
According to a list by Estately Blogs, Colorado was ranked 5th for nerdiest state in the country, as well as being one of the most nerd-friendly states among all others.
With a wide population of people enjoying a wide variety of things, I feel that would open up this city to far more. I feel that this is a perfect indicator that Fort Collins needs to start to advertise itself as more than just an outdoorsy town.
Why we need to fix it
A very prevalent issue in today’s society, especially among the younger population and those growing up, is people feeling strange or scared to share the things that they are interested about.
When enjoying something may seem strange to other people, many kids are too afraid to share those thoughts with other people, causing them to close themselves off and not share the things that they love. I know this, because I experienced it myself.
I can remember being a geek as early as elementary school. I remember vividly playing “Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door” with my father along with “Donkey Kong 64.” I remember reading the Percy Jackson series and wanting to experience a strange and fantastic world.
But as I grew up, I began to feel the effects of normalcy in society. I played sports, acted like my friends and did what I could to fit in so the cool kids would like me. But as I grew, I realized not only did I love nerdier and “non-normal” activities, but also that I was different.
I didn’t want to go out and play football, but instead wanted to stay in and play a game. I didn’t want to be cool like everyone else, I wanted to watch YouTube and laugh while doing so.
But this became hard, as I felt pressures from society to abandon these interests, as it was seen as different. While I maintained my hold on my interests, I never missed glances from others as I would pull out my DS and play a game.
I am of a lucky few who maintained their nerdiness with minimal self-consciousness (well a little more than minimal but you get the point). But for others, this pain can begin to feel like a continually growing weight on your shoulders.
In an article by the Association for Psychological Science, it was further explained how susceptible younger individuals are to being self conscious.
“‘Our study identifies adolescence as a unique period of the lifespan in which self-conscious emotion, physiological reactivity, and activity in specific brain areas converge and peak in response to being evaluated by others,’ says psychological scientist and lead researcher Leah Somerville of Harvard University.”
This kind of behavior can only be expedited if the individual lives in an area that is well known for being interested in something that is “normal” for society.
But if we lived in a society that embraced everyone, embraced normal as whatever the hell you want it to be, we would see a flourish of human activity and connection.
Nerds, jocks, music junkies and more could all experience what they love whenever they wanted, with no judgement or fear of being looked down on.
When normal truly means anything one’s heart desires, more people will feel the effects, and more people will be happy.
How it can be fixed
I feel that the first step to fixing this issue is to open up advertisements for the city to include wide ranges of people.
One such offender can be seen in the Colorado State University homepage, where images of hikers are seen enjoying the outdoors or walking around. But not playing a game together, or visiting a music shop.
By focusing on even the small interests of people in the city, I feel that Fort Collins can become a better representation of the people that live there.
With a melding of outdoor activities, music, reading, art, geeks and more, Fort Collins can become known as a melting pot town full of all kinds of people.
All it takes is the acceptance of the public. Once every person accepts every facet of interest in the city and does their best to understand other interests, the city and the people in it can become significantly closer.
Be proud of who you are
Fort Collins is made up of one people. We are not all hikers, we are not all outdoorsy people, we do not all spend our time in the sun and we do not all cherish nature. We are made up of gamers, musicians, poets, writers and so much more.
Once every single interest group is represented in Fort Collins, the city and its inhabitants will become even closer together, creating a unique and homey atmosphere for all who live here.
Fort Collins will turn from a city meant for people who love the outdoors, to a city for everyone and anyone, no matter what you enjoy to do.
My final message to any reader is this: Be proud of who you are. Whether you like to go for morning hikes every day, or rock out all night, or play video games or enjoy a good book, your uniqueness is incredible and needed in this world.
Never be ashamed of what you like, no matter where you live. And if more places can become like the Fort Collins I have described, I feel that the entire world would become a much more understanding place to live.
Below I have included a few articles about accepting what you love, so anyone reading who may be doubting themselves can remind themselves that they are incredible for who they are.
