Fort Collins, Colorado
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fort Collins, situated on the Cache la Poudre River, is the largest city and county seat of Larimer County, Colorado. It is a large college town (home to Colorado State University) in the north central region of the state, along what is known as the Colorado Front Range. According to the 2005 Census estimates, the city proper had an estimated population of 128,026.<ref name=popest2>Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Colorado (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division (June 21 2006). Retrieved on November 16, 2006.</ref>
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[edit] History
Fort Collins was founded as a military outpost of the United States Army in 1864. There was a previous encampment, known as Camp Collins, on the Cache La Poudre River, near present-day Laporte. Camp Collins was erected during the Indian wars of the mid-1860s to protect the Overland mail route that had by this time detoured through the region. Travelers crossing the county on the Overland Trail would camp there, but a flood destroyed it in June 1864. Afterward, the commander of the fort wrote to the commandant of Fort Laramie in southeast Wyoming, Colonel William O. Collins, suggesting that a site several miles further down the Poudre would make a good location for the fort. The post was manned originally by two companies of the 11th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry and never had walls.
Settlers began arriving in the vicinity of the fort nearly immediately. The fort was decommissioned in 1868 after Indian hostilities had diminished and the mails had been transferred to the newly completed railroads. The original fort site is now adjacent to the present historic "Old Town" portion of the city.
Fort Collins is home to Colorado State University, Colorado's original land-grant college (formerly known as Colorado Agricultural and Mechanical College). Other large employers include Hewlett-Packard, Poudre Valley Health System, and Poudre School District.
In 2000, Money magazine named Fort Collins one of the best places to retire in America. In 2006, Fort Collins ranked number one on Money magazine's list of Best Places to live. According to Money magazine "Great schools, low crime, good jobs in a high-tech economy and a fantastic outdoor life make Fort Collins No. 1."
For more information on local history see the Fort Collins Public Library's local historical archives <http://history.fcgov.com/>.
[edit] Geography and climate
Fort Collins is located at (40.559238, -105.078302)GR1. The city is situated just east of the Rocky Mountain foothills of the Northern Front Range approximately 65 miles north of Denver, Colorado and 45 miles south of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Elevation is 5,003 feet above sea level. Prominent geographic landmarks include Horsetooth Reservoir and Horsetooth Mountain—so named because of a tooth shaped granite rock that dominates the city's western skyline.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 122.1 km² (47.1 mi²). 120.5 km² (46.5 mi²) of it is land and 1.6 km² (0.6 mi²) of it (1.27%) is water.
The city experiences about 296 days of sunshine per year and 22 days with 90º + weather. The average temperature in July is 71.2º. Annual snowfall averages 57.4 inches, and the snow generally melts within a few days. Average precipitation overall is about 15 inches.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 118,652 people, 45,882 households, and 25,785 families residing in the city. This was an increase from 108,905 in 1998, 87,491 in 1990, 64,092 in 1980, 43,337 in 1970, 14,937 in 1950, and 8,755 in 1920. The metropolitan statistical area (MSA) includes Loveland. When this city is included, the population increases to 251,494 for 2000. The population density was 984.4/km² (2,549.3/mi²). There were 47,755 housing units at an average density of 396.2/km² (1,026.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 82.4% White, 3.01% Black or African American, 0.60% Native American, 2.48% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 3.61% from other races, and 2.53% from two or more races. 10.79% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
In 2000, there were 45,882 households out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.8% were non-families. 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 22.1% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 17.0% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $44,459, and the median income for a family was $59,332. Males had a median income of $40,856 versus $28,385 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,133. About 5.5% of families and 14.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.3% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Culture
Much of Fort Collins' culture is centered on the students of Colorado State University. Driven by a large college-age demographic, the city has a thriving local music circuit, and is home to a number of well-recognized microbreweries. Old Town, a historic downtown shopping district, hosts a number of large festivals each year. For example, the New West Fest occurs in late summer, featuring local cuisine, music, and businesses. The Lincoln Center is home to the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra and regularly attracts national touring companies of Broadway plays. Beyond the city limits, the Fort Collins Balloon Festival attracts hot air balloon enthusiasts from around the world.
There is a thriving beer culture in the city. In addition to an Anheuser-Busch brewery — operating just north of the city since 1984 — there are three microbreweries, the New Belgium Brewing Company, the Odell Brewing Company, and the Fort Collins Brewery. New Belgium is the largest of the local microbreweries, with regional distribution west of the Mississippi. There are several brewpubs, including the original C.B. & Potts Restaurant and its Big Horn Brewery; CooperSmith's Pub & Brewing, a local mainstay since 1989; Lucky Joe's Sidewalk Saloon, a local favorite. The Colorado Brewer's Festival is held in late June annually in Fort Collins. The outdoor event is held in Fort Collins' old town area and features beers from as many as 45 brewers from the state of Colorado and averages around 30,000 attendees.
[edit] Communications
One daily newspaper, the Fort Collins Coloradoan, is published in the city. The Rocky Mountain Collegian is Colorado State University's student newspaper, and is published each weekday during the fall and spring semesters. The Collegian is the only daily student-run newspaper in the state, and includes a weekly entertainment tabloid called The Verve. One weekly newspaper, the Fort Collins Weekly, and several niche publications including the Fort Collins Courier and Fossil Creek Current are distributed for free at local businesses and by mail. Scene Magazine is a long-time entertainment monthly serving several regional cities. Swift Newspapers introduced NEXTnc, a Northern Colorado weekly entertainment and lifestyles newspaper in March 2006. Rocky Mountain Parent Magazine is a niche publication serving Fort Collins among other northern Colorado community families.
No major television stations broadcast from Fort Collins. CNN Headline News used to provide local news to Fort Collins, but no longer does. City Cable 14 is the local government access channel, and broadcasts city and county meetings, as well as studio-produced local programming. Poudre School District and Colorado State University each have public access stations as well.
[edit] Facilities
- NIST time signal transmiters WWV and WWVB.
- Poudre Valley Hospital has helped make Fort Collins into a regional health care center.
- The National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation (NCGRP)
- The city is the headquarters of Roosevelt National Forest.
[edit] Notable people born in Fort Collins
- Isaac Adamson, author.
- Jeremy Bloom, Olympic skier, model and former Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver and punt returner, recently drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2006 NFL Draft.
- Jeff D'Agostino, actor who has guest-starred on CSI, Veronica Mars, Weeds
- Jon Heder, title character in 2004's Napoleon Dynamite
- Jake Lloyd, Anakin Skywalker in 1999's Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
- David Mattingly, science fiction illustrator
- Pete Monty, line backer for the Minnesota Vikings
- Ryan Sutter, bachelor chosen as a groom by Trista Rehn in 2003's "The Bachelorette"
- Byron Raymond White, associate justice of the Supreme Court
[edit] Notable people who have lived in Fort Collins
- Hattie McDaniel, first African-American to win an Academy Award (Best Supporting Actress 1940)
- Susan Agnes Pearson, activist and poet
- L. Neil Smith, libertarian science fiction author
- Thomas Sutherland, Colorado State University professor and former Beirut hostage
- Garret Houts, Created the design for the fold-up box
[edit] References
<references/>
[edit] External links
- NEXTnc weekly entertainment newspaper
- Fort Collins Weekly local newspaper
- Fort Collins City Government
- Downtown Development Authority: Old Town information and Events
- The Rocky Mountain Collegian
- Fort Collins Coloradoan
- Fort Collins Community Portal
- Colorado State University
- Fort CollinsAerial from http://fortcollins.gennetten.com/ (higher resolution than Google Maps, TerraServer, Mapquest and others)
- Fort Collins Website Directory
- Fort Collins Municipal Railway
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
fr:Fort Collins (Colorado) nl:Fort Collins ja:フォート・コリンズ (コロラド州) pl:Fort Collins pt:Fort Collins simple:Fort Collins, Colorado fi:Fort Collins sv:Fort Collins
