Larimer County: A Great Place to Visit, A Great Place to Live

Larimer County attracts millions of visitor each year ... visitors to Rocky Mountain National Park, visitors to Estes Park, visitors to Loveland and Fort Collins. Mountain climbers and skiiers, hikers, bikers, car and camper tourists all flock to the Mountains, or skirt the foothills from Virginia Dale, down through Livermore, Fort Collins, Loveland and Berthoud on their way to and from Denver and Cheyenne. Prospective college students visit Fort Collins and Colorado State University. And a great many of those who come fall in love. In love with the mountain vistas, in love with the healthy climate, in love with the people whose Western style welcome makes visitors feel instantly at home. So thousands pack up and move here. For school, for health, for a richer and less hectic life. The population grew by over 35% between 1990 and 2000, and continues to grow ... yet there are plenty of wide open spaces, with more than six acres per person in the county. Denver is just an hour drive away when you need the kind of things only big cities offer. The county itself has mountains and high fertile plains. Only a few hours north and west put you in the high desert country in Wyoming, while a few hours south and west put you in the Sonoran desert of Arizona. The climate is surprisingly mild -- at least it comes as a surprise to someone from Michigan or Minnesota to find that the snow doesn't cover the ground all winter, except in the high mountains, but comes and goes. And the summer evenings are cool and comfortable. Summer days get hot on the plains, but you have only to drive fifteen minutes into the mountains to be refreshed (or turn on the air conditioning). If you haven't visited Larimer County you should plan on doing so at the first opportunity. If you are already familiar with the area, you will no doubt find yourself drawn back over and over. It's just irresistable.