Fort Collins Awards

by Felix Wong | 30 Oct 2005

Apparently, I was not the only one who thought Fort Collins was a special place when I decided to move here. The Fort has racked up a ridiculous number of awards in the last decade. Probably its most notable award was when Money Magazine proclaimed it in 2006 as the “Best Place to Live” in the U.S. of all cities with less than 300,000 people. Below is a list of some of its other awards.

Fort Collins Awards since April 2005

The following list is maintained by the City of Fort Collins.

Fort Collins Awards before April 2005

• Fort Collins was designated a Preserve America Community by First Lady Laura Bush (2004) for its committment to historic preservation and celebration of our priceless cultural and natural heritage.
• City of Fort Collins Web Site: #1 in the Nation! – September, 2004
• “Top 5 Places to Retire” by MSN.com – July, 2003
• Fort Collins ranks No. 29 on the Forbes Magazine list of best places for business and careers in America’s small cities.
• Fort Collins ranks #4 of the 50 best places to live in the United states as selected by Men’s Journal, May 2003. (The criteria included the familiarity of a small town but with attractive amenities, good weather, location, all around livable and inviting.)
• Loveland/Fort Collins is the #1 Best Place to Reinvent Your Life (source: AARP Magazine, May & June 2003 edition).
• Fort Collins ranks 2nd in the nation as a digital city according to the 2002 Digital Cities Survey conducted by The Center for Digital Government. (The survey examines how city governments have progressed in adopting and utilizing digital technologies to improve the delivery of services to their citizens.)
• The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recognized the Fort Collins Housing Authority as a “High Performer” through its Public Housing Assessment System for fiscal year 2001. “High Performer” status gives the Housing Authority preferred status for grants and results in reduced reporting and monitoring by HUD.
• ICLEI 5-Star Award for our efforts to reduce global warming and pollution – February, 2002
• 17th Best Place to Live and Work in America – Employment Review, June 2002
• Best Place to Retire – Retirement Places Rated, 1999
• 3rd Best Place to Raise a Family – Reader’s Digest, 1997 Special Edition
• 5th Best Economy Nationwide – Policom Corp., 1999
• 9th Best for Affordable and Accessible Golf – Golf Digest, 1999
  Ranked 10th on “Best Cities to Have it All” – A&E Network, 1999
• One of Top 10 Best Places to Retire – Money Magazine, 2000

Also I should mention that Old Town in Fort Collins was the inspiration for Main Street in Disneyland!