Fort Collins Larimer County

The municipality of Fort Collins is the county seat and most populous municipality in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. It is a major city in the Front Range Urban Corridor and the principal city of the Fort Collins, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. Fort Collins lies along the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, about 56 miles (90 km) north of Denver. This city is located on the northern Front Range in the Rocky Mountains, approximately 60 miles (97 km) north of Denver, Colorado, and 45 miles (72 km) south of Cheyenne, Wyoming.

The downtown streets of Fort Collins are grid-like, with Interstate 25 running north and south on the east side of the city. U.S. Highway 287 becomes College Avenue inside the city and is the busiest street; It runs north and south, effectively bisecting the city, and serving as the east–west meridian, while Mountain Avenue is the north–south. SH 14 runs concurrent with US 287 at the northern city limit to Jefferson Street, running southeast along Jefferson (later turning into Riverside Avenue), then turning east onto Mulberry Street where it goes east out of the city after an interchange with Interstate 25. Riverside Avenue branches out from South College Avenue and turns into East Mulberry Street going east intersecting with Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway. West Prospect Road turns into East Prospect Road as it passes South College Avenue and covers a distance of about 7 miles.

Larimer Campus of Front Range Community College is located in Fort Collins, a midsize college town. The Shops at Foothills is the city’s main shopping mall. There are several notable breweries in the city, including Anheuser-Busch, New Belgium Brewing Company, and Odell Brewing Company. In addition to the Fort Collins Lincoln Center and the Fort Collins Museum, the culture of Fort Collins is largely centered on the students of Colorado State University. The Center for Fine Art Photography, University Center for the Arts, Fort Collins Museum of Art (FCMOA), and Bas Bleu Theatre Company provide arts representation.

Additionally, Fort Collins has many parks including community and neighborhood parks, with a total of 875 acres (354 ha) of developed parks. There is City Park, Edora Park, Fossil Creek Park, Lee Martinez Park, Rolland Moore Park, Spring Canyon Park, as well as The Gardens on Spring Creek, an 18-acre (7.3 ha) botanical garden. As part of the city’s purchase of the park, the city also acquired the Soapstone Prairie Natural Area. The Lindenmeier Site is also located within the park.

In the city of Fort Collins, the Poudre River Public Library District operates three branch locations: Old Town, Harmony, and Council Tree.

Avelo Airlines flies to and from Burbank (BUR) and Las Vegas (LAS) from nearby Northern Colorado Regional Airport. The Denver International Airport, located 70 miles (110 km) to the south, is serviced by 23 airlines. As part of the Mason Corridor Transitway, the MAX Bus Rapid Transit provides service parallel to College Avenue from Downtown Fort Collins to a transit center just south of Harmony Road. There is a FLEX regional bus service connecting Fort Collins to Loveland, Berthoud, Longmont, and Boulder.