Several people have asked us how we picked Fort Collins as a place to live so I thought I would share the story with all of you. Or rather, the Matrix. Because that is how we decided.
We called it the Prospective City Analysis and this is what it looked like (click to enlarge):
Once we were mostly done filling in the Matrix (we had a hard time finding some city data), we sat on it for awhile and "tried out" the front runners in our heads. That would be why we told some of you that we were going to live in Durango...or Prescott...or Seattle...or Manitou Springs (a late entry after the Matrix was completed). But each time, something didn't feel quite right to us so we would move on to the next place on our radar, hoping something would stick.
And Fort Collins did. It didn't wither under the intense scrutiny that I put it under and when we got here to do our final "walk through", it felt right.
And that feeling hasn't gone away. I love that I can get everywhere by bike or bus. Jon loves all the microbreweries. And we love the people who are incredibly nice and who seem to prioritize the same things we do (bikes and beer).
Oh, and another thing we like? Our house! Here's a video tour; just give us a day's notice and that guest room will be ready for your visit!
Looks like Asher had fun destroying a toy in his new backyard! Beers soon, new "neighbors"!
ReplyDelete-Liz Salan
asher is handsome as ever! i like how he assumed the position.
ReplyDeleteNoice place! And all cultural and classical music-y and everything. Looking forward to a bike and beer tour of your new town...!
ReplyDelete- O
Wow looks good!
ReplyDeleteWe let you know when we step into the plane to the USA so Jon has time to get beer and you to collect the eggs and make a cake ;-) Groeten De Klinkhamers
@Liz - I'm looking forward to meeting you! Definitely beers, soon!
ReplyDelete@Leanne - Yeah, he totally assumes that position anytime we go out in the backyard. I think it's his "please don't make me go inside" position...
@O - We definitely would love to give you a bikes and beer tour! And yes, we are now much more classy since we came back from Europe! ;)
@Henk Jan - What kind of cake would you like? If you come visit, we will have a sample of all of the local beers and as much cake as you want!
We have some family friends that live in Fort Collins and have the same priorities as you, bikes and beer. Let me know if I can connect you guys.
ReplyDeleteKim - Yes! We would love to meet more neighbors who like bikes and beers!!
ReplyDeleteI'm more interested in that spreadsheet but what is COLA and how did you calculate the % of mosquitos?
ReplyDeleteCOLA is Cost of Living Adjustment and was a huge factor in our decision. Since we are living on one salary right now, I wanted to keep our expenses very low. This is the site we used to calculate COLA for our prospective cities: http://www.bestplaces.net/col/
ReplyDeleteAs for the % of mosquitos, I give Jon the credit for figuring that out! He went straight to the CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/media/transcripts/t050428m.htm
To Ellen and Jon,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on all the great things you are achieving! The house is GREAT and all the great things you have at your disposal sound just fantastic. Jon, what kind of work are you doing? I will send you an email.
Take care guys!
Thanks, Alejandra! I'm currently working as an independent software contractor on an insurance proposal system.
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