City of Fort Collins

The Community:  The City of Fort Collins sits nestled against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains alongside the banks of the Cache La Poudre River. At 5,000 feet in elevation, residents enjoy a moderate, four-season climate, with an average of 300 days of sunshine per year. With 174,800 residents, Fort Collins is Colorado’s fourth-largest city and spans 57 square miles. With the 20 year growth projection, the City of Fort Collins is expected to reach 255,000 residents.

The first people who hunted in this region arrived approximately 11,000 years ago, and Northern Colorado remains an integral part of the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute Nations. European-American trappers and traders arrived by the early 1800s but rarely established permanent settlements. Gold and silver discoveries in the Colorado mountains in the mid-1800s and the prospect of land for farming and ranching attracted people from eastern cities and across the globe to the Colorado Territory, including what would become the town of Fort Collins; an agricultural colony that emerged from its founding days as a military fort. The expansion included the sugar beet industry's growth, which brought new residents whose descendants still live here today, including Mexican-American families from southern Colorado, New Mexico, and northern Mexico, as well as Germans from Russia. Since 1879, Fort Collins has been the home of the state’s land grant institution, Colorado State University, which currently enrolls 34,000 students. Along with the university, the city’s major high-tech and manufacturing companies and breweries attract new residents from all over the country and world. The community’s overall social diversity continues to grow.

There are abundant outdoor recreation opportunities available to the many residents who enjoy healthy lifestyles. The nearby Horsetooth Reservoir is a key attraction, as is the Cache La Poudre-North Park Scenic Byway. The Downtown district provides many venues for live music, shopping, dining, and nightlife within the city. Fort Collins is widely considered the Craft Beer Capital of Colorado. The City has a strong appreciation for arts, culture, and entertainment. Various national organizations and magazines recognize Fort Collins as one of the best places to live in the nation.

The City’s long list of acknowledgements includes:  

  • No. 5 Best Remote-Ready Cities: Livability.com Jan 2021
  • Top 30 Creative Small Cities: CVSuite – May 2020
  • No. 18 Safest Cities in America: SafeWise – April 2020
  • No. 1 Best Place to Live: Livability.com March 2020
  • No. 9 Most Fitness Friendly Places: SmartAsset – Dec 2019
  • No. 7 Safest Driving Cities: Allstate – June 2019
  • No. 4 Best U.S. Cities to Raise a Family: MarketWatch – April 2019
  • No. 9 Best Performing Cities: Milken Institute – Jan 2019
  • No. 3 U.S. Cities with Highest Economic Confidence: Yahoo – Nov 2018
  • No. 2 Brain Concentration Index: Bloomberg – Nov 2018
  • No. 1 City in America for Cycling: PeopleForBikes-May 2018
  • Outstanding Achievement in Local Government Innovation Award: Alliance for Innovation-April 2018
  • The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award-Nov 2017
  • 18th Best City for Career Opportunities: SmartAsset – Sep 2017
  • 3rd Best College Town to Live in Forever: College Ranker – July 2017
  • 25 Best Towns Ever: Where to Live Now: Outside Magazine – June 2017
  • No. 1 Stable and Growing Housing Market: Realtor.com-June 2017
  • 11th Happiest City in America: Yahoo! Finance - March 2017
  • No. 9 Top 150 Cities for Millennials Report: Millennial Personal Finance - Feb 2017
  • No. 2 Best Cities for Small Business Owners: ValuePenguin – Feb 2017

Why Work For the City of Fort Collins?

  • Medical, dental, vision (for self, spouse, children) – eligible on the 1st of the month following date of hire
  • Paid vacation, paid holidays, and sick
  • Retirement + company contributions – after 6 month probation period and immediate vesting
  • Flexible spending: Medical expenses FSA, dependent FSA or both
  • Employee Assistance Program: counseling, legal, financial assistance 
  • Life insurance, short-term and long-term disability 
  • Wellness program, workout facilities 
  • Employee/family Onsite Health Clinic 
  • Personal & professional learning opportunities including supervisory and leadership development; plus career mobility
  • Collaborative work environment