6 minute read
Town and Gown
WELCOME TO Fort Collins
CONTENTS
Town and Gown................................................................... 2 Welcome to Ram Country ................................................. 4 Helping Students Find Their State.................................. 6 CSU Athletics........................................................................ 8 Welcome Home ................................................................... 10 Getting Around Fort Collins.............................................. 12 Tour the Campus ................................................................. 14 CSU Map and Campus Safety ......................................... 16 Other Campuses and Sustainability............................... 18 Ram Traditions...................................................................... 20 18 Things to do while on Campus................................... 22 CSU by the Numbers ......................................................... 24 Feel at Home in Fort Collins............................................. 26 Fort Collins Fun Facts ........................................................ 28 Fort Collins Activities.......................................................... 30 Events Calendar and Festivities...................................... 32 Downtown Fort Collins ...................................................... 34 Fort Collins Art Scene ........................................................ 38 Parks and Gardens ............................................................. 40 Hiking and Biking Fort Collins.......................................... 42 Scenic Getaways................................................................. 44 Cache la Poudre.................................................................. 46 Napa Valley of Beers.......................................................... 48 Sip and Tour.......................................................................... 50 Best of CSU........................................................................... 52 Fort Collins Good Eats ....................................................... 56 Fort Collins Top 10............................................................... 60
This Publication is in partnership with CSU University Communications and Rocky Mountain Student Media. Photos courtesy of CSU Photography and RMSMC student photographers. Cover photo by Pratyoosh Kashyap. Cover and Publication Design by Anna Meiser. Whether you are a first-time visitor to Fort Collins or come to town frequently, welcome. No matter how long you stay, you are going to understand quickly why residents and visitors find Fort Collins one great place to be.
Time and again, Fort Collins has been named one of the best places to live, do business, retire, and bike in the United States. In 2017 National Geographic named Fort Collins the fourth “Happiest City in the US” and it’s no mystery why. The city offers more than 300 days of sunshine each year, an abundance of outdoor recreation, and unique cultural events throughout the year. Add to that more than 600 restaurants, 25 craft breweries and 285+ miles of biking and walking trails and you have a city with something for everyone.
Fort Collins is also home to Colorado State University, one of the nation’s leading research institutions. From performances at the prestigious University Center for the Arts, to leadership in clean energy and environmental science, and Ram game days at the on-campus Canvas Stadium and Moby Arena, CSU’s energy is felt well beyond campus.
Wander through the pedestrian-friendly streets of Old Town, enjoy the newest stores and restaurants scattered throughout Fort Collins, take a stroll through CSU’s tree-filled campus, or head to the foothills for an outdoor adventure. Wherever the magic of Fort Collins takes you, you’ll quickly see, we’re a city just waiting for you to discover.
Fort Collins, established in 1864, is annually voted one of the country’s best places to live. Colorado State University, born just six yeas after the city was founded, has emerged as a top research university. Among the reasons both the city and CSU have become successful is their ongoing “town-gown” relationship.
ABOUT FORT COLLLINS
A city of more than 165,000 residents, Fort Collins continues to be one of the nation’s most attractive cities in which to live. The state’s fourthlargest city is 65 miles north of Denver and situated at the base of the Rocky Mountain foothills of the northern Front Range. It is named for a short-lived military installation established in 1864 on the banks of the Cache la Poudre River, which flows through the city. The original fort site is now adjacent to the present historic “Old Town” portion of the city.
OLD TOWN
Old Town is a collection of 28 historic buildings that served as the model for Disneyland’s Main Street USA. The city’s most recognizable feature is about a mile north of CSU’s main campus with easy access via the MAX line or Transfort bus service. Old Town features a vintage trolley, unique shopping and more than 80 restaurants and brewpubs as the city’s nightlife hub.
Regarded as one of the nation’s most livable cities, Fort Collins annually ranks among the leaders in surveys of health, fitness and wellness.
The city has also earned the reputation as an innovation hub by attracting entrepreneurs from across the nation to live and work locally.
Fort Collins enjoys a moderate, fourseason climate with low humidity and more than 300 days of sunshine annually. The city boasts 600 acres of parks, 30,000 acres of natural areas, 285+ miles of hiking and biking trails, a wealth of public golf courses, plus three public swimming pools, an ice rink and several community centers.
ABOUT COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
Colorado State University is at the heart of Fort Collins. We planted our roots in 1870 and have been a key part of this community ever since. Colorado State is home to about 33,000+ students and 7,600 employees. We have a variety of attractions and events that make our campus a destination in itself. In fact, CSU has been recognized as one of the Top Campuses Worth Traveling For by TripAdvisor.
Whether you are interested in cheering on the Rams at Canvas Stadium, taking in a performance at the University Center for the Arts, visiting the beautiful Annual Flower Trial Gardens, strolling around our Historic Oval, or exploring what the campus has to offer, we are determined to make your experience at Colorado State University memorable.
You don’t have to look very hard to find Colorado State University’s influence in Fort Collins.
CSU long has been the driving force behind the city’s growth and development. Not only is CSU the city’s largest employer, the University and its students are the primary economic and cultural players.
It is a remarkable partnership over 151 years in the making, and it has helped both thrive.
CSU’s influence in Fort Collins, however, goes much deeper than simple dollars. Look at the beaming faces of more than 3,000 kids every year as they receive their very own supply-filled backpack from CSU’s School is Cool program. Or watch students work up a sweat collecting food for the needy during the annual Cans Around the Oval celebration. Or feel the community spirit as friends and families gather during the summer for the Lagoon Concert Series.
CANS AROUND THE OVAL
Cans Around the Oval is a great example of CSU and its students taking action on the commitment to outreach through the university’s land-grant mission. Initiated in 1986, Cans Around the Oval has become the largest annual food and fund drive in Northern Colorado, collecting more than 2 million pounds of food and $320,000 for the Food Bank of Larimer County. In 2020, the event raised a record $71,271.
SCHOOL IS COOL
Like Cans around the Oval, School is Cool is a uniquely CSU initiative that has become an invaluable asset for kids in Poudre School District. The employee-driven program, which began in 1991, provides gradespecific school supplies and new backpacks to PSD to distribute to students based on need. In 30 years, School is Cool has steadily grown and has provided more than 50,000 backpacks to the city’s kids.
DID YOU KNOW?
Colorado State University and the Poudre School District in Fort Collins have a long legacy of excellence in preparing students for academic, social and personal success. The recently formalized partnership agreement between CSU and PSD demonstrates the ongoing commitment of each organization to work together in good faith to provide diverse opportunities for the students, staff and communities of each organization.
Founded on the principle of outreach, the University proudly continues that tradition more than 151 years later and continues to explore new ways to strengthen its commitment to Fort Collins.
