Fort Collins is fairly cheap. For $800-1000/mo you can get a studio or 1br. You're an hour away from RMNP where this mountain is, half an hour from Poudre Canyon and some of the best car camping in the state, and within daytrip distance of the ski resorts. The county its in is a politically mixed bag but the city itself is fairly progressive. Bad public transit (albeit the buses are free), decent bike infrastructure with amazing trails for both commuting and mountain biking, a huge reservoir above the city that's great for kayaking. I'd choose it over 90% of the country and would only upgrade to a place like Denver or Seattle where there's more of a leftist presence. In Fort Collins you'd be limited to a DSA chapter and a few SRA comrades.
Fort Collins is fairly cheap. For $800-1000/mo you can get a studio or 1br. You're an hour away from RMNP where this mountain is, half an hour from Poudre Canyon and some of the best car camping in the state, and within daytrip distance of the ski resorts. The county its in is a politically mixed bag but the city itself is fairly progressive. Bad public transit (albeit the buses are free), decent bike infrastructure with amazing trails for both commuting and mountain biking, a huge reservoir above the city that's great for kayaking. I'd choose it over 90% of the country and would only upgrade to a place like Denver or Seattle where there's more of a leftist presence. In Fort Collins you'd be limited to a DSA chapter and a few SRA comrades.