WHAT TO DO NOW

Plan to arrive to Fort Collins several weeks before classes begin. First of all, your lease must begin at least one day prior to the start of classes, and you must also have acquired a Colorado Drivers License and registered your vehicle in Colorado before this time. So it’s important that you get here early. The first thing you should do when you arrive to Fort Collins (in addition to unpacking, exploring town, hiking, etc.) is to get a Drivers License. The driver’s license office requires several proofs of identification. The following website (http://www.co.larimer.co.us/services/category.cfm?sv_id=5) will assist you in finding the most current requirements, the location of the DMV in Fort Collins (off of West Prospect), and will also explain the process of registering your vehicle. Once you have your Colorado Drivers License, you must then register your vehicle in Colorado. (In the past, some students have been able to get around this because the vehicle was registered in their parent’s name, however, it is highly recommended that you find a way to put the vehicle in your name so that when you petition the University for in-state residence, you will have no worries.)

TIP: Arrive to the DMV early! There is only one DMV in all of Fort Collins, and it is always busy. Also, you must go to the county courthouse in order to register your vehicle; therefore, getting your license and your car registered is NOT a one-stop shop, Give yourself an entire day to get this process taken care of, but remember that if you can get started early, it won’t be so painful.

TIP: You may also register to vote in the state of Colorado at the DMV! (When you receive your voter registration card in the mail, make sure you put it in a safe place since you’ll be asked to provide a copy of it as part of your petition to financial services.)

WHAT TO DO IN THE SPRING

Once you have documentation showing that you began residence before classes started (i.e., an official lease), have gotten your Drivers License and registered your car, you don’t have to do anything until the spring, when you complete the petition to Student Financial Services. Because this information is subject to change, it is best if you consult their website directly (http://sfs.colostate.edu). As part of your application, you will need to submit copies of all of the documentation mentioned above. You’ll also be asked questions regarding your residency and will be required to include a paragraph about why you want to live in Colorado. Even though you may be planning to leave once you’re finished with school, don’t say this in your paragraph. No worries, it’s very easy to come up with reasons why you would want to stay in Colorado. You’ll need to begin the process of petitioning for in-state residence around the beginning of your first spring semester here. The earlier you petition, the earlier you should hear back about whether or not you have been approved.

TIP: Find out early when the petition for in-state residence can be turned in and mark it on your calendar so you do not forget!

You will also find information about gaining residency in the I/O Student Handbook.

Voted the #1 place to live in 2006, Fort Collins is located at the base of the Rocky Mountains foothills, and is 65 miles from Denver, CO. This mid-sized city is known for having a large number of parks, beautiful nature trails, and a low crime rate (for more info, see http://www.city-data.com/city/Fort-Collins-Colorado.html).

Fort Collins is home to roughly 130,000 residents, and a large percentage of residents are college students –the median age of residents is about 29.4 years old.

Colorado State University is the largest source of employment in Fort Collins.

Fort Collins is eco-friendly; for example, the city advocates for “green building”, which is an eco-friendly method of building new structures or making existing structures more energy efficient. For more information on the natural sources department, visit http://www.ci.fort-collins.co.us/naturalresources/.

If you like sunshine, you won’t be disappointed – it is said that there are 300 days of sunshine each year! For current Fort Collins weather, see http://fortcollins.com/weather.html

Fun things to do

Fort Collins is very bike friendly – bike trails are in abundance and visitors can check out a bicycle for up to seven days for free. Visit http://www.fcgov.com/bicycling/ for more information on bike trails, bike registration, and more.

For food, bars, or a game of pool head to Old Town, the restored historical district of Fort Collins. It is a popular shopping spot and also has art galleries and plenty of restaurants. The Old Town plaza often has live music events and festivals, and outdoor concerts are common from mid-spring to mid-fall seasons. Annual events such as New West Fest and Tour de Fat are very popular! More information on events and festivals can be found at http://eventful.com/fortcollins/events.

Old Town also has local  microbreweries – if interested in beer-sampling and informational tours, you can visit the New Belgium and Odell breweries. For more information on downtown Fort Collins, go to http://www.downtownfortcollins.com/

There are several outdoor activities – hiking and rock-climbing can be done at the Horsetooth reservoir, which is on the West end of Fort Collins.

The vast Rocky Mountain National Park offers  stunning views of wildlife as well as opportunities to camp, bird-watch, ski, and much more. For a closer look at Rocky Mountain National Park, located about 45 minutes away from Fort Collins, visit http://rockymountainnationalpark.com/

For those who enjoy mini-golfing, laser tag, ice-skating and more, Fort Fun is the place to go (http://www.fortfun.biz/gokarts.asp)!

Getting around

In addition to riding bikes, those who do not own or drive cars have the option of using the Transfort bus system. The bus schedule can be found at http://www.fcgov.com/transfort/. The bus is free to Colorado State University students, and runs 7 days a week.