Uniquely Fort Collins Cluster

The Uniquely Fort Collins (Unique) industry cluster includes businesses whose products and operations contribute to the eclectic, innovative, and high quality of life in Fort Collins. To better understand this cluster, it has been split into three subclusters.

1. Artistic and Cultural Entertainment
   Includes firms involved in the production, sales, and education of performance and visual arts, as well as museums, historical sites, and zoos or botanical gardens.
2. Recreational and Retail Activities
   Includes retail boutiques with less than 10 employees, sports and recreational activities, and production facilities with consumer interaction (i.e. brewery tours).
3. Hospitality
   Includes independent full-service restaurants and traveler accommodations.

Click here for a list of Uniquely Fort Collins cluster definitions
View the Local Living Economy Project website

National Outlook

The Unique cluster will differ from one city to another based on the natural and constructed amenities of the region. Specific to Fort Collins, in addition to general cultural businesses, the microbreweries and independent fine foods manufacturing, both of which offer tours, are highlighted, as well as the outdoor recreational opportunities provided by the nearby mountains and rivers. Elsewhere, local ski resorts, pro-sports teams, or water activities would be included in a town’s unique cluster based on their proximity and importance to the community.

This cluster, divided into three subclusters, poses as both a basic and non-basic industry. Tourism-related sectors in the arts and culture and the recreational and retail subclusters attract visitors to a region while enhancing the quality of life for current residents. The hospitality subcluster may add to the eclectic lifestyle of a region with ethnic foods or historical accommodations, but also serves the needs of visitors.

Many existing industries rely on the Unique cluster to attract new businesses, employees, or clients. Unique businesses increase the quality of life of a region. In addition to providing fun or cultural activities, they tend to attract jobs. Regions with high quality of life indexes tend to be hubs for high-tech firms, especially entrepreneurial operations, whose physical location does not necessarily determine their consumer base.

Although the Unique cluster experienced a decline in employment as a result of the 2001 recession, the decline was not drastic. By restricting the retail sector to include only companies with less than 10 employees, the instability of major retailers affected by the recession is not a factor.

PDF Downloads

Download the "Uniquely Fort Collins" Section of the Target Industry Report (PDF 446KB).
Download the entire Target Industry Report (PDF 8MB).