Quality of Life and community

Residents provided overwhelmingly positive feedback about our quality of life, as a place to raise children, and as a place to attend college. Respondents gave lower ratings to availability of affordable housing and job opportunities.

• Overall as a place to live - 94%*
• Overall quality of life - 90%*
• As a place to raise children - 89%*

*percent reporting "good" or "very good"

Community Safety

Generally, residents reported feeling safe throughout the city. Respondents felt most safe in their neighborhood and in downtown during the day. Respondents felt less safe on trails and in downtown at night.

Environment, Recreation and Culture

Residents felt positively about the quality of the environment. Drinking water quality and the community's attractiveness received the highest ratings. Trails, natural areas, open space, and parks received the highest ratings in the recreation category.

Transportation

The majority of transportation ratings were above the national benchmark. Residents were most pleased with the ease of travel by bicycle. The lowest-quality ratings were given to the availability of parking downtown and traffic congestion.

Economic Health

A slight majority of residents reported that the City's overall support of businesses was "good." However, less than half felt positively about our overall economic health and job growth in the city.

City Government

Although 2008 ratings of public trust in the City government were higher than those given in 2006, they are still lower than the Front Range benchmark. Residents felt positive about the job the city does at informing and welcoming citizen involvement.

Administering the Survey

Every two years, the City of Fort Collins surveys residents to gather feedback on their level of satisfaction with community services and local government. This information helps identify what's working well, what needs improvement, and how to prioritize resources. The findings are compared to data from past surveys as well as benchmark data from other communities in the Front Range and the nation. Read the complete findings at fcgov.com/citizensurvey.

Residents Love Our Parks and Trails

In our most recent citizen survey, 95% of respondents rated our trails as "good" or "very good." 93% gave the same support to our parks. When compared to other cities across the nation, our parks and trails were rated above the benchmark. View the complete citizen survey results online at fcgov.com/citizensurvey.

Keeping Costs Low

The City has limited resources to provide exceptional parks, trails and recreation services. When measuring operation and maintenance costs per acre, research shows that Fort Collins operates more cost-effectively than many other Front Range cities.

Increased Environmental Awareness

The new Policy Plan will also have a stronger environmental emphasis. Parks and facilities are, and will continue to be, designed and built to minimize impacts on the environment and incorporate green practices. This protects our natural environment for future generations and helps reduce maintenance costs.

Building New Parks and Facilities

City Council considered building fewer parks, fewer ball fields, smaller play grounds, even eliminating restrooms to help reduce future maintenance costs. Ultimately, creating an unequal park system didn't seem like the right way to go. Instead, we'll manage expenses by building very durable parks and designing them so they cost less to maintain.

Background

The City's previous Parks and Recreation Plan was adopted by the City Council in 1996 and provided guidance for developing our parks and recreation facilities during a time of rapid growth. Over the last 12 years the City built Fossil Creek Park, Spring Canyon Park, the new Northside Center, several neighborhood parks and more than ten miles of trails. We had a good plan that served us well and ultimately contributed to Fort Collins' high quality of life.

Visit fcgov.com/parkplanning to learn more about the Parks and Recreation Plan Policy Update.