Showcase: Colorado

It all comes down to personal preference. Some people love the ocean, while others are attracted to the desert. The sustained frenzy of a large urban center can have great appeal, or it may be a big sky and an unbroken horizon. Perhaps it comes down to how personal time is spent - a walk in the woods vs. a night at the opera. The choices can be endless or rather limited, but it's how you react to them that determines your ultimate satisfaction with where you live.

I'm lucky to live in Colorado, and even luckier to live in Fort Collins, a town of friendly and tolerant folk who cherish their community and the wide array of lifestyle choices on offer. The tranquility of the wilderness is minutes away, the hustle and bustle of the big city only a bit farther. The energy of the entrepreneurial spirit drives the commercial life of the town, while the university keeps the intellectual juices flowing. People are happy here, and you can feel it everywhere you go.

For me, in addition to all that, there are two things that are special:

 

I love wrinkled geography and the mountains are my refuge - I'm among them when I can be, and when all I have time for is looking at them, I'm still happy. They're always out there to the west, shining brightly in the morning sun or providing a backdrop for a spectacular sunset. The one in the picture above is Long's Peak, one of our 53 14,000+ footers. It's a fantastic hike to the top - no climbing skills needed.

And I love the climate. We have four legitimate no-excuses seasons, with verdant springs, long summer days, colorful falls, and yes, the snows of winter. Fall and winter are my favorites. I love seeing everything blanketed in white, knowing that in a very few days, it's all going to melt off, only to fall again soon. It doesn't get much better than sitting by the fire with a cup of spiked cocoa and several dogs napping at my feet, reading a good book and watching the flakes drifting down.

Mary & Dick Greenberg Elevations Real Estate LLC 106 East Oak St. Fort Collins, CO 80524 970-689-4663 www.maryanddick.com