Fort Collins recognized as one of the best cities for working remotely in the U.S.

Most all of us know that Northern Colorado is a desirable place to live. Fort Collins has been at the top or near the top of dozens of “best of” lifestyle lists. But increasingly, it’s being recognized as one of the best places to work remotely in the entire country!

According to the real estate blog Commercial Café, Fort Collins ranks number 11 on its list of top 20 best cities for working remotely.  Highlights of the criteria include: 1.  A great internet connection which is deemed essential; 2. Amenities such as restaurants and grocery stores nearby because cooking or ordering delivery are the best lunch options; 3. Local, flexible coworking offices that come in handy when one needs a change of scenery and the local coffee shop is too busy to hold Zoom meetings.

The list notes that Fort Collins that even pre-pandemic, the city experienced a staggering 167.1 percent growth in working from home between 2015 and 2019! 

Since the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, millions of white-collar employees began working from home. A Gallup poll conducted a few months ago found that over 70% of these people are still working from home. 

The City of Fort Collins has recognized and kept pace with the evolution of the region’s workforce and put together resources to support working remotely.  The city provides remote working advice and offers a printable Telework Toolkit,  divided into four sections: Benefits, Policies & Procedures, Guidance for Managers and Employees, and Technology.

Fort Collins Connexion (initiated by a 2017 ballot measure) is a locally managed broadband service that is installing and providing a gigabit-speed fiber network.  No matter which Internet Service Provider you choose, make sure you have a reliable connection with enough bandwidth to meet your needs. 

Another trend in remote work is to join a coworking community – such as Cohere coworking. It is a great way to regularly engage with a variety of motivated and supportive remote workers. Cohere offers these suggestions  for increasing your motivation when working remotely:

• Stick to a routine
• Create a dedicated workspace
• Start small
• Work smart
• Engage with motivated people