Old Town Fort Collins
Old Town Fort Collins, located in northern Colorado, is a historic district and urban neighborhood that serves as the social, cultural, and commercial heart of the city. Recognized formally as a historic district in the late 1970s, the area preserves much of Fort Collins's original townsite character while functioning as a lively gathering place for residents, visitors, and community activists alike. Its pedestrian-friendly streets, preserved architecture, and concentration of locally owned businesses make it among the most recognizable neighborhoods in northern Colorado.
History and Historic Designation
Old Town Fort Collins carries an official designation as a historic district dating to the late 1970s. According to the Fort Collins History Connection, the Old Town Fort Collins Historic District was first recognized in 1978, with a subsequent local historic landmark designation following in 1979.[1] These back-to-back designations reflect the significance that civic leaders and preservation advocates placed on protecting the built environment of the city's original downtown core.
The area's roots stretch back to Fort Collins's founding era, when the settlement grew from a military outpost into an incorporated municipality. The streets, blocks, and building lots of Old Town reflect the original platting of the city and retain a physical connection to that founding period. The historic district designation has helped guide development decisions in the area for decades, balancing preservation goals with the neighborhood's continued economic vitality.
Residents who have chosen to make Old Town their home often describe a strong sense of place tied to its historical character. One account from a longtime resident described the neighborhood as the destination that felt most like home after years of urban living elsewhere, noting that Old Town Fort Collins was "the place that we wanted to end up."[2] That sentiment reflects a broader pattern in which the neighborhood's historical identity and walkable layout attract residents seeking a distinctive urban experience within Fort Collins.
Community Life and Local Character
Old Town Fort Collins is home to a variety of restaurants, shops, and gathering places that contribute to its reputation as the social center of the city. The mix of independently owned businesses alongside regional chains gives the district a commercial diversity that draws both locals and tourists throughout the year.
Among the establishments that have operated in or near Old Town is a location of the Perkins restaurant chain, where longtime employees have become familiar faces in the community. Karla Wiseman, described as an employee at the Perkins restaurant in Old Town Fort Collins, has been noted as someone who knew the regulars and the rhythms of the neighborhood well.[3] Such accounts illustrate the degree to which Old Town functions not merely as a commercial zone but as a genuine neighborhood where long-term relationships develop between business owners, employees, and customers.
The district has also attracted regional and national restaurant chains seeking access to Fort Collins's consumer base. In 2014, restaurant owner Pete Turner came to Fort Collins three weeks before the planned opening of his newest Illegal Pete's location in Old Town, meeting with community members and stakeholders ahead of the launch.[4] The Illegal Pete's opening generated significant local discussion, touching on questions about business naming, community identity, and the boundaries of acceptable commercial speech in a progressive university city.
Tourism and Ghost Tours
Old Town Fort Collins has developed a notable tourism identity built in part on its history and the legends that have accumulated around its older buildings and streets. Among the offerings available to visitors is a ghost and history tour that guides participants through the district while recounting local legends, reported hauntings, ghostly sightings, and other strange happenings associated with specific locations. According to Visit Fort Collins, tour stops vary between each outing, providing repeat visitors with a changing itinerary.[5]
These tours serve a dual purpose, functioning as entertainment while also conveying substantive historical information about the district. The blending of local legend with documented history is a common feature of heritage tourism in historic districts across the American West, and Old Town Fort Collins participates in that tradition. The preserved architecture of the district provides an atmospheric backdrop that makes such tours particularly effective at conveying a sense of the city's past.
Tourism to Old Town is supported by the neighborhood's walkability and its concentration of attractions within a compact geographic area. Visitors can move on foot between restaurants, shops, historical landmarks, and public spaces, making the district accessible without automobile travel. This pedestrian-oriented layout has been reinforced over the years by streetscape improvements and civic investment in the public realm.
Public Events and Civic Activism
Old Town Fort Collins has served repeatedly as a venue for public demonstrations and civic gatherings, reflecting the neighborhood's role as the symbolic and physical center of the city. Its open streets and public squares provide space for residents to assemble and make their voices heard on matters of local and national concern.
In June 2022, participants in the March for Our Lives movement marched through Old Town Fort Collins as part of a rally calling for gun control legislation. More than 400 advocates took part in the Fort Collins demonstration on June 11, 2022, making it one of the larger public gatherings the district had seen that year.[6] The march was part of a nationwide series of events organized following renewed public debate over gun violence in the United States.
Old Town has also been the site of demonstrations focused on local law enforcement accountability. In April 2017, protesters gathered to demand details and accountability following an arrest that had taken place in Old Town Fort Collins. The incident involved a woman whose attorney reported she had sustained a concussion and bruises, and she was subsequently formally charged in connection with the events surrounding the arrest.[7] The protest demonstrated the neighborhood's function as a space where residents come to express concerns about institutional conduct and civil rights.
These events illustrate a pattern in which Old Town Fort Collins serves not merely as a commercial or entertainment district but as a civic commons where the community confronts difficult questions about justice, safety, and shared values. The district's central location, public infrastructure, and symbolic weight as the historic heart of the city make it a natural focal point for such gatherings.
Public Safety
Like any urban neighborhood, Old Town Fort Collins has experienced incidents requiring emergency response. Firefighters were called to a home in Old Town on a Sunday night following a house fire, an incident that was reported by The Coloradoan and confirmed by city spokeswoman Annie Bierbower.[8] Such incidents underscore the reality that Old Town, despite its historic character and tourist appeal, is a living neighborhood with full-time residents whose safety depends on responsive municipal services.
The Fort Collins Fire Authority and other city services operate within the broader municipal framework that supports Old Town and the rest of the city. The presence of older building stock in the historic district can present particular challenges for fire safety, as historic structures may predate modern building codes or feature construction materials and layouts that complicate firefighting efforts. The city's historic preservation guidelines attempt to balance the retention of original materials and character-defining features with the need to bring older buildings into compliance with contemporary safety standards where feasible.
Neighborhood Identity and Future Direction
Old Town Fort Collins occupies a particular position within the city's geography and self-image. As the original downtown, it carries layers of historical meaning that newer parts of the city do not possess. At the same time, it remains an active and evolving neighborhood, shaped by the ongoing decisions of property owners, business operators, city planners, and residents.
The dual designations as both a state and local historic district provide a framework for managing change in Old Town, but they do not freeze the neighborhood in place. New businesses continue to open, buildings undergo renovation, and public spaces are improved and reconfigured over time. The challenge for those who oversee the district is to manage this change in ways that preserve the qualities that give Old Town its distinctive character while allowing it to remain a functional and economically viable part of the city.
Residents who choose Old Town as their home do so with awareness of that layered identity. The neighborhood offers something that newer subdivisions on the city's growing edges cannot replicate: a physical connection to the history of Fort Collins, a walkable environment, and a density of social life that comes from having restaurants, shops, parks, and civic spaces within easy walking distance. Those qualities continue to draw new residents and visitors to Old Town even as the city around it grows and changes.
Old Town Fort Collins remains one of the defining places of northern Colorado, a historic district that functions simultaneously as a museum of the city's past and as a living, working neighborhood oriented toward the present and future.